Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Sermon
Based on Isaiah 40, it's called Jesus, Where Did Your Footprints Go. You can hear it here
Monday, November 24, 2008
November newsletter (VERY LATE)
Dear friend,
I know this letter is pretty late, so sorry for that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but good ones. With things at the building settling down, and my sermon done, things will begin to fall back into place. And the job of getting to be a pastor again is getting more real all the time. While I can do the administrative side of my job, my true passion lies in getting to sit with someone who wants to know more about Jesus, and that is a blessing!
This month I thought I would change things up a bit in my newsletter and do a bit of sermonizing here. I thought that maybe we could share some thoughts on Jesus. I am going to give you a bit of a synopsis of my sermon last preached at Scum. If you want to hear more, you can visit our website at www.scumoftheearth.net and follow the link for podcasts. My sermon is entitled Suffering in Isaiah. You can also link it off of my blog at beardedjosh.blogspot.com.
So, in 30th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet is writing to the nation of Judah, who is looking at the immanent attack from Assyria. In the face of adversity, they do as so many of us do, and they turn to their own devices: they seek help from their southern neighbor, Egypt.
The chapter starts with this challenge: “Woe to the obstinate children… to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin.” The Lord is warning them of the destruction that awaits them as they turn from God to their own devices. It is a warning that we all face daily in the ways that we run from the God who offers us deliverance from the obstacles that we face in our lives: the suffering, the pain, the frustrations, the anger, etc. We are the obstinate children, who, like the Israelites, have such a longing for safety and security that we know that we need, but who do not find rest and peace in God, and so we run to our devices to ease the pain.
But, there’s an interesting twist in verse 23, when God speaks and says that he gives us the bread of affliction and the water of suffering. Now, I must admit, I was terribly troubled when I read this. Does this mean that a lot of the suffering that we endure is actually given to us by the hand of God? Well, knowing that this thought is borderline heretical, let me explain as such: while God does not create suffering, he allows it for our own good.
The fact is that we live in a world that is not as it was intended to be. There is evil in our world that causes things like cancer, genocide, and war. This is not in God’s original design, but rather is the result of sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, and thus became the first ones to run from God’s intention and care. We’ve been following in their footsteps ever since. And God allows us to run just far enough that we will find ourselves in a position where we will want to turn back to Him. It is for our own good.
And so, when we face the trials that are sure to come as part of living in a fallen world, it is imperative that we turn toward Jesus and trust in Him. Our natural reaction is to take matters into our own hands, but just as Jesus stood waiting for us the first time we turned to Him, he still waits for us with open arms to rescue and deliver us from the pains that we are facing…if we would just turn to Him instead of running from Him.
This is the message that our church needed to hear, and it is probably the message that we could all stand to hear on a daily basis.
And so, please take this as an invitation to remember what it was like when you first encountered the Gospel, that sweet feeling of relief to know that the Savior was waiting for you to turn to Him and welcome you home. And turn back to Him again and again as you encounter the temptation to run to the many vices that offer us a sense of security, when the only true hope for peace is in the redeeming arms of our Lord.
May He bless you as you turn,
Josh Cook
I know this letter is pretty late, so sorry for that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but good ones. With things at the building settling down, and my sermon done, things will begin to fall back into place. And the job of getting to be a pastor again is getting more real all the time. While I can do the administrative side of my job, my true passion lies in getting to sit with someone who wants to know more about Jesus, and that is a blessing!
This month I thought I would change things up a bit in my newsletter and do a bit of sermonizing here. I thought that maybe we could share some thoughts on Jesus. I am going to give you a bit of a synopsis of my sermon last preached at Scum. If you want to hear more, you can visit our website at www.scumoftheearth.net and follow the link for podcasts. My sermon is entitled Suffering in Isaiah. You can also link it off of my blog at beardedjosh.blogspot.com.
So, in 30th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet is writing to the nation of Judah, who is looking at the immanent attack from Assyria. In the face of adversity, they do as so many of us do, and they turn to their own devices: they seek help from their southern neighbor, Egypt.
The chapter starts with this challenge: “Woe to the obstinate children… to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin.” The Lord is warning them of the destruction that awaits them as they turn from God to their own devices. It is a warning that we all face daily in the ways that we run from the God who offers us deliverance from the obstacles that we face in our lives: the suffering, the pain, the frustrations, the anger, etc. We are the obstinate children, who, like the Israelites, have such a longing for safety and security that we know that we need, but who do not find rest and peace in God, and so we run to our devices to ease the pain.
But, there’s an interesting twist in verse 23, when God speaks and says that he gives us the bread of affliction and the water of suffering. Now, I must admit, I was terribly troubled when I read this. Does this mean that a lot of the suffering that we endure is actually given to us by the hand of God? Well, knowing that this thought is borderline heretical, let me explain as such: while God does not create suffering, he allows it for our own good.
The fact is that we live in a world that is not as it was intended to be. There is evil in our world that causes things like cancer, genocide, and war. This is not in God’s original design, but rather is the result of sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, and thus became the first ones to run from God’s intention and care. We’ve been following in their footsteps ever since. And God allows us to run just far enough that we will find ourselves in a position where we will want to turn back to Him. It is for our own good.
And so, when we face the trials that are sure to come as part of living in a fallen world, it is imperative that we turn toward Jesus and trust in Him. Our natural reaction is to take matters into our own hands, but just as Jesus stood waiting for us the first time we turned to Him, he still waits for us with open arms to rescue and deliver us from the pains that we are facing…if we would just turn to Him instead of running from Him.
This is the message that our church needed to hear, and it is probably the message that we could all stand to hear on a daily basis.
And so, please take this as an invitation to remember what it was like when you first encountered the Gospel, that sweet feeling of relief to know that the Savior was waiting for you to turn to Him and welcome you home. And turn back to Him again and again as you encounter the temptation to run to the many vices that offer us a sense of security, when the only true hope for peace is in the redeeming arms of our Lord.
May He bless you as you turn,
Josh Cook
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Me Preaching!
So, here's a couple pics of me being fairly animated while preaching at Scum...enjoy!
It was my first time in the new building!
You can hear the sermon here
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
October newsletter
Dear friend,
As I write this letter, we are just a couple of days away from our first service in our new building, so there is a mad rush to try to get everything together, or at least operational, for our first meeting. Inside the sanctuary is a sign left by the previous owner that reads, ‘Chaos is necessary, but cannot be scheduled.’ That is pretty reflective of this week for all of us.
Also, as I write this letter, we owe less than $30,000 on the building. From a church with an annual budget of just over $100,000/year, this is a miracle! Your gifts have been such a measure of grace to us, and we believe that we are going to be debt free by the end of the year. Now there are several projects that we need to do in the building to make it more functional, including a sprinkler system, more bathrooms, finishing out the basement with an egress stairway and window, and a commercial kitchen so that we might be able to prepare meals here for 200 people. And I believe that as God has provided the money for the building, he will continue to provide for our needs!
But, raising money for the church has put a strain on the staff accounts. Currently, several members of staff are underfunded, and as I noted in my last newsletter, I have been underfunded for the past two months. Additionally, I have not been able to expense my pastoral allowance, insurance, or cell phone since March, so things have been a little tight. I am hoping to go to Texas in October to do some fundraising, so please remember me in your prayers in this endeavor.
All that said, though, life in ministry is going well. I was able to take a few days off last week to get away to the mountains and enjoy the turning of the aspens. The hills are all shades of red, orange, and yellow. It is quite spectacular. And it was a much-needed respite after everything that has happened with the zoning and the building.
And as things with the building begin to smooth out, I am able to spend more time in pastoral ministry, which is where my heart lies. We will begin a new small group this week on a book entitled UnChristian: What a New Generation thinks about Christianity…And Why It Matters. It is a study on 6 principles discovered by researchers about what people outside the church in my generation think about the church. It gives practical steps toward bringing about dialogue with them. It is my hope that this will spur our church on toward a missional perspective, especially as we move into our new building and encounter a new population.
I am also working on guidelines for ‘Groups of 3’ which would be small groups for guys. There would be no leader, but each member would be responsible for preparing for the study. It has been my conviction recently that the guys at the church need something to spur them on toward growth and maturity, and by sitting under the teaching of someone, they are losing this opportunity to provide for themselves and each other spiritually. I must admit, I am nervous about this, as it might fail miserably, or even in part, but I feel that it is necessary for the maturation of the guys here at Scum. And as they grow in their maturity, the Kingdom of God will advance in our city.
And lastly, I am hoping to start another small group that brews beer and studies the miracles of Jesus (like turning water into wine, or malt, hops, yeast, and water into beer). I have been brewing for a couple of years ago, and have recently been brewing quite a bit of beer. I have found that it is an incredible opportunity to bring people together, and people are extremely excited about it! And so, as we brew beer (about 4 weeks), we would have an opportunity to discuss the miracles of Jesus, and how that relates to our present lives. Also, once it is finished, we can have a tasting, which would be an incredible opportunity for outreach!
And this is the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning: seeing how our lives are changed and shaped by God, and how we might be agents of that change in others’ lives around us.
As I write this letter, we are just a couple of days away from our first service in our new building, so there is a mad rush to try to get everything together, or at least operational, for our first meeting. Inside the sanctuary is a sign left by the previous owner that reads, ‘Chaos is necessary, but cannot be scheduled.’ That is pretty reflective of this week for all of us.
Also, as I write this letter, we owe less than $30,000 on the building. From a church with an annual budget of just over $100,000/year, this is a miracle! Your gifts have been such a measure of grace to us, and we believe that we are going to be debt free by the end of the year. Now there are several projects that we need to do in the building to make it more functional, including a sprinkler system, more bathrooms, finishing out the basement with an egress stairway and window, and a commercial kitchen so that we might be able to prepare meals here for 200 people. And I believe that as God has provided the money for the building, he will continue to provide for our needs!
But, raising money for the church has put a strain on the staff accounts. Currently, several members of staff are underfunded, and as I noted in my last newsletter, I have been underfunded for the past two months. Additionally, I have not been able to expense my pastoral allowance, insurance, or cell phone since March, so things have been a little tight. I am hoping to go to Texas in October to do some fundraising, so please remember me in your prayers in this endeavor.
All that said, though, life in ministry is going well. I was able to take a few days off last week to get away to the mountains and enjoy the turning of the aspens. The hills are all shades of red, orange, and yellow. It is quite spectacular. And it was a much-needed respite after everything that has happened with the zoning and the building.
And as things with the building begin to smooth out, I am able to spend more time in pastoral ministry, which is where my heart lies. We will begin a new small group this week on a book entitled UnChristian: What a New Generation thinks about Christianity…And Why It Matters. It is a study on 6 principles discovered by researchers about what people outside the church in my generation think about the church. It gives practical steps toward bringing about dialogue with them. It is my hope that this will spur our church on toward a missional perspective, especially as we move into our new building and encounter a new population.
I am also working on guidelines for ‘Groups of 3’ which would be small groups for guys. There would be no leader, but each member would be responsible for preparing for the study. It has been my conviction recently that the guys at the church need something to spur them on toward growth and maturity, and by sitting under the teaching of someone, they are losing this opportunity to provide for themselves and each other spiritually. I must admit, I am nervous about this, as it might fail miserably, or even in part, but I feel that it is necessary for the maturation of the guys here at Scum. And as they grow in their maturity, the Kingdom of God will advance in our city.
And lastly, I am hoping to start another small group that brews beer and studies the miracles of Jesus (like turning water into wine, or malt, hops, yeast, and water into beer). I have been brewing for a couple of years ago, and have recently been brewing quite a bit of beer. I have found that it is an incredible opportunity to bring people together, and people are extremely excited about it! And so, as we brew beer (about 4 weeks), we would have an opportunity to discuss the miracles of Jesus, and how that relates to our present lives. Also, once it is finished, we can have a tasting, which would be an incredible opportunity for outreach!
And this is the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning: seeing how our lives are changed and shaped by God, and how we might be agents of that change in others’ lives around us.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Exhausted
So, this week is a community meeting for the neighborhood the new building is in...basically take a normal 50 hour work week and add some more...
And couple that with the feeling that everyone's lives around me are falling apart, and it's been an exhausting month. That God for fly fishing!
And couple that with the feeling that everyone's lives around me are falling apart, and it's been an exhausting month. That God for fly fishing!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Building Update
Hi, Everybody!
A few of you have asked for an update on the Scum of the Earth Church building situation, so here it is (succinctly):
1. We have raised close to $400K in four weeks by the grace of almighty God.
2. A group of Christian businessmen has given us a bridge loan of $250K for 90 days. This provides us the gift of more time to raise the remaining funds. If we don't raise it, we may have to sell the building, however.
3. We close the sale on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM!
4. We have zoning issues. Although the building has been a church/community center for 120 years and had been "grandfathered" into zoning requirements, the last ten years have been as a single-unit dwelling. We now have to go through all the rigamarole to get a variance for modern parking requirements, etc., in order bring it back to use as a church. The first Zoning Board meeting that we could get into is September 9th.
5. As a result, we cannot use the building for large worship gatherings until the zoning comes through. For more details, please listen to the last two Sunday messages and the "Building Campaign Announcement" here
Thanks to all of you who have been a part of this with us!
By amazing grace,
Mike
A few of you have asked for an update on the Scum of the Earth Church building situation, so here it is (succinctly):
1. We have raised close to $400K in four weeks by the grace of almighty God.
2. A group of Christian businessmen has given us a bridge loan of $250K for 90 days. This provides us the gift of more time to raise the remaining funds. If we don't raise it, we may have to sell the building, however.
3. We close the sale on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM!
4. We have zoning issues. Although the building has been a church/community center for 120 years and had been "grandfathered" into zoning requirements, the last ten years have been as a single-unit dwelling. We now have to go through all the rigamarole to get a variance for modern parking requirements, etc., in order bring it back to use as a church. The first Zoning Board meeting that we could get into is September 9th.
5. As a result, we cannot use the building for large worship gatherings until the zoning comes through. For more details, please listen to the last two Sunday messages and the "Building Campaign Announcement" here
Thanks to all of you who have been a part of this with us!
By amazing grace,
Mike
The Gospel
So, Monday night I went to go see Shane Claiborne, the author of Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President, speak at a local church. He is a passionate speaker, who is wildly in love with Jesus.
In the process, I heard several things caught my ear, and was both encouraged and discouraged all at once. I was encouraged, because they spoke of change and the vividness of the Gospel. They talked about how God is still in the business of changing people's lives through the work of Jesus on the Cross. And how that work brings about holistic change.
But I was equally discouraged that I have lost some of this excitement in my own life. Over the past four years at Scum, a couple of rough summers in Glasgow, working with people with various addictions, and a seminary education that can act to sap anybody's faith, I have found that while my belief in the power of the Gospel hasn't waned, it has been tempered by experiences.
And so I've spent significant amount of times trying to understand the miraculous effect of the Good News on the lives of those around me, as well as its impact on my own life. I've tried to understand what healing is and isn't, only to come to understand that a healing God is One who loves us enough to allow us to wrestle with Him as part of the process of healing. Wrestling with God heals our pride, our self-centeredness, our selfishness, and our self-idolizing. It's the painful part of the process, but it's a good One. One that is transformative and healing. God's Gospel is changing lives all around me (and mine as well) in a way that is keeping with His patience and grace, so that the transformation will be lasting and effective.
So, may the power of the Gospel be ever with you!
Our Father, we have listened to thy word, and loved it; we have found comfort and inspiration in song and psalter; we have enjoyed the companionship of those who, with kindred minds and hearts, have praised and worshiped thee. Now help us to understand that, as we leave this sacred House of God, we shall become thy Church in the street.
In the process, I heard several things caught my ear, and was both encouraged and discouraged all at once. I was encouraged, because they spoke of change and the vividness of the Gospel. They talked about how God is still in the business of changing people's lives through the work of Jesus on the Cross. And how that work brings about holistic change.
But I was equally discouraged that I have lost some of this excitement in my own life. Over the past four years at Scum, a couple of rough summers in Glasgow, working with people with various addictions, and a seminary education that can act to sap anybody's faith, I have found that while my belief in the power of the Gospel hasn't waned, it has been tempered by experiences.
And so I've spent significant amount of times trying to understand the miraculous effect of the Good News on the lives of those around me, as well as its impact on my own life. I've tried to understand what healing is and isn't, only to come to understand that a healing God is One who loves us enough to allow us to wrestle with Him as part of the process of healing. Wrestling with God heals our pride, our self-centeredness, our selfishness, and our self-idolizing. It's the painful part of the process, but it's a good One. One that is transformative and healing. God's Gospel is changing lives all around me (and mine as well) in a way that is keeping with His patience and grace, so that the transformation will be lasting and effective.
So, may the power of the Gospel be ever with you!
Our Father, we have listened to thy word, and loved it; we have found comfort and inspiration in song and psalter; we have enjoyed the companionship of those who, with kindred minds and hearts, have praised and worshiped thee. Now help us to understand that, as we leave this sacred House of God, we shall become thy Church in the street.
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