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This week in Pastor Dave's sermon, he proposed the question "How can we be faithful to what God has entrusted to us?" He talked about how we all have "filthy clothes" and need to put on new clothes. (spiritual sense) One of the statements Pastor Dave made in closing was "To have God on your own terms says it's all about me".

Upon further reflection, I've had to ask myself "what ways am I coping out when it comes to following Jesus just cause I don't feel like it?" Come to think about it most of the time I really don't feel like it, nor do I feel like doing things God's way. I have the desire TO desire to do things God's way. I really enjoyed this week's message, spiritual formation is something that's near and dear to my heart.

What'd you guys think about the message?

Posted by dabruceski at 2:33 PM | Permalink

Per the message on sunday, I just felt like I should put it into a little practice via blog style. But I wasn't sure who reads and doesn't read the blog.

I thank God...

I thank God for the consistent caring heart you have.

I thank God for the good heart and welcoming spirit you have.

I thank God for the ways you are wise with humility.

I thank God for your insight and desire to serve.

I thank God for your ideas and giving attitude.

I thank God for truth seeking heart and teachability.

I thank God for your servants heart and heart for people.

I thank God for willingness and good spirits.

To Conclude: Know that I thank God for you guys, I pray that you (all) experience God in great ways.

-DaB

Posted by dabruceski at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by dabruceski at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Had a good time at disneyland w/ you guys. Back to business here we go on week 2.

Gen 12-15, Ps 5

-Though Abram was “chosen” out of the nations, whom else did God want to bless through his offspring (Genesis 12:2-3)? Compare this “Old Testament Great Commission” to the New Testament version in Matthew 28:18-20.

-What “saved” Abram according to Genesis 15:6? (Romans 4 and Galatians 3:6-14 are Paul’s inspired commentary on this passage.)

-How does experiencing God’s favor inspire us to reach others with that love? Why do we sometimes lose concern for the lost?

I'm currently stuck on this passage. Its that feeling that there's more here than I'm seeing, but am just plain stuck. So please please comment and post your thoughts and insights to this passage. In other words "Help!".

Posted by dabruceski at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Almost finished with Week 1. Quote from Gladiator: "Strength and Honor" - Maximus

Gen 7-8, Ps 3

The ark was one and a half football fields long, holding the volume of 569 railroad cars. Imagine yourself building such a huge structure – and so far away from any body of water, with hostile neighbors watching!

What do you think might be the significance of who closed the ark? ( Genesis 7:16)? Does this teach you anything about God?

What do you learn from these New Testament passages that comment on Noah and the Flood: Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:18-22; 2 Peter 2:5 and Matthew 24:37-39?

What was God’s response to Noah’s offering (Genesis 8:20-22)?

Upon further reflection this morning, I was struck by the beginning of the passage. The words "I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made." (Gen 7:4) Just a couple chapters ago God talked about how "it was good". I remember numerous instances in my own life where God totally provided and made something happen in my life and "it was good", and down the road something changes in the way I hold on to it and God "blots" it out. I used to believe the myth that if God gave you something then it was "meant" to be for good. But the reality of it is, God gives and takes for our own good. Sorta like the bridge of that song "Blessed Be" .... "you give and take away.... you give and take away...." And the name of God is blessed because of that.

Have you ever felt like something was "meant to be" and God started flooding your life? How did you react to God's blessing?

Posted by dabruceski at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm praying for you all.

Gen 5-6

-In Genesis 5, the pattern is… “… and he died” after each person’s name – except for what exception is verse 24?

-What does Hebrew 11:5 say about Enoch’s special status?

-What was true about Noah that made him the exception to the rest of the world?

-Why do you suppose God waited so long (120 years) to begin the Flood after telling Noah it was coming?

-What does it tell you about God’s character that so many years went by before He judged sin? How are you doing these days mimicking God’s patience even when retribution is justified?

A couple extra notes. Adam actually almost lived till the flood. He died only a couple generations away from Noah. I noticed an interesting phrase repeated. "____ walked with God". And its apparent that these people who "walked with God" were setapart in scripture. In Enoch's case so setapart he didn't even die. Another random fact, a cubit was somewhere around 17-22 inches or so. Lets say 20 for round numbers. This makes the dimensions of the ark 500ft x 50ft x 83 ft. This thing was the size of a big building. Imagine 2 football fields in a line and sliced down the middle. Then 5 stories up an dyou have a rough estimate of how massive the ark is. They didn't have lumber yards back then either.

On the spiritual side of things... what does it mean for us to "walk with God" and be setapart?

Posted by dabruceski at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Day 3 was hard! I think this is where its gonna start getting rough for me. It feels like I'm running a marathon and can't see the end, not like i've actually ran one though, but I figured you guys can understand that analogy =) Stay strong! You're all in my prayers.

Gen 4, Ps 2

-In Gen 4, sin spreads from the individual to the family. How are families you know still experiencing the fallout of sin today?

-In addition to the offering itself. What (or rather who) was "out of favor" (Gen 4:4-5)

-What details from the story of Cain and Abel does Hebrews 11:4 stress?

-What insights about sin's effects do you get from Gen 4:7?

Upon further reflection, this morning I've been thinking about the different ways men (humankind) relate to God and vice versa. You have people like Abel who had favor in the sight of the Lord, Cain who couldn't take ownership of anything and begged for mercy, Lamech who essentially reguarded himself as 10x more powerful than God, and Enosh + family who "began to call upon the Lord". I had to ask myself the question... "Who is God to me?" I look back on the different ways I used to think about who God is in different phases of my spiritual life. Times when God was "buddy buddy", times when God was my personal "fix-it man", times when God was the "harsh father", times when God was considered "powerless in my life", times when I thought I knew better than God. What does it mean and look like for us to think of Christ as "The way the truth and the light", and my "personal savior" (sorry for the christian cliches). I think out of all the ways I think about who God is, I struggle with thinking of him as simply a "fix-it man" or the bank far too often. "God i need this... God such and such is sick.... God I have a problem.... God FIX MY PROBLEM..."

Or how bout "God I'm single give me someone.... God everyone else drives an expensive car I want one too... God I need shelter give me a house..." Sure we might not actually pray these things, but our actions speak louder than any words to God. Sorta like last weeks msg about what our budget reflects to God.

I think too much.... Feedback?

Posted by dabruceski at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today is a good day. Here's today's Old Testament Challenge... game on! I'll be praying for you guys.

Gen 2-3
What clue about our need for community is contained in Gen 2:18? Is a spouse the only solution for this need?

How did the serpent twist God's words in Gen 3:1 and 4 (compare Gen 2:1-6-17)

In spite of the curses, how did God show grace after the Fall? What does this tell you about him?

What NT event does Gen 3:15 foreshadow?

One of my reflections on this passage was about how the first thing that changed when man and woman sinned was the way they related to each other. It only took a couple verses for man to shift the blame to the woman and God. It's bittersweet to think God intended men and women to be able to relate on such an amazing level, but because of sin, the way we relate to one another is broken and shattered. Thoughts?

Posted by dabruceski at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Holla party people! Let's start STRONG TOGETHER for OTC day 1! If you have time post a comment with some answers to today's questions. I'll comment with mine later today =)

Gen 1, Ps 1
-What Hint about the "community nature" of God (the Trinity) can you see in Gen 1:2, 26-27?

-If God is invisible, what do you think "created in the image of God" means?

-How would we all treat each other differently if we really believed we were made in God's image - even w/ all our faults?

Posted by dabruceski at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

the Steve Clifford mesage "All in with our Treasures" was truly awesome. it's the best I've heard so far on tithing. this was a very well researched sermon with lots of excellent biblical references and stories

some highlights: there are no fast rules in deciding how much to tithe. the best approach is a balancing approach between joy and sacrifice. we are all stewards - stewards don't own anything but manage things for the master.

if you missed the sermon, I recommend you check it out at when it gets posted on http://www.grx.org/messages.shtml

Posted by Allen at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Per what Kat said at small group on thurs, OTC starts MONDAY, nov 7th... Just incase you haven't bought the bk yet like me or it hasn't come in... No problem! Don't wait till it comes, here's the first week. I'm really excited to do this with ya'll. Its gonna be awesome.

Week 1 Challenge:

Look for…
□ God’s creation of the universe
□ Humanity’s rebellion against God
□ God’s provision for his wayward children
□ The ark built and Noah rescued from the Flood
□ The Tower of Babel built and a prideful “pseudo-community” dispersed

Activity
This week you are on a “God-Hunt”. Imagine you know every little about God. What do these early chapters of the Bible teach you about him? What are his likes and dislikes? How powerful is he? What is his nature? Also pay attention to what you see of God in your everyday life through such things as answered prayer, experiences of beauty, or a prompting to reach out to someone.

This week's prayer:
Pray this prayer throughout the week: Heavenly Father, I want to know you through your Word and meet you in my life. What do you want to teach me about yourself today

Day 1: God’s Good Creation
Genesis 1, Psalms 1

What Hint about the “community nature” of God (the Trinity) can you see in Genesis 1:2 and 26-27?

If God is invisible, what do you think “created in the image of God” means?

How would we all treat each other differently if we really believed we were made in God’s image – even with all our faults?

Tuesday: God’s Breath of Life and the Fall of Humanity
Genesis 2-3

What clue about our need for community is contained in Genesis 2:18? Is a spouse the only solution for this need? (hint: 1 John 4:7-8, 12)?

How did the serpent twist God’s words in Genesis 3:1 and 4 (compare Genesis 2:16-17)?

In spite of the curses, how did God show grace after the Fall? What does this tell you about him?

What New Testament event does Genesis 3:15 foreshadow?

Wednesday: Sin Spreads to Family
Genesis 4: Psalms 2

In Genesis 4, sin spreads from the individual to the family. How are families you know still experiencing the fallout from sin today?

In addition to the offering itself. What (or rather, who) was “out of favor” (Genesis 4:4-5)?

What details from the story of Cain and Abel does Hebrews 11:4 stress?

What insights about sin’s effects do you get from Genesis 4:7?

Thursday: Sin Spreads Worldwide
Genesis 5-6

In Genesis 5, the pattern is… “… and he died” after each person’s name – except for what exception is verse 24?

What does Hebrew 11:5 say about Enoch’s special status?

What was true about Noah that made him the exception to the rest of the world?

Why do you suppose God waited so long (120 years) to begin the Flood after telling Noah it was coming?

What does it tell you about God’s character that so many years went by before He judged sin? How are you doing these days mimicking God’s patience even when retribution is justified?

Friday: The Flood
Genesis 7-8; Psalm 3

The ark was one and a half football fields long, holding the volume of 569 railroad cars. Imagine yourself building such a huge structure – and so far away from any body of water, with hostile neighbors watching!

What do you think might be the significance of who closed the ark? ( Genesis 7:16)? Does this teach you anything about God?

What do you learn from these New Testament passages that comment on Noah and the Flood: Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:18-22; 2 Peter 2:5 and Matthew 24:37-39?

What was God’s response to Noah’s offering (Genesis 8:20-22)?

Weekend: God’s Covenant: Tower of Babel
Genesis 9-11; Psalm 4

What covenant did God make with Noah and his descendants in Genesis 9:8-17? What did Noah have to do? What insight does this give you about God’s nature?

What were the purposes for the tower in Genesis 11:4?

Compare Genesis 9:7; Psalm 2; and Isaiah 14:12-15. What sins do you think were committed by the people who built this monument?

How does such pride and rejection of God’s rule show up in our day? In what ways are you tempted to build your own monument to “Almighty Me”?

Posted by dabruceski at 11:10 PM | Permalink

I've been chewing on the 11/3/05 study "who killed Jesus" and finally nailed down why it's been bothering me so much (I was struggling to articulate something along this line in small group but couldn't figure out how to say it). This was the study where we learned that we all killed Jesus because He died for our sins. Please comment - I'm curious to see what you all think:

I’m not disagreeing that there is some truth to the fact that we may have “killed” Jesus.
"Kill" literally means to deprive of life. Under that definition, while we didn’t literally take his life, it is probably not incorrect to say we had a role in depriving Him of life since he wouldn’t have died but for our sins.

The problem lies with the motive behind this strong word choice. "Kill" is a strong word, synonymous with SLAY, MURDER, ASSASSINATE, DISPATCH and EXECUTE. These are violently negative words. When someone tells you that you killed Jesus, it is obviously meant to invoke feelings of guilt and sadness, among other things.

Yet, the gospel is about the Good news, not the bad news. the fact that Jesus died for our sins is not something that should cause anyone to be despondent or guilt-ridden, but rather filled with gratefulness and joy. To say that we killed Him would be to turn the good news into the “bad news,” totally disregarding the message of grace: e.g., (1) God died out of love, not necessarily obligation; (2) Jesus’ gift of salvation was freely given, not something we that we took by force, (3) Jesus chose to die for us, as opposed to was forced to die for us,. (4) the responsibility for the plan of Jesus’ redemptive work - and ultimately the all glory and credit for it– should be all to God, not to us.

The challenge last week was to think in all things, even the minutia of daily life, what would Jesus do. My thought is, blame shifting is not probably something Jesus would be doing. moreover, this message of guilt may also cause others to stumble. Just my thoughts - I hope I don't get flammed for this posting!

Posted by Allen at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Praise God!!! I love His people...my brothers and sisters in Christ. A couple weeks ago, on October 22nd, a few of us from GrX went to the San Jose City Team Ministries to put on a BBQ there for the residents and some of the homeless people around that area. It seems that everytime that I help out with the BBQ, I get blessed. Now mind you, I'm not going there to get blessed, but to spread God's blessing to others. At this particular BBQ, it was a bit more stressful at the beginning of the day than at other BBQs in the past, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Let me explain....

As some of you know GrX is responsible for putting on a BBQ at the San Jose City Ministries on the 4th Saturday of every even month (i.e. February, April, June, and so on). Sometimes we have to scramble to get enough people to come out to help with the BBQ and this time was another one of those times. =) There were so many things going on that Saturday, so it's not too surprising that we had a bit of a struggle to get enough people. That's part of the blessing I experienced. Thanh, from the UBU small group, helped me a lot in getting enough people for the BBQ. She was so enthusiastic about getting people in her small group to help out. I felt encouraged and blessed by her enthusiasm and willingness to serve.

I was also blessed from some responses from people who weren't able to help out for some reason. One in particular came from someone who is doing missionary work in Thailand. She gave me some words of encouragement and that's just what it did! =D

Now on the day of the BBQ....In the morning, I went to GrX to pickup some of the supplies and help with prepping the food. When I got to the church, I got a big and unpleasant surprise....one of the doors I needed to pass thru was locked! Yikes! I called Bobby Lee, the worship pastor, to see if he could help me by opening the door. Unfortunately, he was at a wedding and on top of that the other people with a key to the door were also at that wedding. So, what it came down to was that we had to hurry and make another Costco run and pickup the supplies that were locked up in the church. Heather, from the Knot2Us small group, went home to get her BBQ utensils. Here's another blessing I received.... Andrew and Judy (also from UBU) were just arriving at GrX to help with the BBQ when I was just heading out to Costco. When I explained to Andrew what had happened (being locked out), he just asked how he could help me. I was blessed by his response of being willing to help out in any way, especially since that was the first time we met each other. At Costco, I received another blessing. While Andrew, Judy and I were frantically gathering supplies for the BBQ, Judy said something to the effect that this was so exciting (at that time, I was thinking that this was so stressful!...hahaha). That encouraged me again. I was thinking that they wouldn't be enjoying this time because nothing was turning out as planned..., but I was wrong. Thank you Jesus!

When we finally arrived at City Team, we still had to prep the food, setup the serving table, and start up the grill. At that point we still had only 5 people, including myself, to help with the BBQ. I knew that we needed at least 6 people to do the BBQ without anyone being overburdened. We were expecting at least one other person, but they hadn't shown up yet....so I was a little worried about that, but then Teresa (UBU small group) arrived....whew! =) We ended up splitting the group up and had some people prepping the food, some setting up the serving table, and I helped by starting up the grill. It was hectic, but everyone was so willing to help in any way. I remember seeing Heather helping with cleaning the lettuce and helping with setting up the table. It was nice to see her serving quietly and diligently in the background...I appreciate humble servanthood…the whole group seemed to be like that. We were scrambling to get things prepared till just before we started the BBQ. We asked City Team for some supplies (I had forgotten that we also had the plates, napkins, and condiments in the church) and they were so happy to help and were so appreciative that we came to serve lunch. That was another blessing.

We started the BBQ a bit later than normal, but the surprising thing is that we ended a lot earlier than I expected. Praise God! We were working like a "well-oiled machine". It was a great team effort! Afterwards, we had lunch together. It seemed like a small group lunch to me. Even though a lot of us had just met for the first time that day, we were spending time together like friends. It turned out to be an AWESOME day!!! I considered it a small miracle that the BBQ turned out as well as it did since so many things went wrong that day. I think God had the right people there that day for what transpired during the day. To God be the glory!

I was even blessed after that day as Teresa explained that she enjoyed serving the community and the people there that day. I think that expressed how all of us in the group feel. I don't think I've ever been this blessed at the City Team BBQ before. In retrospect, I think the things that went wrong that day helped to show what was so awesome about God and His people. To show the love of God that flows through His people and their beautiful servant hearts.

I was so full of joy after the BBQ that I couldn't sit still. I went to a track near my apartment and went jogging for a while and then I went walking around the neighborhood to try to settle down all the joyful energy that felt like it was going to burst out of my body. Sorry if this sounds kind of weird, but that's the best I can describe what I felt like at that time.

Thank you Lord for transforming me to serve others and to be able to see You in the lives of others. I am so thankful for Your provision and the love you’ve shown to us.

Posted by Scott at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Howdy folks,
For those that are "Game on!" for the OTC
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=49134&event=CF
When buying christian books or stuff I can buy at Christian bkstores, I like to do that instead of the normal AMZN or half.com purchases.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310249139/104-6938136-5990364?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Amazon = 13
CBD = 10
Half = 6-13

Ever see christian bkstores go out of business? Support em!

We're going "ALL IN" right?
~dab

Posted by dabruceski at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)