Gateway is a little tribe who gathers in Bridgeville, DE to worship God, pray, share, and be formed as a family gathered around Jesus.
Our Father in heaven,Reveal who you are.Set the world right;Do what's best— as above, so below.Keep us alive with three square meals.Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.You're in charge!You can do anything you want!You're ablaze in beauty!Yes. Yes. Yes.Smile to Father, Son, and SpiritSmile to yourself.Smile to someone else.I'm home. I've arrived.There's nowhere I need to go, and nothing I need to do.I'm home. I've arrived.I have nothing to earn, nothing to prove, and nothing to pay back.I have nothing to earn because you just love me.I have nothing to prove because you already approve of me.I have nothing to pay back because you cancelled all my debts.What remains? Enjoying You…enjoying me.I'm home. I've arrived.The veil is torn. There's no distance or separation.I'm in You and You're in me, here and now, and forever.Jesus made me one with the Father, so I'm home.You're my home, so everywhere I am, I'm home.I'm home. I've arrived.I'm a blessing. You didn't have me, and you didn't like it, so you made me, and you made me exactly how you wanted me to be. I have the body, the voice, the personality, the sense of humor, the walk, and the laugh you wanted me to have. I make you happy just by being me.I'm a blessing.I'm a blessing and every day I'm a gift You give yourself to enjoy.I'm a blessing and every day I'm a gift you give me to enjoy.I'm a blessing and every day I'm a gift You give others to enjoy.I'm a blessing.I'm a blessed man.My future is bright.And my best days are ahead of me.You're working it out.You're working it out.You're working it out.Everything we've done wrongEverything that's gone wrongYou're working it out, for our good, as we love you. (Rom 8:28)Satan meant it for harm,but You are turning it for our thrivingand the saving of many lives. (Gen 50:20)You're working it out.With you as our Shepherd, Jesus,our hearts will be light, our steps will be easy.You're making us steady, resilient, and serene.Everything is temporary, but You remain.Today I meet pain tenderly — without resistance.I don't avoid, repress, or deny. I let it come, I greet it kindly, and I let it go.Today I meet pleasure gratefully — without grasping.I let it come, greet it joyfully, and I let it go.And when pain and pleasure have passed, I shall remain.Everything is temporary, but You remain and I shall remain.Sunlight is love.Air is love.Gravity is love.All plant life is love.All animal life is love.Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch — all love.Existence itself is love.All things are from, in, and for Him who is Love,and I am in Him who is Love.
Carl led in the Lord's Supper and taught about encouragement.
Occasionally at a Wednesday Whiteboard I give a brief biography and some highlights of people I've been reading...
Psalm 4:4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
An exploration of the question to see how different worldviews answer this, including how the people of Gateway answered.
Psalm 115:2-32 Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.Psalm 116:68aYou are good, and what you do is good.
This talk takes the words of Jesus directed against the hypocrisy of the scribes and pharisees in Matthew 23 and turns them into healthy, positive goals for us to pursue.Yes, it's a 16 point sermon.
Three ways Christianity is utterly unique among world religions, plus a point about apples.
Stan encouraged us to speak life and to be there for each other with encouragement when needed.
This one's about Jesus becoming -- and remaining -- a full human, and some implications of that."And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (Jn 1:14)
Jesus often told people that. "This happened because you believed." How do we grow in the faith Jesus walked in?
This talk is about our task as leaders to engage people in a way that invites them to excercise their own faith and collaborate with the Spirit, not just "minister to" them.It's based on the way Jesus engaged the two blind men who chased him down and demanded a meeting in Matthew 9:27ff.
We took time to pray over individuals today. Here's the audio of that if anyone's interested.
Jesus said it isn't the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. And he didn't come to call good folks, but broken people. This is why we've called the church a kind of hospital for souls...
"And Isaac redug the wells of his father Abraham..." (Genesis 26).
This talk is about the motive underneath all other human pursuits.Section 1: Data on HappinessSection 2: A few philosophers (and a mathematician)Section 3: A castrated medieval theologian on happinessConclusion: How Christianity is completely unique.
Does God expect blind faith? Are faith and reason opposed to each other?
We discussed some fascinating quotes from this Stoic Roman Emperor who sought to live a virtuous life. Much of his advice to himself can be helpfully applied to us in our life lived with and for Jesus.
Hope for the broken based on Jesus' words in Matthew 5.
We're made in the image of our Creator, who is creative (Gen 1) and who designed us to be creative (Gen 2).Here's the thesis: To be creative we must allow ourselves the luxury and the discomfort of boredom.The algorythms disrupt this God-given impulse, turning us into consumers.
Tonight we dug deeper into the theme of how we are meant to let go and let God, and what we are meant to hold onto instead of what we naturally do.This was a Wednesday Whiteboard chat.
Some questions and answers after one of my annual week of counseling short term missions students.
We're in a battle, but the true enemy is never a human.
Hurt enough - realize need for changeLearn enough - realize change is possibleReceive enough - able to change
"I don't know," can be scary, but if we want to take the posture of a learner, it's essential.
This Wednesday Whiteboard session was about how we are a part of a much larger story of God's covenant with family lineage, not just individuals.We ended by making some declarations and doing some good spiritual work breaking agreements and making agreements with gospel truths.
Johnathan Quatela's ministry is to serve those who serve the state of Delaware through governmental leadership.He likes to say, "Government is God's idea. Politics is what happens when people insert their own agendas into it."
This is a reflection on the nature of faith. It tries to work out some implications of what James says in chapter 2 of his letter when he tells us, "Oh you say you believe in one God? Well guess what? The demons believe, but they tremble."Real faith isn't about what we claim to agree with, but what we stake our lives on. This truth cuts two ways:1. If we say we believe, maybe we're wrong.2. If we say we don't believe, maybe we're wrong.
Jay talked about the process God allows us to take to make mistakes, learn, and find our way, with God involved and orchestrating things in a way we couldn't anticipate. God does this because he knows us, knows what we need, and loves us deeply.
This gospel chat is from Ephesians chapter 1.
Mark 6:46 “He went up on the mountain to pray.”Where are your meeting places? What role does beauty play in your prayers? What are your habits?
The Wednesday evening group helped me process a text from a friend.Then we talked about the question, "What is holiness?"
A real hero bleeds, fails, and grows, because the line between good and evil isn't out there, us and them, but much closer.
Danielle identified and responded to some common lies we're tempted to believe, and corresponding truths from God.
Was Jesus racist? What is the children's bread? And other questions...(from Mark 7:24-30)
This chat is about the leftovers in the multiplication of food miracles. It's about how we deal with leftovers historically vs now, and it's about what Jesus wants to do with broken people, and the broken pieces of our lives.Also, cheese is amazing.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."51 Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:47-52 NRS)
After Jesus raised a little girl from the dead one town over, we read in Mark 6 that he couldn't do any mighty works in his hometown because of their unbelief. What's up with that?
43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter. (Mark 1:40-45 NRS)
“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and NOT as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22)
Why were people drawn to John the Baptist?What are some negative associations with the word "repent?"What repentance isn'tWhat repentance isWhat are 6 elements of a great apology?Is repentance easy or hard?This is based on Mark 1:1-8
We're designed to run on the fuel of:The goodThe beautifulThe true
2 Peter 3 seems as relevant as ever.
It isn't enough just to avoid the wrong things (empty and sweep the house). In order to live the abundant life we are designed to crave, we have to "fill the house."The question I keep considering is, "How do we do that?"
People don't do what's most logical, we do what we believe will make us feel good. Science, psychology, and marketing all verify this, and it makes us often confused by our own choices and the choices of others.How do we leverage this insight for our thriving?How does this impact our approach to God and inviting others to the life of faith?
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