"Dr. Turek, would you kill your family?" Cody strikes again!

Christianity and Politics?

163: Profanation That's Not Really Profanation

LGBTQ+ Against God's Design? Progressive VS Conservative Christian (Part 1)

The Test

Why does God test people? In this video we trace the repeated theme of testing in the Bible and see how God determines the loyalty and trust of his covenant partners. Though these tests are rarely easy, they offer God’s people important opportunities for growth and transformation.

View more resources on The Test:
- Explore The Test: https://tbp.xyz/explorethetest
- Study Notes: https://tbp.xyz/theteststudynotes
- Blog: https://tbp.xyz/thetestblog

#BibleProject #TheTest #BibleVideo

Multi-Directional Leadership and the Conversation on Race and Justice | ...

Know Yourself That You May Know God: Becoming Your Authentic Self

ANNOUNCEMENTS - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11th 

Food Boxes for Those In Need

We are partnering with the Union Gospel Mission to serve our city and meet practical needs this Fall.

One way you can help us do that is connecting us with families that are in need. We want to bless local families with food boxes during this difficult time.

Each food box weighs approximately 20 pounds and contains protein, produce, and dairy products for families in need. 

We're happy to give these food boxes away at no cost as a way to care for and share the gospel with struggling families in our area. 

If your know of families in need, please reach out to us so we can bless them with some food boxes in this difficult season.

Baptism Sunday

Sunday, November 8th

Join us on Sunday, November 8th as we celebrate baptisms during our morning worship service.

Are you Interested in getting baptized?

Talk with Pastor Kyle on Sunday or email him at kyle@rainiervalleychurch.com



Weekly Community Groups


Sabalza CG

Sundays

@Ken Sabalza 

11:30-1pm

online/in person


Pratts CG

Tuesdays

@Steve Pratt & @Kyrsten Pratt

7:30-9pm

online


Les CG

Tuesdays

@Minh/@Mickey Loudon

7:30-9pm

Online/in person


Foreman CG

Wednesdays

@Doug F @Irene Yung / @Brendan Shearer

7:30pm-9pm

Online/In person


Van Tines CG

Thursdays

@Kyle Van Tine & @Crystal Van Tine 

7:30-9pm

Online/In Person


Men’s Discipleship/Bible Study 

Saturdays

@Corey Hunt & @Mickey Loudon

Noon-1pm

In Person - This week will be hosted by Sharon and @Manny Pastre at their house in Federal Way.



Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Week #2

Community Group Video and Discussion Questions



Introduction

Self-awareness is intricately related to our relationship with God. In fact, the challenge of Scripture to shed our old "false" self in order to live authentically in our new "true" self strikes at the very core of true spirituality. In AD 500 Augustine wrote in the Confessions, "How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self?" He prayed: "Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee." In 1530, John Calvin wrote in his opening of the Institutes of the Christian Religion: Our wisdom...consists almost entirely of two parts: the Knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and give birth to the other." The vast majority of us go to our graves without knowing who we are. Without being fully aware of it, we live someone else's life, or at least someone else's expectations for us. This does violence to ourselves, to our relationship with God, and ultimately to others.



Group Discussion



Starters (10 minutes)

The journey of genuine transformation to emotionally healthy spirituality begins with a commitment to allow yourself to feel. Feelings are an essential part of our humanity and unique personhood as men and women created in God's image. Scripture reveals God as an emotional being who feels as a person. Having been created in his image, we also are created with the gift to feel and experience emotions. Some of us may have learned that feelings are not to be trusted; that they are dangerous and can lead us us away from God's will for us. While it is true that we are not to be led by our emotions, they do serve a critical function in our discipleship and discernment of God's will.

To better understand your emotions, respond to these questions.

• What are you angry about?
• What are you sad about?
• What are you anxious about?
• What are you glad about?

Bible Study: 1 Samuel 17:26-45 (35 minutes)

1. In your own words, what are some of David's thoughts and feelings when he hears Goliath's challenge to Israel (v 26)?
2. What are some of the accusations and messages David receives from the people around him? From his family (v 28), from Saul (v 33, 38), and from Goliath (v 41-45).
3. What feelings might you be experiencing if you were David? (in response to family, authority figures, and enemies)
4. What enables David to live out of his true self against the powerful forces and pressures that seek to mold him into someone he is not?
5. Where in your life, or with whom, is it difficult to be your true self (ex. to speak honestly, say "no" or not be afraid of what others think).

Application (15 minutes)



What might it look like for you to take off the armor that you are currently wearing that does not fit you?



Many of us are so unaccustomed to distinguishing our true self from our false self that it may seem difficult to know where to begin. Complete the following sentence, and then share it with your group as a first step: What I am beginning to realize about myself is...

2. Yahweh is our God - I Am Who I Am - Tim Mackie (The Bible Project)

The Problem of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality: Something Is Desperat...

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Week #1

Community Group Video and Discussion Questions

Introduction (3 minutes)

Emotional health and spiritual maturity cannot be separated. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. When we ignore the emotional component of our lives, we move through the motions of Christian disciplines, activities, and behaviors, but deeply rooted behavioral patterns from our pasts continue to hinder us from an authentic life of maturity in Christ.

We often neglect to reflect on what is going on inside us and around us (emotional health) and are too busy to slow down to be with God (contemplative spirituality). As a result, we run the high risk of remaining stuck as spiritual infants, failing to develop into spiritually/emotionally mature adults in Christ. Jay, one of our church members, described it best: “I was a Christian for twenty-two years. But instead of being a twenty-two-year-old Christian, I was a one-year-old Christian twenty-two times! I just kept doing the same things over and over and over again.”

Growing Connected (10 minutes)

1. Share your name and a few words about what makes you feel fully alive (e.g., nature, music, sports, reading).

VIDEO: The Problem of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality (19 minutes) Watch the video segment for Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIVQU8852s&list=PL2JLp4amqPEi8Mu2zYJpCIG4Yfdj46gMr&index=1&t=59s

Group Discussion (45 minutes)

Starters (10 minutes)

2. The following are the top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. As the list that begins below is read aloud, put a check mark next to the one or two symptoms that are most relevant in your life today. Afterward, turn to another person and each share the one symptom that most applies to your spiritual life today.

1. Using God to run from God

(Example: I fill my life with Christian activities to avoid addressing difficult issues in my life.)

2. Ignoring the emotions of anger, sadness, and fear

(Example: I am rarely honest with myself and/or others about the feelings, hurts, and pains beneath the surface of my life.)

3. Dying to the wrong things

(Example: I tend to deny healthy, God-given desires and pleasures of life such as friendships, joy, music, beauty, laughter, and nature.

At the same time, I find it difficult to die to my self-protectiveness, defensiveness, lack of vulnerability, and judgmentalism.)

4. Denying the past's impact on the present

(Example: I rarely consider how my family of origin and significant people/events from my past have shaped my present.)

5. Dividing life into “secular” and “sacred” compartments

(Example: I easily compartmentalize God to “Christian activities” while usually forgetting about him when I am working, shopping, studying, or recreating.)

6. Doing for God instead of being with God

(Example: I tend to evaluate my spirituality based on how much I am doing for God.)

7. Spiritualizing away conflict

(Example: I usually miss out on true peace by smoothing over disagreements, burying tensions, and avoiding conflict, rather than disrupting false peace as Jesus did.)

8. Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure

(Example: I have a hard time speaking freely about my weaknesses, failures, and mistakes.)

9. Living without limits

(Example: Those close to me would say that I often “try to do it all” or “bite off more than I can chew.”)

10. Judging the spiritual journeys of others

(Example: I often find myself occupied and bothered by the faults of those around me.)

Bible Study: 1 Samuel 15:7–24 (35 minutes) In this story we meet King Saul, the first king of Israel, and Samuel, God's prophet who brings God's word to Saul. King Saul had been instructed by God earlier in verse 3 to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them.” (Note: The Amalekites were a wicked, sinful culture known for their destructiveness). Saul, however, gives in to the wishes of his fighting men and does only part of God's will. Read aloud 1 Samuel 15:7–24.

3. In verse 11, what do you notice about God and Samuel's responses to Saul's failure to fully obey? How does this differ from Saul's response in verses 12–13?

4. Reread verses 12 and 24. What might have been going on beneath the surface of Saul's life (iceberg) that he was unaware of?

5. Reread verses 22–23. Describe in your own words how Samuel explains Saul's disobedience.

6. List one or two examples of how you go through the motions of making “burnt offerings” and “sacrifices” rather than obeying the word of the Lord (e.g., acting or speaking from fear of what others think, or being one person at church and another person at work or home, or not having a place in your life to be still and listen to the Lord)?

7. Note the seriousness of verse 23a. What positive step(s) could Saul have taken to become aware of his own iceberg and hear God in his situation? What might be one positive step for you? In what ways can you relate, or not relate, to Saul?

Application (15 minutes) After the following paragraphs and questions 8 and 9 are read aloud, take 5 minutes to journal your response to those questions in the space provided. Then share your response to question 10 in groups of two or three. Not only was Saul unaware of what was going on inside of him, he also did not cultivate a contemplative life with God. His “doing” for God did not flow from his “being” with God. In the same way, our “doing” for Jesus must flow from our “being” with him. Far too often, we live vicariously off other people's spirituality and relate to God while busily “on the run.”

8. What challenges keep you from slowing down your life to be with God?

9. The diagram below provides an illustration of a spiritual life where our activity (i.e., our doing) is out of balance with our contemplative life (i.e., our inner life with Jesus). Now, using two circles like the ones in the diagram, draw your own diagram to illustrate how your activities (your doing) balance with your contemplative life (your being with God).

10. The remaining sessions of The EH Spirituality Course will address ways we can make changes in our lives. At this point, what might be one or two simple steps you can take toward beginning to slow down your life and balance your two circles?

Why Muhammad’s Smartest Scribe Left Islam: The Apostasy of Abdullah Ibn ...

In Medina, Muhammad had a scribe named Abdullah Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Sarh. One day, as Muhammad was delivering revelations about the creation of man, Abdullah exclaimed: "So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!" When Muhammad told Abdullah to include those words in the Quran, Abdullah became suspicious. He eventually left Islam and became an apostate.

PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3615911
CHANNEL MEMBERSHIPS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy5H...
PARLER: https://parler.com/profile/Acts17/posts
SUBSCRIBESTAR: https://www.subscribestar.com/david-wood
STORE: https://teespring.com/stores/acts-17-...
PAYPAL: https://www.paypal.me/Acts17Apologetics

#DavidWood #Muhammad #Apostasy

“Quran Confirms the Bible Week” Begins Monday! Muslims Can Join Us LIVE!

This Monday (October 5, 2020), David Wood and Sam Shamoun will go LIVE every evening at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) to discuss what the Quran says about the Bible. Every Muslim in the world is invited to join the discussion LIVE.

#DavidWood #SamShamoun #IslamicDilemma