CentralParkBible.com

Scott guided us through one of his favorite Psalms this week - Psalm 63. The psalm is wide in scope and varied in tone. The psalmist uses the past, present, and future tenses to communicate how God has worked and continues to work in his life.

The Psalm begins with an expression of need, the author using hunger and thirst analogies to describe the state of his soul. He proceeds to identify praising of the Lord as the food and drink that will satisfy him. He acknowledges reliance on God in the coming verses, using the analogy of a bird protecting its young by covering them with her wings.

The Psalm is concluded with a curse upon his enemies and rejoicing over all who praise God.

Scott pointed out the particularly poignant verse 3: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” In our lives, how important is God’s love to us? Do we place God’s love, His desires, His will above everything else in our life. It’s not an easy question for me to answer.

If you have any thoughts you’d like to share, please use the comments section below.

Announcements

• July 5 - No Class! - If you show up we won’t be here.
• July 7, 7pm - Wiffle Ball Game Against the Hub - Meet at Mustang Park, right across the street from the church to challenge the Hub (college class) to a game of wiffle ball. Sure they’re younger and more stylish than us. But they’re also soft, and lighter weight. We’ll own them.

Hey folks, I apologize for not updating the website with last week’s lesson summary. I will try to get around to that at some point. In the meantime I wanted to remind everyone that there is NO CENTRAL PARK TOMORROW, May 24. We’ll resume next week.

Also, next week is the Central Park Camping Trip 2009. We’ll be going to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. The cost will be $20, and I’ll be sending out an e-mail soon with details. Now, there was a sign up sheet, BUT unfortunately I misplaced it. If you want to go, please send an e-mail to centralparkbible-at-gmail-dot-com just to make sure we have your e-mail address. In brief, we will be leaving for the Refuge on Friday after work and returning on Sunday prior to Central Park. I hope all of you can make it.

I don’t really have a recap this week, but there was more interesting discussion. That doesn’t mean you can’t discuss in the comments section below! Feel free. Also, if you have any other verses pertaining to homosexuality, feel free to post them below.

Thanks to everyone who turned out to help with the Single Parent Carnival. By all accounts it was…cold. But I’m sure the single parents and their kids loved it.

If you intend on going on the camping trip, please sign up THIS WEEK in class. We will not be meeting the next week and want to get a final headcount.

Don’t forget to ask Brad about his ceremonial necklace/dagger. He’s a true Trekkie!

Announcements

• May 17, After church - Central Park Picnic - Bring your own picnic for our post-church dinner. We’ll be eating together at Mustang Park right after the 6pm service. Bring footballs, frisbees, or whatever else you think might be fun to play with on a picnic.
• May 24 - No Central Park - We will not have Central Park the Sunday before Memorial Day.
• Mary 29-31 - Central Park Camping Trip - We will be heading to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge for two nights of camping and nearly getting trampled by bison and long-horn cattle. It’s going to be a blast. Cost $20.

This past Sunday Jen  led us in a discussion about how the church views homosexuality and interacts with homosexuals. It was a good discussion which we will continue this coming Sunday. For now, consider the following scripture:

• Gen 19 (Specifically verse 20)
• Lev 18:22
• Rom 1:26-27
• Rom 3:10
• Rom 3:23
• 1 Tim 1:3-15
• 1 Cor 5:9-13
• 1 Cor 6:9-11

Feel free to post your own comments or Bible references in the comments below.
Announcements

• May 17, After church - Central Park Picnic - Bring your own picnic for our post-church dinner. We’ll be eating together at Mustang Park right after the 6pm service. Bring footballs, frisbees, or whatever else you think might be fun to play with on a picnic.
• May 24 - No Central Park - We will not have Central Park the Sunday before Memorial Day.
• Mary 29-31 - Central Park Camping Trip - We will be heading to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge for two nights of camping and nearly getting trampled by bison and long-horn cattle. It’s going to be a blast! More details to follow.

This past Sunday Brent tried to convince us that our country is going to hell in a hand basket, implying that “Christian America” died with the end of the Bush administration.

Just kidding. He didn’t talk about the Bush administration at all. Unfortunately, I didn’t take notes. So I don’t remember exactly what we talked about. I will attempt to recall what I can.

We discussed some popular philosophies that are at odds with orthodox Christianity. Two opposing yet equally unorthodox views are religious pluralism and new atheism.

Pluralists believe that all religious roads lead to God. A pluralist likens a religious faith to shining a flashlight on only one portion of the elephant that is God. Muslims may see the trunk where Hindus see a leg. Christians see an ear where Jews see a tusk. Of course, this isn’t a very logical view since various religions often find their beliefs at odds. I’m betting a pluralist would have to respond that no one religion gets it all right.

As for new atheism, the word “evangelical” applies to the movement. No longer are atheists confined to the philosophical shadows from whence they came. They’ve emerged to say “We are atheists! And we are proud!” Several books trying to convince the world of the rationale of atheism have made their way onto best seller lists in recent years. I, personally, have never understood atheism myself.  Being absolutely sure that God doesn’t exist because there is no evidence is not exactly the pinnacle of logic. In my humble opinion the logical atheists call themselves agnostics.

We also discussed some philosophies that are closer to the Christian worldview:

• Inclusivism - The idea that people are saved by Christ by devoutly following the religion that they practice, whatever that may be, even if it is not True.
• Exclusivism - The (in my opinion) more orthodox Christian view that people are saved by knowledge and faith in Christ. This splits into two camps. Explicit Exclusivists believe that you have to know the gospel and Christ in a cerebral sense as well as a spiritual sense. Implicit Exclusivists believe that true spiritual knowledge of and relationship with Christ can be achieved outside of hearing the gospel. (Therefore allowing for millions of devout people who have never encountered a Bible or a Christian the opportunity for salvation.)

On a side note, prior to this past Sunday, I thought I was an Inclusivist. Now I realize I’m really an Implicit Exclusivist. Someone make a T-shirt! The different between the two still seems subtle.

I believe that our conclusion was that these beliefs, while scary to some people, are not new. The Apostle Paul and other early Christians addressed them in the first few decades of the Christian church, and we continue to deal with them today. It is good to know what you believe about other philosophies as well as your own beliefs, but when it comes to down to it, interaction with these philosophies is really an interaction with other people. And every interaction with others is an opportunity for Christ’s love to shine a light on Truth through our (Christians’) changed lives.

Please discuss below.

Announcements

• May 17, After church - Central Park Picnic - Bring your own picnic for our post-church dinner. We’ll be eating together at Mustang Park right after the 6pm service. Bring footballs, frisbees, or whatever else you think might be fun to play with on a picnic.
• May 24 - No Central Park - We will not have Central Park the Sunday before Memorial Day.
• Mary 29-31 - Central Park Camping Trip - We will be heading to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge for two nights of camping and nearly getting trampled by bison and long-horn cattle. It’s going to be a blast! More details to follow.

Scott began our new series by summarizing a recent Newsweek article that heralded the end of Christian dominance in our culture. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a response to the piece, stated that the Judeo-Christian society we live in is being replaced with a post-modern, secular-humanist society. The statistics do show a trend with 86% of Americans identifying themselves as Christians in 1990 compared to only 76% today. Scott asked us to discuss this a bit. Do we think the United States is less Christian than it used to be?

There was some discussion of how culture now allows for shades of gray. People are more apt to be neutral on issues or admit that they don’t know the truth about a thing. Some suggested that this had more to do with a shift in the church model where fewer people attended church. Still others pointed at the perceived conflict between science and faith having taken some casualties on the church side.

Scott talked about new Atheism and its evangelistic tendencies. Gone are the days of quiet, passive disbelief in a deity. Religion is identified as a large problem in our society.

So what can we offer a culture that is increasingly discontent with religious Christianity and the institutional church? Please discuss below!

Scott got us started by asking what we thought the biggest temptations were for church leaders. Sins like hubris, apathy, greed, and power were thrown out by some members. Most of the sins were fairly subtle in nature.

Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Henri Nouwen wrote a book -In the Name of Jesus - about three temptations for the modern Christian leader: Relevance, Popularity, and Power.

Matthew 4:1-4 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Scott asked us what “Relevance” might mean as a source of temptation for church leaders. Relevance in this case is the temptation to make a big deal of our abilities in order to trade that for credibility. Example: We make people think we’re cool so we can work in the gospel. Jesus’ temptation to turn the rocks into bread was a temptation of relevance. The church is more than a non-profit organization or charity. Society has deeper needs than those that are emotional and physical. People’s deepest need is to know Christ.

Henri Nouwen realized this temptation to be relevant when he left his professorship at an Ivy League university to work with mentally handicapped people. The people he worked with didn’t care about his resume or accomplishments. Nouwen’s work was reduced to simply giving and receiving love.

Matthew 4:5-7 - ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:” ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Nouwen called this temptation “Popularity” (or Spectacularity). “Jesus refused to be a stuntman.” He refused to wow people to prove that the gospel was true. When we do something for the community it is very important that we come in the name of Christ and not our own name.

Matthew 4:8-11 - ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Power seems to be a temptation for just about everyone on some level or another. Nouwen suggests that we need to embrace our brokenness and weakness to live out the gospel. This is a constant challenge for all of us, and at central park we want to face this challenge head on as a community.

This coming Sunday we will have a vision session focused on discovering an area in which we as a community can serve. Please be thinking and praying about this. Feel free to share some thoughts on last week’s lesson or service or community   in the comments are below. We hope to see all of you there.

Announcements

•  Friday, March 27, 8pm - Luke’s Drink and Desserts - Come join us for drinks and desserts. You bring the desserts and some tips. Luke will bring the beverages.
• Sunday, March 29 - Come and discuss the future of service with Central Park.
• Sunday, March 29 - It’s the deadline for singing up for the Point’s mission trip to Haiti. More information here: http://haiti09yamt.blogspot.com/
• Saturday, April 11, 10:30 - Easter Brunch at Mary’s House - Bring $5! It’ll be fun.
• May 29-31 - Central Park Camping Trip!! - Save the date.

Paul helped us wrap up our series on the seven deadly sins. We covered a lot of stuff, and had a great discussion, but covered too much to neatly tie up here. Perhaps we can continue the discussion in the comments below. Please share your thoughts.

How can we as a community help each other not only flee from sin but grow in our relationship with Christ?

Announcements

• Tuesday, March 17, 7:30pm - St. Patty’s Day with Central Park - Meet at Gloria’s on Lemmon for some green festivities with your favorite young adult Bible community. RSVP on the evite or in class please so we know how many are coming.
• Friday, March 27 - Dessert and Drinks at Luke’s Place - More details to follow. Bring some dessert; Luke will provide the drinks.

Other News

Our sister community, The Point, is organizing a mission trip to Haiti this summer. Final decisions on whether you want to go must be made by March 29. Find out more information here: http://haiti09yamt.blogspot.com/. This should be a great way to serve God and gain a new perspective on the world.

Brent started out by guiding us with a quiz to find out “How Slothful Are You?” and was surprised to find that he wasn’t as lazy as he thought. We defined sloth as “an aversion to work or exertion; laziness.” Brent opened discussion by asking why or how laziness could be considered a “deadly” sin? We looked into Paul’s harsh words in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 about keeping away from the idle brother, and several passages from Proverbs which criticized the “sluggard” or “slacker.” The idea of a strong work ethic reaches across cultures and religions, but is it really so sinful to be lazy? Some suggested that perhaps the context was important: a strong work ethic was especially important to agriculturally-based societies because if you didn’t work, you didn’t survive. We briefly looked at the idea of rest as being different from sloth (God set the example by having a day of rest after all) and decided that a healthy balance was needed between being diligent in our work and observing proper rest. Brent also threw out the question of procrastination. All agreed that it was, indeed, another form of laziness.

Brent then led us to look deeper at what the early church fathers intended by their usage of the term sloth for one of the deadly sins. Recalling from the opening of the series, Evagrius Ponticus was a monk who first wrote down 8 deadly temptations in 375 A.D. It was Pope Gregory the Great in 590 A.D. who narrowed the list to 7 deadly sins; he did so by combining two of Ponticus’ tempations into sloth. The temptations were Acedia (apathy) and Tristitia (sadness or despair). Here began a discussion on how the more serious issues of apathy and despair could be sinful. We looked at how apathy could lead to an attitude of indifference that would keep us from caring for others and helping those who need it. We also looked at how despair could lead to a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God, and ultimately, an absence of hope. We discussed if hopelessness was at its very essence a denial of God, and admitted that often the end result of despair is suicide. Many in the class believed that, as with many of the sins, there is a middle ground to be found that is not sin, but could lead to sin if unchecked. All of us may feel sad at times, even depressed, but we have hope and the community of believers to help from going into full despair.

The class posed a question that we agreed to post on the website for further discussion:
How do we respond to someone who is struggling with feelings of despair? How do we differentiate between genuine hurt and spiritual laziness?

Utilize the website to contribute your thoughts now, and we’ll return next week in class to wrap up the series. What’s the big deal about sin anyways? Why did we go through this series in the first place? We look forward to more good discussion. See you there.

Announcements

• Tuesday, March 17, 7:30pm - St. Patty’s Day with Central Park - Meet at Gloria’s on Lemmon for some green festivities with your favorite young adult Bible community. RSVP on the evite please so we know how many are coming.

Other News

Our sister community, The Point, is organizing a mission trip to Haiti this summer. Final decisions on whether you want to go must be made by March 29. Find out more information here: http://haiti09yamt.blogspot.com/. This should be a great way to serve God and gain a new perspective on the world.

Scott experienced unexpected technical difficulties when his computer with all his notes crashed. Regardless, he powered on like a man possessed, instructing us on our 6th deadly sin - pride.

We began by discussing what pride IS and what it is not. We began to see that it’s not always easy to discern what is sinful pride. Is being proud of your child’s finger painting an example of this deadly sin? What about being proud of your own hard day’s work?

We looked at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14 and discussed some of the following concepts:

• Pride has the ability to affect every relationship.
• Pride is a coping mechanism or anecdote for shame.
• Pride is the antithesis of love. Where love (agape) is completely selfless and outwardly-focused, pride is completely self-focused.

Feel free to share some of your thoughts on pride below.
Announcements

• March 17 - Saint Patrick’s Day at Glorias - Get ready to celebrate St. Patty’s day with you Central Park community.