NCC Daily

As a community, will you commit to helping our NCC families lead their children to recognize the Imago Dei in every individual? Would you pray for families as they disciple the children in their homes?

I just really believe that this world would be mundane and actually kind of boring if we didn’t have creatives. I think creatives in so many capacities are messengers from God in the way that God gives them the vision to create, and in particular, the poetic arts.

We need to make room for others in our lives, just like we have made room in our lives for God. Every person in the world has something that they can share with others, to form connections that can lead to a community.

What do we all have in common? We all bear His image. Let’s see the image of God in each other and reflect that in our actions, in our thoughts, in our words. Let us treat each other equitably, regardless of class, race and ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal If I give all my possessions to the poor and give my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

How do we create a space where a person feels safe? Willing to be vulnerable? To take that risk in sharing of themselves with you in such a way that invites a reconciling to God, then to others?

True solidarity goes both ways. We see you but you also see us. It’s standing side by side, not one in front of the other.

These two very significant moments occupy a great deal of our attention as Christians and I’ve found they occupy a significant portion of our theological reflection as well.

Today we hear and view a video of Pastor Josh Coad singing Instrument of Peace.

I want to challenge us to expand our thinking beyond just the things we do outwardly and commit to the transformative work of our soul because the world is waiting to be served with mature love.

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can become more like Jesus who calls us to serve others.

What comes to mind when you think of justice? My personal idea of justice has shifted over the years, some seasons for the better and some seasons less so. But over these years I have seen that the best model of justice is Jesus.

As disciples of Jesus, we step into restorative justice by offering ourselves as living instruments of peace into the world.

If you want a lavish life, find a person who looks nothing like you, grew up nothing like you, lived a life nothing like yours, and love them so well that they call you their favorite person. That’s a lavish life.

You can have all things in common when you truly understand that nothing is yours. If we truly know that everything is given to us by God, we stop hoarding, we stop having a scarcity mindset. We know he will provide, and we know that what he provides is given to be shared.

I'm proud to be different. The things that make me different make me who I am. Also, it's important to note that “we are all made in God's image” and that in heaven our differences are celebrated and so we should be able to do that on earth as well.

When we all come together as the Body of Christ it is something beautiful to witness. Realizing that we are all different in many ways, but that is exactly how God intended it to be, and because of that we should celebrate our differences!

We see the formation of the beloved community in the pouring out of the Spirit in Acts 2. As the Spirit pours out as promised by Jesus, the ekklesia — that is the church, the group of called out people, are transformed through belovedness, spilling out into the world to be love.

One of the disciplines that we need to have is this idea of choosing joy, particularly when things are hard. Joy is something that we need to choose more than we feel.

I want you to know today that once you have trusted your life to Christ, the Bible says that God’s rightness and goodness and holiness are destined to win in your life.

Here's the truth, as we go after the dream that God has put on our hearts, things won't work out perfectly. In fact, we will likely have all kinds of opposition and issues as the enemy works to discourage and distract us from what God has placed on our hearts! But if this is a dream that God has given us, it's worth fighting for.

The implications for you and I that have had dreams from God only to see them crushed by the weight of our failure is tremendous. When we come to those moments, like Habakkuk who was witnessing the destruction of Judah, we ought to run to God – changing our position and posture and listen for His voice. Then we record, remember, and relay His Word of hope to others, and then worship.

Here’s what I know, when you’re constantly being filled, you’ll never run out of something to pour out. One thing I know is that in worship, is the place where the people of God encounter the presence of God, and that’s what I try to make the focus of my life.

I’m going to read a few Scriptures to help us set the tone and intentions of what we need and desire. After I read the Scripture, take a beat and listen to what God is saying.