Week Six

Pearl of Wisdom:
No longer can we say, “We didn’t know.”
We’re accountable for what we’ve been taught.

Expecting a five-year-old to drive a car would be ridiculous. So would expecting a seven-year-old to cook a gourmet meal. See, those are skills that have to be taught. We don’t come out of the womb knowing everything we need to know.

As we mature, however, we start seeing things in a new way. We overcome challenges, we gain new insight, and we grow.

Over the last six weeks, we’ve had a great opportunity to grow in a variety of ways. We’ve been shown new ways of looking at ourselves, at the world around us, and at God. And the time has come for us to demonstrate exactly what it is we’ve learned.

This past weekend was Commitment Weekend, the final day of our churchwide study and our stewardship campaign. As a member of our church family, you’ve had a chance to the read the book, to discuss the concepts, and to hear the pastor’s related messages.

So what will your response be?

It’s hoped you’ve prayerfully considered how to fill out your commitment card and service commitment form, and you’re ready to turn them in. And if you never received them or you forgot to bring them today, don’t worry; we have extras available for you.

As you prepare to turn these commitments in, however, think back over the previous weeks. Consider your thirst. Think about your previous levels of commitment, and the new places you’re stepping into today. And let the celebrations begin. It’s a new day, after all, a new adventure, and a new life that’s been transformed.

A Tale of Two Barbaras

Once upon a time, in the land of Church of the Shepherd, there was a member named Barbara. This woman called herself a Christian, and presented herself to the whole world as a Christian. She believed in God, she attended church services every Sunday, and she put money into the offering basket every week. Every year the church would ask each member to make a pledge of how much money they would give each week, and while the requested amount was always 10% of a member’s income, it was made clear that amounts less than that would still be appreciated. Barbara had a very comfortable income, but she felt that “the church,” meaning Church of the Shepherd, didn’t need a full 10% of her income, so she settled upon 6%, and her conscience was clear.

Then one night an earth-shattering and life-changing event awoke Barbara from a sound sleep. She sat straight up in bed, and at that moment she realized how neglectful she had been in her relationship with God, and yet He had been so good to her. She wept, and begged God’s forgiveness for days on end. And He forgave her, and opened her eyes so that she could see the whole world in a new light, and he opened her ears so that she could learn to hear His words.

One day a friend sent her an e-mail recounting the story of a little boy who asked his grandpa to get him a big jar in which he could save his pennies. His grandfather brought him his jar, but he also brought a smaller one along. “What’s that for, Grandpa?” the boy asked. And his grandfather explained that for every nine pennies he put into his big jar, he should put one penny into the smaller jar for Jesus. In time, the young boy said to his grandfather, “Grandpa, come and look at my jar!” There on the shelf sat the large jar completely full of pennies, and beside it the smaller jar containing just a small fraction of what was in the big one. “Well son, why are there so few pennies in this jar?” And the little boy replied, “Because that’s all Jesus asked for, Grandpa.” And as Barbara sat there visualizing these two jars, sitting side by side, it became clear to her how selfish she had been in her own giving, and how distorted her thinking had been.

Who is this woman named Barbara? It is I, and I am bringing this story to you today because I strongly believe that it is what God wants me to do. He wants me to share with each of you what a difference there is between being a Christian, and being a true follower of Christ, working every single day to learn more about living like He would want us to live. I have discovered how precious a real relationship with God is, and as with all relationships, we have to work at it, and cultivate it. And I have realized that if I truly love God, I will want to be generous with my gifts to him, not selfish. Giving to “the church” is not giving to Church of the Shepherd. It is giving to God through the Church of the Shepherd, so that His work can be done in as many places and ways as it possibly can.

What I couldn’t see before was, everything that I have, I have received by the grace of God. Why should I give 10% of that back to him? Because, in the words of an innocent little boy, “that’s all He asked for.”

Barbara White

Week Five

Pearl of Wisdom
Many congregations find that they have to recruit people for acts of service. No telling how much time is wasted trying to figure out who the best person might be for the job. No telling how much more we could accomplish if we weren’t just sitting around, waiting to be asked.

If you’re like many folks, you’ve heard your mother say, “I’ve asked you a thousand times.” Maybe she was talking about picking up your laundry off the floor, not drinking out of the milk carton, or not leaving your bike parked in the driveway. Regardless, at some point, you stopped hearing her.

How would things have been different if just once you did what she wanted you to without her having to ask? Chances are, you both would have been much happier. She could have saved her breath, and you wouldn’t have rolled your eyes.

Last week’s readings in Treasures of the Transformed Life were about service. The message was about the same thing. So ask yourself a question: Is there any place God has nudged me to serve that I haven’t yet tried?

If so, what are you waiting for? Someone else to ask you? Do yourself a favor: volunteer. The person on the receiving end will most likely be every bit as happy as your mother would have been the day she saw the bike in the garage rather than on the driveway.

Prices on Giving

Pearl of Wisdom:
What goes up must come down. In the same way, the more we allow our financial gifts to rise to the heavens through tithes and offerings, the more likely we are to see abundant rain.


No one likes to talk about money. And you don’t like anyone telling you what to do with it, either. But what if someone gave you some hard-earned insight on a solid investment, one with out-of-thisworld
rewards? Would you jump at the opportunity?


Last week, your daily readings in Treasures of the Transformed Life looked at financial gifts. Remember the illustration of the water cycle, in which the moisture gathers on the ground, evaporates into the heavens, and then returns to the earth as precipitation? How’s the precipitation in your
own life?


The way we feel about money, if you remember, says a lot about our priorities. And if we hold it in a clenched fist, rather than on an outstretched palm, a funny thing happens. It becomes all we have. A hand that’s tightly closed has no way to receive.


So what’s your posture toward giving this week? How tightly closed is that
fist? How open is that heart?

Coming up this weekend: This church wants YOU!

Prathers on Presence

Jumping in with Both Feet

Pearl of Wisdom:
We’ve been picked for God’s team, and we’re all part of the first draft. He wants each of us to be part of the family.

And here we are at the end of the third week, halfway through Treasures of the Transformed Life. Are you finding any transformation in your own?

This week’s readings covered the importance of presence. Remember how Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up”? Well, it’s good that you’re here—you’ve already succeeded! It’s great that you understand the church needs you as much as you need it.

Take a minute to look around you and see all your brothers and sisters in God’s family. Each one of them has passions, challenges, joys, and unanswered prayers, just like you. So how well do you know what they are? Before you leave today, connect with someone who’s outside your normal circle. Offer a word of encouragement, a moment of prayer, or even a hand with a task. Along the way, you might notice an interesting thing happening: someone doing the same for you. Doesn’t it feel great to love and be loved?

Since we’re all part of God’s family here on earth, we’re called to love each other in a way that makes those on the outside want to join in. So what does your attitude towards others in your church family say to the world?

Coming up next week: Pennies in the Fountain

COS Kids on Prayer

An Old Prayer, A New Beginning

The “Gold Standard” for praying has been considered to be The Lord’s Prayer for thousands of years. Luke 11:1 tells us, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And it was thus that Jesus gave us the words he felt were the most essential for us to pray.

All of us have prayed these words thousands of times, having learned them as children. We’ve said this prayer so many times that we have come to take its content for granted, and we race through it by rote memory as we simultaneously think about our jobs or our activities.

But considering the importance that God placed on this prayer, it being the very one His son taught us to pray, doesn’t it deserve more than a token recital of words? We should meditate on each segment of this prayer, striving for comprehension and understanding of each element that Jesus considered fundamental to our relationship with God.

1 Cor. 14:15 says “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind.”

So let us consider this as A New Beginning to this most powerful Old Prayer, as we explore it together:

Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Jesus is immediately teaching us to address God as our Father. And how incredible is His love for us that He allows us to be called “children of God?”

But it’s important that we recognize that God is our Heavenly Father. He is everywhere, over all things, and we must always maintain total reverence for Him.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hallowed means “holy,” and it reminds us that the Father is holy. It is a name to be revered, and spoken with the utmost admiration and devotion. To use it in a profane or disrespectful manner is unthinkable.

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven

The very purpose of man’s life is to do the will of God. We must request God’s will in our lives, committing our lives into His hands. Only then can He work through us.

And isn’t this what we are all waiting for, for God’s kingdom to come here, filling all creation with His glory? May God’s kingdom come, and HIS will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven!

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

John 6:35 tells us “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

But it’s important to recognize that we are asking God, not just for food and drink, but to meet all of our everyday needs. Jesus wants us to get in the habit of relying on the Father for everything. We must remember that God is the owner of everything we possess.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us

Again to draw from the scriptures, in Mathew 6: 14-15, we’re taught “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Jesus does not want us filled with bitterness, harboring ill-feelings and seething with anger. This is not God’s way. He is reminding us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as God forgave us.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

Our loving God would never deliberately lead us into temptation, but we are people who are weak. We yield to temptation easily, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Pray that you do not enter into temptation.” We are asking God not to allow us to be drawn into situations in which we could be overcome by sin.

We are also asking God to rescue us from the evil one, or the devil. We are told that “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

Let us always remember that prayer is our greatest power over the enemy.

For Thine Is The Kingdom, and The Power, and The Glory Forever

Everything is yours, Father, it all belongs to you. And we, too, belong to you.

Our Heavenly Father’s sovereign power will never cease, for ever and ever.

Amen ~

Drawing Water

Pearl of Wisdom:

When we pray consistently, we become like trees that are firmly planted, growing and producing much fruit.

At this point, you should be finished reading the second week of Treasures of the Transformed Life, the chapters on prayer. Are you ready to discuss the key points in your small group meeting? How did you feel, for example, about the author’s insights on the bonsai and the sequoia? How deep are your own roots of prayer?

This morning, the pastor’s message will cover a related topic, so you’ll have the chance to revisit, refresh, and renew what you’ve learned. But you’ve got to remember that prayer is an individual thing. You can’t grow in your own prayer life just by relying on the prayers of someone else.

So how long has it been since you’ve had a two-way conversation with God? How long has it been since you’ve asked for his advice or help? How long since you’ve admitted that you really can’t handle everything on your own?

It’s not just that God needs to be needed, you know. It’s that he wants us to remember that he is always there for us, willing to open his hand in our direction. So go ahead. Crawl up in your heavenly father’s lap, and tell him about your day. He’s certain to be all ears.

First Time Blogger

Well, I guess everyone has to start somewhere. It seems like the idea of communicating our experiences and thoughts during this sermon series on the blog will be a good way to see how God is touching people's lives with the small group studies and the weekly messages. This is our first time on a blog site, but it doesn't seem that hard. We hope that everyone will give it a try and share some stories from your weekly small group meetings and also some of the points that have really hit home with you from the book and the weekly messages. We are very excited to spend 6 weeks focusing on all of the gifts God has given us and all of the opportunities that we have at Church of the Shepherd to give back to Him.

Treasures Of A Transformed Prayer Life

Wow, I hope everyone is getting into the Treasures of the Transformed Life! Pastor Robyn's sermon on Priming the Pump was so powerful! I loved the actual water pouring out into her hand! God wants to just drench us in his love! It's hard to believe sometimes that we are loved that much, but we are! Sometimes I get caught up in the worries of life, but on page 80 of the book Martin Luther reminds us to "Pray, and let God worry." I was able to use that phrase with my 16 year old son yesterday. He composed a creative writing poem that was centered upon "What if worries" and he had a list that filled the page, some silly and others very real. In a God moment, I was able to repeat Martin Luther's words. He looked a little stunned at me, but realized how simple the transfer and release of worry can be when we lay it at our father in heaven's feet. There are some real opportunities for personal growth reflection as we read our daily chapter. There are extra books at both campuses, please get one and join in our journey together. Please share your experiences in this study and small group moments if you can. I know that Christ is guiding this 40 day study as we discover together the Treasures of a Transformed Life.

Priming the Pump

Pearl of Wisdom:

The life that God has for us, the one he really intends for us to live, is a lot like a glass of pure water. It’s refreshing, it’s good for us, and it satisfies our thirst in a way that absolutely nothing else can.

So how’s that reading going? By now, you should have read through the first week of Treasures of the Transformed Life, the chapters on discovering your deep-down thirst and learning how to satisfy it.

Today’s message will be on a related topic, so you’ll have a chance to revisit, refresh, and renew what you’ve learned. Remember, for example, the story about the woman who tangled all her threads trying to do things on her own?

As you read through each chapter, don’t forget to take a few minutes and prayerfully consider your answers to the Dive In questions. You might even make a few notes in the accompanying workbook. Remember: The more you put into this study, the more you’ll get out of it in return.

So what is it you’re drinking in this morning? Could you relate to the author’s insights about trying to satisfy your thirst with anything you could get your hands on? Have you ever become complacent—or even bored—trying