Scripture: “If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.� 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 (MSG) Observation: Paul talks of what motivates and moves him through the highs and lows of life. What keeps him from becoming conservative in expressing the Gospel? He live an extreme faith and calls others to the same when he writes, “I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.� (2 Cor. 6:11-13) Paul is not talking to the pre-Christian in this text, he is addressing the saved. They have grown careful in their faith, they have become conservative in their expression. This communicates that God is smaller then He really is. 2 Corinthians 5:5 reveals that an extreme Christianity is lived in the light of heaven – our true home. When we aren’t trying to find comfort here we take risks for our King and live large for His Kingdom. Application: Last night Elijah received his first trophy ever along with the rest of the soccer team. He was beaming as everyone cheered. His improvement towards the second half of the season (his first season) was amazing. He went from passive observer to aggressive goal maker. The transformation came the first time he made a goal. All of the parents erupted on the sidelines and shouted out his name. He realized we were all cheering for him. That’s all it took. From that point on his head was in the game. You can sense Paul cheering on the church in these passages. Shouting out my name he’s saying, “Come on Jon, don’t get quiet and careful, you’ll get run over. Get in there and give it your all. Up until last night, Aden hadn’t been sure he even wanted to play soccer next season when he will be old enough. He wasn’t sure he had what it takes or whether he wanted to expend the energy required. Last night Elijah let him hold his trophy. Aden’s eyes grew wide as he looked in awe at the plastic gold statuette of a soccer player in action. Seeing my moment for motivation I crouched down and looked Aden in the eyes. I said, “If you decide to play soccer next year you’ll get a trophy too!� A big smile came to his face as visions of trophies danced in his head. He told Cyndi later that he was going to get a trophy next year when he plays soccer. He was going to risk it for the prize ahead. This is what motivated Paul, the prize of heaven, and the promise of an eternal life with Christ. Paul did things he never would have done, said things he never would have said, expended energy he would never have given for he had tasted of heaven and would never settle for less. Prayer: Through Scripture and through my boys You continue to challenge me not to settle, not to fence in my faith, but to continue to live large for You. As I stand on the threshold of a brand new year let me be willing to take the faith risks required to go Deeper In & Farther Out for You my Lord!

A Charlie Brown meaning of Christmas.

Pastor Steve Ulmer brings a new perspective on a complete spiritual makeover. Laziness brings poverty, both physically and spiritually. Integrity on the other hand establishes righteouness in the eyes of God. (video iPod friendly)

We follow the continuing adventures of Stacey and Clinton in the What Not To Wear series. This time Stacey is having a hard time with envy and Clinton helps her see the light. We discover how envy divides us while thankfulness unites us! To top it off our third annual turkey toss during the brunch. Our third turkey toss (whoever throws it the farthest keeps it!) requires that it be three times bigger then before. (video iPod friendly)

What a kick-off we had last week of our new What Not To Wear series. Stacey and Clinton did a great job of getting us warmed up to the "soul wardrobe" idea. This week we will look at the competing styles of lust and purity with an honest eye and an open heart. The trend towards lust started in the garden and we have been clothing ourselves in it ever since. Through Christ we have the option of a much cleaner feel if we are willing to let Him come in and throw some of our old ways of thinking out! (video iPod friendly)

We determine our "spiritual wardrobe", either clothed in Christ, or clothed in sin, by our daily decisions. Over the next two months we will be looking at the seven deadly sins and the seven Godly virtues (Christ-like attributes) that we choose to take off or put on every day of our lives. This Sunday we will look at the three patterns of greed as opposed to the clothing of generosity. My prayer is that by the end of this series each of us will be more cognizant of the effect of our choices and more fully clothed in Christ. Join Stacey & Clinton as they showcase of "What Not to Wear" in our spiritual lives. (video iPod friendly)

Last week we looked through fresh eyes at the value of communication for our church and our own lives. This week we continue with the second of our four core values, contemplation. We will look at the culture of New Hope that welcomes the questions of a seeker, the varied views of the believer, and the importance of small groups in helping us process our faith and apply it the real world. (video iPod friendly)