common ground

New York Trip 9/29

2007-09-17T16:55:00.000-04:00

I plan on leading a trip to New York City on Sat 9/29.

We will leave at 7:00AM and return around 11:00PM

For those interested I plan on going to the Mets game at 1:10 PM vs the Marlins.

Not everyone has to go to the game. The following ideas are also a possibility.

Visit various NY landmarks (Ground zero/ historical sites/ Empire State building etc.)

Walk through central park

Visit various museums

Shopping

Walk through different ethnic areas (Chinatown Little Italy etc.)

See a Broadway show Matinee 2:00PM (50% off tickets are available for some shows at a ticket window off of time square plan on paying $50-$60 cash only)

For those going to the game there will be some time for shopping and touring. We will arrive in the city at approx 10:00AM and leave around 8:00PM. The Mets game including subway ride out to Shea would be from about 12:15PM-4:45PM

The costs will be as follows.

Gas/tolls/Parking $5.00

Subway unlimited rides $7.00

Meals $10-$15

Mets Tickets $9.00

Total cost if going to Mets game $35-$40 If not going to game $25-$30 (meals and transportation only)

If you plan on going please contact myself Bill Umberger at wumberger@yahoo.com or let Tim know on Sunday

Please let Tim or I know no later than Mon 9/24 if you plan on going to the Mets game.

Please let us know by 9/27 if you are panning to go but are not going to see the Mets.

Wednesday Night

2007-08-29T06:53:00.000-04:00

Common Ground is meeting tonight in the auditorium at Summit at 7:00pm. I forgot to announce it Sunday! So come, and spread the word.

God Help America!

2007-08-10T02:29:00.000-04:00

I started reading this book a couple of days ago and I really have been enjoying it. Its called Under God - Triumph And Tragedy : Stories of Americas Spiritual Battles. Its writen by the same people that did the Jesus Freaks books about the martyrs. And so far I have only read about eight chapters. But its amazing to read about the hand God had in the shaping of our country. How our founding fathers prayed about every aspect in writing the Declaration of Independance. And the biggest emphasis has been on the sacrafice they made for our country. Just the fact that the first Continental Congress met was treason which was punishable by death. Yet they believed in their country so much that they risked their lives and the lives of their family. One story I read today was about Abraham Clark one of the signers of the Declaration. The British came to his house and told him that if he didn't sign a letter saying he renounced his claim against Britan they would kill his sons. He the British said something to him that made him realize that he couldn't sign that paper, "You backwoods colonists can never stand against the power of the British Empire. Don't be a fool, your sons lives - their freedom - is at stake." He then realized that their freedom was at stake. And not their freedom from the British POW camps. But their freedom from the British tearany. If he broke down to free his sons the entire country could be at stake. They believed in what they had and what they needed to do. They took a stand even though it could have cost them their lives. And by all accounts the British should have slaughtered us. But we had God on our side. And then I sit back and look at what our country as become and it makes me sad. The blood of so many has been spilled here and in other countries to give us the freedom we enjoy. And we are not even thankful for it. God has been taken out of the country He helped to create.

I also read something that I really agree with and I wish the Bible was still in schools. There was a man named Dr. Benjamin Rush and he said this in one of his pamphlet, twelve reasons the bible should be the central textbook in schools, "I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them....We neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government; that is, the universal education of our young in principles of Christianity by means of the Bible...equality among mankind...respect for laws...and sober and frugal virtues.

I would recomend that everyone read this book. Like I said I have only read about 8 chapters but I am already in awe of the power of God in shaping our country. Its a great read and very eye opening.

Prayer Request

2007-06-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

Hey yall writing yall from sunny virginia. Acctually the past three days have been kind of dreary but we are making the best of it. Anyway I just have a quick prayer request. I recently contracted strep throat for the third time in 7 months. I have struggling right now to find a job so money is pretty tight. So if yall could be praying that I can either a. get a job very quickly. b. be completely healed without having to go to a doctor or c. both. C is my favorite choice. I know that virginia is where God wants me and I know he will provide all the money and resources I need. But it is difficult when you are away from home and sick. So just be praying that God will provide and I know he will! Thank you all! I miss hanging out with all yall!

ABF Night (6/10)

2007-06-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

We are meeting at Bill Umberger's house tomorrow night at 5:00pm for some games, a meal, and probably a movie. We're planning to eat around 6:30 or so. So come ready to play games like Ultimate Frisbee, Wiffle Ball, or inside games. It's gonna be a good time.

Directions to Bill's house:
Go North on I-81 to exit 206. Take a right onto RT 374 East. Follow this for about 3 miles. It will turn twice once left at the stop sign then right at the Shell station. After the second turn go about 1/2 mile then bear right onto a gravel road Abbotts Rd. (The highway will bear left so it is pretty much straight). Go about 1 mile on this until you get to a stop sign turn right onto another gravel Rd. I am the second driveway on the left (Box 63C Green mail box) about 300- 400 yards from the intersection. Go 400 yards up my driveway to the house.

Address

2007-05-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

Hey as many of you know I am starting a new chapter in my life. I am moving out of NEPA!!! So here is my address and such in case anyone wants to get ahold of me.

Amanda Sikorski
3400-H Weeping Willow Dr.
Lynchburg, VA 24501

a.j.sikorski@gmail.com

Cell: 570-335-2178

So now that everyone has my address I expect lots of cards and letters ;-)! I will miss everyone dearly and I love each and everyone of you!

Memorial Day Weekend Hiking Catskill Mountains

2007-05-14T13:37:00.000-04:00

I am planning on doing some hiking Memorial Day weekend. Most likely on Monday Memorial day.
The hike I am looking at is an all day hike of approx 10 miles over 3 of the highest mountains in the Catskill's. Slide mountain the third one is the highest with an elevation of 4180ft. The hike will take from 8-10 hours. You will need to bring your lunch and we will probably get dinner on the way back.

This is a challenging hike and I would recommend that you have good sturdy shoes or boots and be in good physical shape if we do the 10 mile hike. On the left is a picture of the more challenging part of the trail. It shows my sister-in-law and I coming down what we will be going up when we hiked this section 3 years ago. This is as extreme as it gets though .

I am open to changing this plan depending on the weather and what people are interested in doing.

If you are interested in going hiking please email me at wumberger@yahoo.com or respond to this post.

Please let me know if Sat or Monday works best for you. Monday is best for me so I plan on going on Monday unless there are a number of people interested that can not go on Mon.

Thursday Night

2007-05-06T13:24:00.000-04:00

Common Ground: Summer Season
Summer is here (Almost). And that means renovation and change and the grass grows again and we have to cut it, etc. But we, or some of us, get to wear sandals again and swimming is an option once more. Anyway, what this means for us is change, smaller size, and things to do.

Thursday Nights
Our plan is to meet together on Thursday evenings each week for most of the summer. We will begin meeting this week, Thursday the 10th. We'll meet this week at the Benedict's house at 6:30pm, but we won't start whatever is we're doing until 7:00pm.

Directions
We live on Rt. 107 one mile west of I-81 (exit 202). (So Dalton or Waverly people might take 107 towards 81 instead of 81). Anyway, it's very simple, yet easy to miss. So pay attention. These directions are based on a person leaving Clarks Summit. I assume Bill knows how to get there. :)

1. Take 81 NORTH and get off at EXIT 202 (Fleetville/Tomkinsville).
2. Turn LEFT off the ramp (towards Fleetville; this is 107).
3. Drive one (1) mile on this road.
4. Our driveway road is ON THE LEFT, as soon as you begin to drive downhill. There is a green mailbox there with "Benedict" on it. There is also a "For Sale" sign there. (NOTE: if you arrive at a stop sign, you've passed it and must turn around!)
5. Turn LEFT onto this dirt road, and keep going until you see our house (it's the only one!)

Update

2007-05-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to say, "thanks" for praying for me. My trip to see my grandma went really well. She didn't look as thin as I thought she would and she was in good spirits. We even went and sat outside in the sun for a while. I said my goodbye's and am as prepared as I can be to let her go...

Scared

2007-04-17T13:52:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
I would appreciate your prayers this weekend. I am going to Western NY to visit my Grandma. She has been in poor health for quite some time and in an assissted living/nursing home the last few years. Recently she has taken a turn for the worst. She has lost a significant amount of weight and the Dr.'s suspect cancer thru her whole body but we do not know for sure. I am trying to prepare myself that this may be the last time I will see her. I know she will look a lot different than the last time I saw her (Christmas) and I am not sure/scared of how I will respond. Part of me just wants to remember her the way she was, but I sense the Lord wants me to go. She is a believer.
Thanks,
Heather

Passion for Scranton

2007-04-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Scranton Rescue Mission is showing the Passion of the Christ this Saturday at 4pm. At around 2:30 there will be a group going out to encourage people in the city to come to this event. If any of you are thirsty for some opportunities to share the Gospel with hurting people, I can tell you that this is a wonderful chance to reach a dark generation with the glorious hope of salvation. This is going to be a big event and Phil (Executive director of SRM) has made a special request for people to help from our community. If you are interested, please leave a post or call me (Drew Jackson) at 570-585-9016 or email to drewjack80@gmail.com

Another great opportunity to minister is coming up soon! SRM is having another "Work Day" on April 21st at 9am. Men and women are needed to plaster and paint walls. So if you are more of a behind-the-scenes or hands-on person, this is a unique opportunity to serve. Agian, if this interests you, contact me ASAP.

Thanks Commoners!

Let's Play Bob The Builder

2007-04-03T19:43:00.000-04:00

We're taught in schools that vision and mission and the whole kitten's cabootal of "purpose" is supposed to be laid down and defined (by leaders?) before the organization can grow. Right? Wrong--or at least it is for us. And no, we aren't an organization. We're a community of people on a journey, and we are all on this journey together. (Ahem) Vision and mission develops as we develop or grow together (the process of becoming like Jesus). Which means I or she or Rick W. and me don't have an edge over anyone else on determining who or what we are all about. So, it's up to us to express with words what is important to us as a community. And that changes as we change..or it should, I think. I mean we can read the Story of God and find out what He's up to today, but we have to figure out what that looks like for us right now. Are you with me? Here's your role in this. Think about the following, and answer it honestly. Okay?

What are our core values as a community? Meaning, from your perspective, what is most important or indispensable to us as common ground? (simply click the comments link below and follow the directions to respond with your answer. answer more than once to keep your points clear! but don't just think, "oh that's nice" and browse on. write at least one thought, deal?)

New York April 21-22

2007-03-16T20:39:00.000-04:00

I am organizing a trip to New York City. This will be an overnight trip. Sat-SUn. We will be attending Times Square Church in mid-town Manhattan that Sunday.

You can check out their website at http://www.tscnyc.org/

On Saturday we will discuss what we want to do in the city.

Some options are:

Visiting Museums (I can get some discounts)

Central park

Shopping

Walking around seeing various sights (Times Square Ground Zero etc.)

On Sunday afternoon some of us are planning to go to the Mets game immediately after Church. They are playing the Atlanta Braves on that date.

Another option for Sunday is to do more touring or if we take more than one vehicle some peole could go home early

As far as costs You should plan on about $75 $85 if going to the Mets game

Subway fare: 14.00

Meals: 35 -40

Admissions: 10-15 (depending on what we do)

Gas/parking: 5.00

Mets ticket (upper reserved) 9.00

I will be covering the cost of the Hotel

Please let me know no later than April 18th if you want to go

If you are interested please contact me wumberger@yahoo.com or 570-222-2161

Re: New Outcomes (Conversation point)

2007-03-08T17:56:00.001-05:00

"I imagine churches that believe deep friendships change people. [...] When wer'e not careful, our churches can lose the spirit of true hospitality and friendship that are the core of life-changing relationships. When I speak of hospitality, I don't mean a lunch-in-the-church-basebment kind of hospitality. I mean something that takes the kindness and generosity of those meals and adds a new level of vulnerability. This vulnerability is a step beyond accountability. Accountability assumes a person will do her own work as she seeks to live a Christian life while others will do what they can to keep her on track. Vulnerability is a call beyond merely asking others to hold us to living in the way of Jesus [following Jesus :)]--it's inviting them to participate in our efforts to do so. Vulnerability allows those around us to paticipate in our redemption [...]" (p.167).
(Pagitt, Doug, Preaching Re-imagined: the Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith, Zondervan, 2005)

I read this recently, and it struck me! It's so easy to leave change up to Sunday Morning, Sunday School, Sunday Evening, and Wednesday night preaching. It's easy to think that change is supposed to happen as I read my Bible and pray every day. But would you think I was heretical if I said that I don't think the Bible teaches this? (not to mention I don't think it works, but you'll have to ask me why)

Change is rooted in close friendships. Change is the product of people living out what it means to live together in fellowship with the Spirit and Jesus' blood (see 1 John 1). Accountability is for Joe at PNC bank, or Beth at McDonalds. It's for anyone. But, not vulnerability. Not spirt-led speaking into the lives of our brothers and sisters. Even Sermons though. It may be harder for some than others, but nearly anyone can spend 30 hours on a text of Scripture with ample books preparing a cookie cut out sermon to "deliver" to people complete separated from where they really are in their lives. But not vulnerability. Only those who drink from true, Living Water have the drive to be vulnerable enough to invite another into his story so true building can take place. What would our common ground community look like if we were wiling to be vulnerable with one another and pursue change in each other? What will we have to do differently for us to realize this new reality?

Movie Night 3/10/07

2007-03-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

We are having a movie get-together this Saturday, March 10, at 7:00pm! We will watch a good movie, and have a little discussion about what we saw. This would be an excellent time for us to get to know each other and friends not familiar with our common ground community. So please feel free to bring a friend or two or three.

Directions. I think the easiest way for me to give you directions is to point you to google. :) We are watching the movie in the basement at Steve and Nancy Lampman's house. For directions, follow this link. I'm pretty sure this is accurate, but I will verify this tomorrow so you have nothing to worry about. The directions are from BBC, but you can easily change the directions if you need to.

Scranton Rescue Mission

2007-02-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

This is an email i recieved from Phil Shultz, the pastor who is running the SRM:

We are going to have a major Work Day on March 10th at 9am. We hope to gut the second floor of the red brick building and put up sheet rock- the task is such that we could use about 40 volunteers. 14 brand new windows will be installed this week...so it should be so could when you come to serve!

We have several needs for items (could really use them by next weekend)- let me know if you are able to meet any of these needs: Paper towels, lysol wipes, take-out containers, plastic knives, toliet paper, table cloths- disposable, coffee, coffee filters, and aluminum foil.
As of right now, Saturday and Sunday are open for this coming weekend. Could really use a church group to come and serve this weekend.

Helping the Hurting, in Jesus' Name"

Rev. Phil Schultz, Executive DirectorScranton Rescue Mission

www.ScrantonRescueMission.com

P.O. Box 470 Scranton, PA 18501-0470

(570)561-9866

If you are interested leave a response,

Or send me an email @ drewjack80@gmail.com

Mosaic Podcast

2007-02-25T07:52:00.000-05:00

I told you that I would post a link to the podcast from the church I referred to last Sunday. I almost forgot. :) The following is a link to Mosaic, a large group of Jesus followers in Los Angeles. The sermon series I suggest you listen to is "Soul Cravings," by Erwin McMannus. http://mosaic.org/podcast/

Nursing Home 2/21/07

2007-02-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

We have an opportunity to minister to our elders in a nursing home this Sunday afternoon (the 25th) roughly from 1:00pm until 2:30 or so. We will hold a church service for them, and sing with them before simply talking and spending time with them.

As of now, there is only 2 who have committed to going. I would like to have one of you play the piano and another two or three lead them in some hymns. We can meet up after common ground and eat lunch together if you wish, before driving down there together.

I do need to know if you will come with us Sunday. Repy to this post or drop me a line at timbenedict3@gmail.com. Don't be shy! It's an amazing time.

Keep journeying and following our Jesus!

Please Pray...

2007-02-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone

Just wanted to get on here real quick and ask you guys to be praying for my family. I'm in NJ right now where my Great Aunt (my Dad's Aunt) is in the hospital. I won't go into all the details because there are a ton of things wrong with her (bad heart, blood disease, cancer,..) but the doctors don't expect her to live much longer. I was suprised that she made it through last night. We went to se her 3 times yesterday (which was difficult to say the least)...She was asleep most of the time because of the drugs they're giving her and the times she was awake she wasn't really there...for the most part she didn't recognize anyone and kept calling for her mother (who's been dead for years). At this point they are just trying to make her comfortable (that's really all they can do) so we're basically just waiting...So anyway, please be praying for the whole family. My Aunt is a Christian so I know I'll see her again after she's gone but there are many unsaved family members we'll be coming in contact with over the next few days and this could be a HUGE opportunity to share Christ with them.

Thanks

Elizabeth B.

Scranton Rescue Mission

2007-02-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hello Commoners,

This is the first post concerning the efforts in Scranton to reach the homeless for Christ! There is much going on down in the city and there is always room for your help. Right now we have need for men and women to come down Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings at 5:30. If you need a ride or don't know how to get there just meet everyone down at Nordling Hall at BBC around 4:45pm on any of these nights. There is also much work that needs to be done to the buildings to get them up to code. So, if you are more inclined to work with your hands there will also be periodic work days. You will need to send me your Email address here (drewjack80@gmail.com) so that i can put you on the mailing list if you want to know when there are "work days".
In the future i will be posting specific prayer request concerns and praises. To get that started i will tell you that a man named Hakim accepted Christ last night (2.17.07)!

Stay tuned and post any questions you may have or email me with them.

The Family of God

2007-02-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

I enjoy our Common Ground time on Sundays a lot. It is so neat to be with a group of college students that are held together by so much more than age, a certain college, an affinity for caffeen, or something else. We are held together by GOD! That's the key. I know I have learned quite a bit from everyone. Fellowship is a wonderful thing.
However, I wonder if we, as Common Grounders, are missing something. There are others in our church that are bound to us by God (like, all of them...). They are not bonded to us in age, but they have different experiences and wisdom that I am sure none of us has as college students. Between every Christian is the bond of Christ. It may not be as easy to discuss things with someone older or younger, but it is still important.
Spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ is definitely a blessing of belonging to the family of God; however, we must be careful not to neglect our spiritual nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. These have different perspectives than we do and can help us to learn and grow.
Is there a way we as Common Ground can become involved with the larger church instead of being a somewhat separate entity?

A second chance...

2007-02-17T23:34:00.000-05:00

The other night I had a dream about my friend (Justin). He died back in August of 2006. And in my dream he came back to life. And even though he couldn't say anything I knew it was my second chance. See Justin and I worked together and I knew he wasn't saved. Yet I never took to time to witness to him. I was too preoccupied by how terrible my job was and how I couldn't wait to be free. I saw Justin about two months before his death and as far as I knew he was still unsaved. Justin was 17 years old when he died. There isn't a moment that I don't think of him and wish that I could take his place. I know Christ as my savior, I'm going to heaven, and we all know where unbelievers go. I wish that I had a second change with Justin. So with the death of a friend, and the dream of a second chance I realize that life is too short for tomorrows. 17 years in not nearly enough time to live life. So even though I don't have a second chance with Justin, I know that I can have a second chance with someone else. I know that I must seize every moment and remember to look for chances. You never know when it may be too late. When I wake up in the morning I need to remember that God is bigger than anything. Whether it's a job that I can't stand, or a situation that I am not pleased about. I need to remember that in ever place and situation there are people in desperate need of Christ. So I pray that I will not walk the rest of my life feeling guilty that I did not witness like I should have. But that I will use Justin's death as a reminder to take every chance to take that step and share my faith.

Calendar and Military Time

2007-02-17T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. The calendar has been updated! And, we have a date picked out for a Movie night. So I want to make sure you know where to look for our calendar. It's over there to the right of this post (these words). It's under the heading, "Events." Click "CG Calendar," and you're set.

I'm sorry if you can't read 24 hour time (military time), I cannot figure out how to change it. I had to learn how in aviation school and it really isn't hard. Simply subtract 12 (if you're math savvy). So 19:00 minus 12 is 7:00. 23:00 is 11:00pm. Another easy way to do it without math is simply ignore the 1 and count back an even number if its even, or an odd number if its odd (odds will stay odd, and evens will stay even). So, 18 is really 6. (8 is even, so the next even number is 6). 15:00 is 3:00 (15 becomes 5 which is odd, so count back an odd number and you get 3). It won't work when it reaches 20, 21, 23, and 24. (think -12 for them). Now that you know how to read a 24 hour clock, you can sleep better at night. (ha). I love you guys.

SNOW SNOW SNOW! SNO MOUNTAIN!

2007-02-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I don't know if any of you noticed but we got a little bit of snow yesterday! I am very excited about it. Anyway I was looking into priceing and on sunday night from 4-10 it is only $20 for a lift ticket. And for a night time ski rental its $16 dollars and $22 for a night time snowboard rental. So if anyone is interested in going give me a call. If we can get more than 15 people to go I believe we can get a group price. But im not sure what the discount on a group price is.

So your friends and highschool students are also invited. This doesn't have to be a strickly common ground thing. We could get our unsaved friends to join us too. A very non threatening way to get to know us. So give me a call and let me know if you are interested in going. My cell is 570-335-2178 and my house 570-563-2673.

Amanda Sikorski

Answer this!

2007-02-08T23:19:00.000-05:00

Here's the thing. This whole thinking through our vision thing keeps bringing me back to Jesus, and his purpose, and his desire for us to be like Him. There's something about Him. He's God. But He's human. God is human. Wow. So, we have the Gospels, and maybe you've read some of them. So would you answer the following question? What of the many stories about Jesus in the Bible do you find particularly stirring?

Precious Moments

2007-02-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

I stopped by the post office this morning on my way to work, about a week before Valentine’s Day, to mail some letters and buy a few stamps. In the same building, adjacent to the post office, is a preschool.

While I was tending to my mail, in came the preschool teacher and her rosy cheeked charges. She led them over to the “outgoing mail” slot and instructed them, one at a time of course, on how to send their letters down the chute.

I could have been in a hurry to get to work, or been annoyed at these little ones in my way. Instead, I took my time putting the stamps I had purchased on my letters, in order to observe this moment of learning in action.

As the children watched their precious, and I’m sure, hand crafted Valentines disappear they began to ask some questions: “Where did it go?!” “But the postman doesn’t know where I live?!” “How will mommy and daddy know which one is mine?!”

As the teacher patiently allayed their fears I smiled to myself. These children had just experienced the magic and wonder, of what was most likely, their first attempt in mailing a letter. They braved the mystery of putting their painstaking creation down a chute and it somehow getting to their parents’ house, and undoubtedly, into their hearts.

It made me think about my prayer life. How many times does something weigh heavy on my heart before I address it to the Lord? How often do I painstakingly mull it over and craft it before giving it my stamp of approval? How often do I ask myself, “Where does it go?” “Does God really know, does he really understand where I am living?” and if thousands of people are praying at the same time, “How will He know which request is mine?” I am afraid to let it go, releasing it into the unknown.

Then somehow, in the midst of my child like musings, I get a glimpse of the mystery. In that moment I know, as surely as those Valentine’s will find their way into parent’s mailboxes, that my prayer will, undoubtedly, find it’s way into God’s heart.

Directions

2007-02-04T13:07:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention this today, but if you're already a member of the blog, then all you need to do is upgrade your username and password. Log into the "old" blogger. Follow the instructions and set up your own free google account. (see a previous post with instructions for more specfics).

Posting
To post something, look for a "New Post" link once you've logged in. Write your post. At the bottom of your post, you'll see a spot for a label. Your post will be organized under the label you attach to it. If you don't know, simply click the "Show all" and find one you like. You can always create another if you wish. Okay?

Commenting
You can leave a comment by simply clicking the "0 Comments" link underneath the post. You can post anonomously or you can log in and leave your comment.

Questions
If you have any, drop me and e-mail at timbenedict3@gmail.com.

The Love of God

2007-02-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some of my journals last night from my college years and I was touched by how I wrestled through various issues and some of the things I wrote.

It has been good for me to look back at that time in my life as most of you are there now so I will be sharing some things I wrote during that time.

Here is an entry that I wrote on the Love of God which I wrote when I was at Intervarsity Chapter Camp at Lake Champion New York shortly after I graduated.

I love thee O Lord. To think of your perfect love resigns me to see how small my love for you is O Lord touch me and fill me give me more love for you more love for others and more love for my walk with you.

The love of God is without measure
Who can measure it
Surely not the astronomers of this day they can only see to the ends of the universe
O Lord how do we measure your love we cannot
For your love endures forever and reaches throughout the earth and the cosmos

Why O Lord do you love me so
I fail you yet you bless me
I fail again yet you bless me more
Your blessings pile high and my failings go on yet you love me

O how may I love you more Lord
You have given me all things
You have allowed me to live in a great time of prosperity
My needs are provided for and then some
Yet I do not love you forever O Lord
Thank you for forgiving me of losing love for you
Be with me help me to love you more

The love of God how rich and pure
How measureless and strong
It shall forever more endure the saints and angles song

How Blessed and Loved we ARE

I don’t love you O Lord when I feel you are not providing I am wrong you are always providing I believe help me in my unbelief.

New Look

2007-01-31T18:18:00.000-05:00

So our blog has been renovated, and upgraded. :) For the three of us who post, it might be a bit frustrating, and for this, I apologize. We'll talk about it on Sunday, but for those who read previous to then, here's what you need to do.

Log into the old blogger the same as before. When you do so, it will inform you that the blog you are a member of has changed to the new blogger. And it will ask you to convert your username and password to the new service. To sign up for a free google account, just use whatever e-mail you are used to (they don't send spam). And then, posting will be easier.

But seriously, I think this blog has a lot of potential, and I'm sick of it. (It shouldn't be potential anymore if you're catchin my dift). Again, let's talk about it Sunday. Okay? What do you think?

Hang out at Bill's house Sat 1/27

2007-01-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

You are all welcome to come up to my house to hang out this Saturday. You are welcome to drop in any time after 1:00PM. We will be watching video I took on my recent trip to South America and Antarctica, watching movies, playing games, and if we get more snow maybe snow-tubing. If you plan on staying through dinner time bring some $$(about $3) for pizza. Also please bring some snacks. You can also bring some games or a movie if you want. If you need directions to my house please email me at wumberger@yahoo.com or call me 570-222-2161

Please Pray Update 1-28-07

2007-01-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

*Update*
Here's the update on this situation. James was accepted to ROTC so he will not be going to Iraq. I wanted to thank you all for you prayers and I know that Shaunna and James thank you as well. Please continue to pray for them that they will make right desisions about life. Thank you all!

Hey its been awhile since I have posted anything on here. But this is something that desperately needs a lot of prayer. One of our local summer crew (Shaunna Fico) found out on Friday that her fiance and my friend (James Jordan) was called up for service in Iraq. He has been called up for an 18 month tour in Iraq. There is however a chance that he may not have to go. The reason being he is still in school and has applied for the ROTC program. If he is accepted to the ROTC program he will not able eligible for service for three years. Shaunna is praying hard that he is accepted. They will find out on Tuesday whether he has been accepted or not.

But please pray that God's Will, will be done in this situation. And also that God will give James, Shaunna, family and friends a great peace about whatever happens. But also pray for them as classes start tomorrow and they have a lot on there plate right now. Pray that if he does not make it into the ROTC program that both he and Shaunna will know what to do in the few months they have together. If he does not make it into the ROTC program he will be deployed in July. So please keep both of them in your prayers over the next two days and I will keep you all updated as to what is happening with this situation.

God's will is perfect and sovereign.

Quote

2007-01-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

"Because God orders our steps, we can always be assured that there is enough time in each day to do His will. He sets the pace. He is never anxious. His purpose is for us to move in rest, live in peace, abound in joy, and depend totoally on Him to accomplish through us all He desires." --Ray Lessin
This reminded me of Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way." It's an amazing thought that we always have enough time to do God's will even in the midst of the busy lives that we live!

Wednesday Night

2007-01-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

Let's meet together this Wednesday night! I forgot to mention this today but people were wondering if we were meeting in smaller groups. Since we are a smaller group, and since we are missing several people, let's meet together this week.

We will meet at my house (Tim Benedict) at 7:00pm on Wednesday, January 7. This is for anyone who is available and is not just Tim's small group. If you need a ride, let me know (timbenedict3@gmail.com).

Directions from Clarks Summit:
Get on 81 North
Take the Fleetville Exit 202, and turn left off the ramp (this is Rt. 107)
Go one half mile or so until you reach the top of the hill. Slow down, look left.
Our driveway is on the left (mailbox w/ red/blue reflectors #111-6) --if you reach a stop sign, turn around

Oh, and the driveway veers to the left, and ours is the only house on this driveway.

Bill's Trip

2006-12-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

I will be away from now until Jan 21st. I am going to South America and Antarctica! I will miss you guys and gals. I am going to run a blog during my trip. So take a look at http://wumberger.blogspot.com. I will be posting whenever I can get online. Also I will be putting up some pictures on my facebook.

You are invited to come out to my house on Sat Jan 27th after I get back I will show you some of my pictures and HD video. In addition for you Lord of the Rings fans we will watch some Lord of the Rings movies. If we finally get snow come during the day and we will do some snow tubing.

Feel free to drop by anytime between 12PM-12AM .

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Party

2006-12-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,
My friend Mandy (she went to NYC with us) is having a Christmas party at her house and you are invited! It is this Friday Dec 22 at 7pm at the Summit Point Apartments (across from the Viewmont Mall) #710. Let me know if you plan on coming or need more info. countrygirl1978@msn.com Heather

Howdy Folks

2006-12-04T15:35:00.000-05:00

NYC was awesome for those of you who didn't get to go, For those of you that did..."You gave me good price!" Haha Keep it Real..and remember to Smile

Please Pray Updated 12.09

2006-11-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

Please be praying for Wayne Morgan. He was one of the leaders on my missions trip to Louisiana. He was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Which has moved into his liver and lungs. He already underwent surgery and is recovering. But he is going to have to go through chemo as well. Please be praying for him and his family. He has two young children at home. So please be praying for his recovery.

Update:

The surgery went well and he is recovering. The doctors are hoping to send him home tomorrow morning. And they are also hoping to start the chemo in a couple of days. So continue to pray and thank you for your prayers.

Update 11/29:

Wayne is starting chemo tomorrow and will be hospitalized for a week of treatments. And then he will go home for two weeks then in for another week of treatment. Following that pattern for a total of four treatments of chemo. Please keep him and his wife Karen in your prayers throughout all this.

Update 12.09:

here's the latest update Wayne has started Chemo and is doing well. The doctors are very optimistic about his recovery. Though he does have two tumors. One on his back which is 3.5in and the other on his lymph nodes which grew to 4. They also found and spot on his brain but the doctors don't believe it is anything. Please keep him and his wife Karen and their two children in your daily prayers. I know they all appreciate it. Also SCA is collecting coins to help them out so if you want to help with a monetary donation that will be a great way to do it. Thank you all for your prayers!

Some Thoughts

2006-11-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

In thinking about the verse shared at the end of Common ground this morning. Eph 6:12” For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. “

I think as Christians much of the time we are fighting on the wrong battlefield. I know I do much of the time. I tend to focus on my sinfulness and those desires of the flesh that haunt me and I constantly struggle with. I tend to try to fight flesh with flesh that is I try to force myself in my own strength not to do certain things. I think a lot of times we see this as the battle but I am fighting on the wrong battle field. Scripture calls us to live in the spirit not in the flesh in the above verse it talks about that the battle is not with the flesh but the principality and powers. These principalities and powers do not want to allow us to live in the spirit. If we live in the spirit we are on the right battle field fighting them instead of fighting ourselves and continuing to be demoralized by failure. Instead we are call to take up the shield of faith the breastplate of righteous the helmet of salvation the Word of God the sword of this Spirit. To be girded with the truth and have our feet ready with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

In the same way in Galatians 5 we are called to not live in the flesh but live in the spirit. “But I say walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh for the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so they are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things you please. But if you are led by the spirit you are not under the law”
“The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness, gentleness self-control against such things there is no law”

When I read this passage the big questions comes is how do I have these in my life. I don’t always feel that I have them and many times I feel I am a failure that is because I forget that these qualities are in me because I am in Christ. So the true battle is not me against my fleshly desire but me against the principalities and powers that lie to me daily and lob fiery darts at me But if I take up the armor of god. If I have faith if I believe in my righteousness through Christ. If I have the sword of the sprit in my hand and know the Word of God. If I know my identity in Christ through my salvation. If I have the belt of truth to hold me up then I can stand. The problem is I need constant reminder of this. A constant reminder who I am in Christ and what the true battle is. This is why we need each other we cannot stand alone. I have tried to stand alone for too long and have faced many failures because of it. We need to share our struggles in these areas with each other and pray for each other daily as well as encourage each otherto keep to the truth and to fight the right battle.

Please reach out to a few people and share with them and pray for them daily. We need each other and we can fight this battle we know we are on the winning side we just need to remember that.

As you go through this week please pray for others in common ground that we may remember our adoption as sons and daughters in Christ.

New York City Trip Sat Dec 2

2006-11-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

A group of us are planning on going to New York on Sat Dec 2nd.

We plan to leave around 6:00AM and return around 10PM - 11 Pm.

In New York we will be:
Christmas sight-seeing
Natural History Museum
Shopping
Anything you want to do in the City that day.

We will be taking the Staten Island Ferry to get to Manhattan so we will get a good view of the Statue of Liberty

Cost $7.00 for subway plus $10-$15 for meals plus any admission fees

If you are interested in going please contact me at wumberger@yahoo.com or 570-222-2161

Let me know what is the best place to meet Sat morning. We will either meet at the church or at BBC in the lower parking lot below Loescher.

Quote

2006-11-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

"Truth does not mold the character of a man

unless it is practiced."

-David Lipscomb

Hiking Sun Nov 19 1:30

2006-11-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

Just Brandon and I went. Weather was a little better than we thought just a little breezy at the top :)

Hiking Sun Nov 19 1:30

I am planning to go on a short hike next Sunday the 19th. It will be in State Game lands 307. It is located close to Archibald which is about 20-30 minutes drive from Clarks summit. The hike will be up a mountain to a ledge rock overlooking the Lackawanna Valley. If it is clear we should be able to see down to Scranton. The hike should take us between 1.5-2 hours. We will be done hiking before dark. We should be back at the church no later than 5:00

The plan is to meet at the church at 1:30. We also could meet together right after church and go out to get lunch somewhere. Bring your hiking clothes with you to church. Make sure you dress warmly in layers as it may be cold but you will warm up as we hike.

If you plan on going please let me know. You can email me at wumberger@yahoo.com or call me 570-222-2161 or 570-407-0482

Cell Phones . . .

2006-11-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

The Lighthouse Club (Christian Club) at Penn State Worthington is doing a cell phone drive fundraiser now until November 20, so if anyone has old cellphones and want to get rid of them -- you can bring them into church and give them to me. I know it's an odd request, but if you're interested we would appreciate it. Thanks! --Sharon Phillips
Keep pressing on -- I Cor. 15:58.

Circumduction

2006-10-25T16:02:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,
In light of our recent discussions about the Holy Spirit I found this devotional by my friend Barbara challenging and encouraging. Enjoy!

CIRCUMDUCTION
By Barbara Cravens
December 2005

The look in Nigel’s deep brown eyes matched the concern in his voice. “Barbara, when you hurried in your walking, you reverted to throwing your right leg out from the hip to propel that leg forward instead of bending your knee. This is called circumduction. Your body learned long ago when you walked in much pain to try to protect that right knee in this way. You’re going to have to really concentrate and focus when you walk to make new habits of walking correctly.”
As my home physical therapist, Nigel, pointed this out to me, I was astonished at how easily I reverted to old body reactions without thinking, even though I now have two new titanium knees that work! As I pondered this, Father reminded me of a spiritual picture. I have new knees that are a part of me, IN me, that give new life to this body. They work perfectly. There is nothing wrong with them. The muscles and tendons and ligaments are all relearning how to function, still have pain and healing, but they all work together with the new knees to enable me to walk. The new knees in me are fine.
So, also, I have a new spirit, joined with His Spirit, in new life, IN me and a part of me. However, just as I reverted back to my old body motions without remembering the “new life within” to bend my knees, I can just as easily revert back to old thinking and behavior by not remembering to walk in dependence on His Life within—a type of “spiritual circumduction.” Indwelling sin tempts me to listen to the old messages that “tell me” how to walk and tempt me to walk in independence. Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of Your Life that frees us all from the bondage of living and walking according to our past.

This Sunday

2006-10-20T16:59:00.000-04:00

Don't forget, this sunday a group of us are going to minister to the eldery in a nursing home. If you haven't mentioned anything to me but would like to go, please e-mail me ASAP. My address is timbenedict3@gmail.com. We will be leading music and sharing testimonies with them. We will try to be a blessing to them, but I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll walk away blessed.

And, during our common ground time together this sunday, we are going to talk about godliness and the Spirit. So please come ready to talk about what godliness is and isn't. Dr. King left us a lot to work through, and we need to work through it together piece by piece. I trust that all of you are walking in the truth and warmed by the wonderfulness of our Father's love. :) Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget about movie night tomorrow night! (He really really does love you.)

Hiking This Sat 10/21

2006-10-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

I am planning to go hiking this Saturday.

I am planning to go to Salt Spring state park. It is located about 1 hour north of clarks summit. Come out and join us as we enjoy the last of the fall colors and hike by some water falls.

I will be providing transportation and the meeting place will be at BBC at the lower parking lot below Loescher. We will be leaving at 9:00AM and will return by 3:00 PM. Please bring a lunch or a snack.

You can contact me as follows 570-222-2161 (Home) 570-407-0482 (Cell) or wumberger@yahoo.com If you plan on coming please let me know so I can expect you on Sat morning

Praise and Prayer request

2006-10-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

I just got home from spending a weekend at Liberty University and I had a great time. One of the best weekends Ive had in awhile. Anyway I wanted to thank yall for all your prayers I could feel them when I started getting tired while driving. I just want to thank you for praying and I ask you to continue to pray about the financial situation. I am not getting any real help from the college for my upcomming semester and I really need to get money. So if yall could be praying that God provides to money of this. I know in my heart that God wants me at Liberty. Its just a matter of the worldly worries to be taken care of.

Also a while back I mentioned a good friend of mine is a wiccan. He used to go to church and I thought he was a chrisitan. Anyway he is coming home for Christmas and has agreed to come to church with me while he is here. He still claims to love God but he has fallen away from the true christianity. He told me that going to church will not change anything. But we all know the power of God to change a mans heart. So if yall could be praying for him. That if he is not already saved that he will get saved. Or that if he is infact a christian that God will bring him back to himself. Thank you again for all your prayers.

Love in Christ

Upcoming Events

2006-10-15T17:10:00.000-04:00

This coming Saturday Oct 21st. I plan on doing some hiking in Salt Spring State Park. The hike is about 3 miles and includes some waterfalls and some old growth forest. I plan on leaving the Clark's Summit area at 9:00 AM and will return by 3:00 PM in plenty of time for our Movie night :)
If you are interested in going hiking please contact me at wumberger@yahoo.com
or give me a call 570-222-2161 (Home) 570-407-0482 (Cell)
In addition I will be providing the following additional informal "get-togethers"
Sat Oct 28th 7:00PM-? World Series party/ Game night at my home. This will be an opportunity just to hang out and get to know each other. If you plan on coming please bring a snack or a beverage and if you are interested in playing a game bring a game you like. In the event there is no World Series game 6 we will just hang out and play games and maybe put a movie in. (More details and directions coming soon)

Sat Dec 2
New York City Trip
Christmas sight-seeing
Natural History Museum
Shopping
Anything you want to do in the City that day.
Cost $7.00 for subway plus $10-$15 for meals plus any admission fees

new cell phone number

2006-10-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

I don't know the best way of doing this, but since many of you may have my cell phone number from this blog, I'll start here. My family changed area codes for our cell phones, so I have a new number, and my 239 number will no longer work. So my new cell phone number is: (570) 677-8326. If you need to reach me, call that number. Or, if you just want to chat, feel free to call...and that goes for random strangers who visit this site too! :)

Story.

2006-10-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

Creation lay still, unmade, and silent. The only movement comes from the heavens. Its the beginning of time. Before time was created, Before a sin was commited, Before a living creature took breath. So cold and dark no form to speak of. But there came a time when change began. With a loud voice from heaven a planet was formed. And slowly things began to take shape. First there was land. Then came the animals. Then to take care of all that was here, They created a man. A man who would tend and care for the land. A man who had nothing to worry about. Just a man. This man was perfect created in the image of his creator. But this man was one, one by himself with only animals by his side. The creator realized this just would not do. The man needed company someone to talk to. So He created a woman to stand by his side. To keep him and feed him and love him like no one else could. But with this pefect beauty came something so evil who wanted to destroy all that was here. He tempted the woman who tempted the man who feel for this evil murderous plan. With one final bite their eyes had been opened. And finally they saw what there eyes had not seen. They were naked, not a cloth on their bodies. They were ashamed and needed to hide. When the creator came by to see how they were doing. They yelled out do not come closer. We are naked and you should not see us. So after this sin they were condemed from this place. To a life that was harder that had pain they never knew. The woman was forced to bare children with pain. The mans job was harder than ever before. Their lives had been ruined by one simple bite of the forbidden fruit they swore not to eat.

updation

2006-10-02T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hi friends. Have things felt a little crazy and mysterious to you lately? They have for me, and partly for my-fault reasons. Forgive me though for the silence. We just moved into our new house and I do not have a connection to the web there. But, I wanted to share a few things to keep us all on the same page.

Our home groups will be starting officially next week. For those who would like to meet, we can do something. But because many of you have plans for this week, and also because sign-ups were pretty much ineffective for obvious reasons! But once they do start, you won't be dissapointed.

There are a few things though I want you to know in advance! Sunday, October 8, during our gathering, we will be witnessing, exploring, discussing orphans, and God "the father."Come ready to be captivated by the tender heart of a perfect Father.

Sunday, October 15, we will have special guests joining us for our gathering. We will discuss and wrestle through the issue of spiritual community with him and his wife, as well as pray for them, and you know, be a blessing as we are blessed!

Ever feel like innovating? Seriously, if you have ideas, explore them together. Share them. I'm really enjoying the stories. Keep them coming. :) Well, I trust that God is stirring your hearts as He's stirring mine as a result of Dr. Fawcett's talk this past Sunday. So, is God tugging at your hearts too?

Voter Registration Drive

2006-09-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone :-) Don't you all just hate computers? I tried posting this once already but my computer shut down on me....grrr...anyway, I just wanted to share with you all a passion of mine and announce (OK...pursuade you to be involved in) something that will be going on this Sunday. I'll start at the beginning and try not to make this too long. Over the past few years I have had some awesome experiences volunteering on different political campaigns and getting involved in various political issues. Through it, God has given me a passionate desire to see our nation and government turn back toward the godly foundation it was built on.

It all started in 2004 with the Toomey/Specter race for US Senate. I spent a few hours making phone calls encouraging people to vote for Toomey and also helped a friend one day with a voter registration drive at BBC. Then I started getting involved in a nation-wide home school civics education/activism group called Generation Joshua (GenJ). Last November I had the opportunity to travel to Virginia along with around 400 other GenJ members to help out with the Jerry Kilgore for Governor Campaign. During that week we made literally thousands of phone calls and knocked on hundreds of doors encouraging people to get out and vote for Kilgore. People hung up on me on the phone and shut the door in my face more times in one day during that week than I ever thought would happen in a lifetime! This past May I made close to 1,000 phone calls and stood outside the polls on election day encouraging people to cast their votes for James May and David Madera.

There were a number of things that stood out to me during these elections, and God taught me a lot through those experiences. One of the things that shocked me most, though, was the amount of people in general and even more so the amount of Christians who refuse to vote and who aren’t even registered to vote. People constantly complain about the laws, leadership, and court systems of America yet many don’t even bother to cast their votes to elect the people who will help change those things. Most Christians believe that abortion and homosexuality are wrong yet many won’t take the time to research political candidates and get out to vote for the ones who will stand up for what’s right. I wonder how things can get anything but worse in America if those of us who hold the truth in our hearts don’t use that truth as a guideline for electing the right men as our leaders in government?

Generation Joshua is currently sponsoring a 2006 Voter Registration Initiative targeted mainly at churches and other Christian organizations. The goal is to get as many Christians registered to vote as possible before the November elections. This Sunday, October 1st I'm going to have a table set up upstairs with voter registration forms and info on registering and voting in PA. I must admit that my main targets are the college age and people who have recently moved into the area. So PLEASE stop by the table on Sunday and if you aren't already registered to vote fill out a registration form (it won't take more than 5 minutes). I'm even delivering all the forms myself so you don't have to worry about a stamp to mail it. And even if you are registered, please stop by anyway and give me your contact info so I can give you an annoying...er, uh, helpful phone call and/or email a couple days before elections to remind you to vote.

Thanks for reading and see you all on Sunday! :-)

Just a Reminder

2006-09-25T18:15:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. This is my first time posting here on Common Ground. I'm new to the group. I'm a transfer student at Baptist Bible College and have decided to make Summit and Common Ground my permanent place for worship. I love everyone here. Y'all have been very friendly and I love learning and worshiping with you. To move on to why I'm posting now, I've been doin' some thinking ever since yesterday. In Sunday school, listening to Tim talk about who God was and how we should learn more about just who God is got me to want to dig into the Word of God more. To be even more passionate about growing closer to Him. It also reminded me of a story I once wrote called "The Dream." In that story I dreamt that I cried out for Jesus to save me and he was gracious and merciful enough to do just that. I want to post that story onto here and I hope that you can get a least something little out of it. Thanks for listening and reading this post.

The Dream

Last night I had this weird dream. I saw myself as I was when I was five. I had long chocolate brown curly hair pulled up into pig tails, light brown skin, child chubby body, and soft green eyes. I had on my favorite dress; pastel pink with lavender dragonflies dancing all over and the sleeves and hem were decorated with snow white lace. I saw myself digging into the dirt.

As I look at myself, a chill runs through me and I look up to notice my surroundings. What I saw made another chill course through my body.

The trees are barren, not a leaf in site. The branches are limp, as if they are too weary to stand up. The grass is brown and crisp and the sky is dark and overcast, not a ray of sunshine rains through. The land is barren and desolate.

As I take in the site, an eerie sound reaches my ears. It isn’t so much that I hear it, but feel it. It comes with the bitter wind. The sound is like nothing I have felt before. It is almost like a siren’s song. It pierces my heart and I can’t contain the tears that rush down my face. I fall to my knees and cover my ears. The pain is so great that I begin to shake.

I turn my tear drenched face towards the sky and cry out, “Make it stop!!! Make the pain go away!”

I feel a tiny hand on my arm and I turn to see my five-year-old self looking at me with compassion on her face. Looking me in the eye, she says, “He can make it all better. You just hav’ta believe.”

“Him?? Who’s him??”

The younger me replies in surprise, “Why the man with the scars in his hands and feet.”

A tiny ray of hope kindles my heart. “Will he really?? Can he really save me?”

My younger self places her tiny hands on either side of my face and nodded, “Yes, yes. All you have to do is call his name—Jesus.”

A sudden realization comes to me. This barren and desolate land isn’t some desolate place; it is my heart. And the sounds are my heart crying out in pain, calling out for help.

I shout out, “Jesus! Save me!! Please save me! I believe in you! I believe you can save me!” As I cry, the wails cease. In its place is a soft melodic song. It is as if angels themselves are singing. I look up to him walking towards me with his arms outstretched. He is handsome with his dark brown hair cut short and his beard neatly trimmed. He is wearing a snow white robe and his feet are adorned with brown leather sandals. Turning my eyes back to his face, my breath catches. His face radiates with his compassion and love. Everything he passes comes back to life. The trees blossom with flowers and fruit and the sky turns crystal blue.

Finally, he stops and while he speaks softly, his voice booms over the rest of the land.

“Come child. Come to me.”

I need no further prompting. I leap to my feet and run to him. Jesus embraces me with his strong and gentle arms. This time I weep tears of joy, peace, and happiness.

When the tears subside, I look around and my eyes open again in surprise. No longer was the land barren and desolate, but in its place is a lush and cheerful land. The trees are in full bloom, the grass is tall and green, waving in the cool breeze. There are flowers everywhere and streams of crystal blue water.

I turn back to Jesus and it is then that I see his scars. I can see where the crown of thrones had been pounded into his brow. I see the scars ‘neath his beard where the soldiers had ripped the hair from his face. I can see the scars in his hands and feet where the nailed were hammered into his flesh. I knew that if I put my hand at his side, I’d feel where the sword was thrust into him, and his back would be the scars from the whips and cat-of-nice-tails being torn down to the bone.

I look Jesus in the face and with tears in my eyes I ask, “Why? Why go through so much suffering for me?”

With a look of pure love, Jesus replies, “My child, don’t you realize that I did it all because I love you so much? I want you to be able to come and live with me in my home. This was the only way and I would do it a thousand times, if it meant that you’d be able to come with me.”

He embraces me for a second time and I whisper, “Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much to die for me.”

We then walk and talk for what seems hours until Jesus finally stops and turns to me.

“Remember that I am always with you. Even if you can’t see me, I am still here, forever and an eternity. I love you my child.”

Suddenly, I feel a tug at my pant leg and I look down to see my younger self again.
“It’s time to go.” She says.
.
And next thing that I know, I am back in my bed, surrounded by all my familiar possessions.

It was just a dream, I think to myself. Yet, I know that it wasn’t just a dream, because my heart is still surrounded by the love, joy, and peace that I had experienced when Jesus saved me in my dream. I smile, look up towards the heavens, and say, “Thank you, Jesus.” This time, when I fell asleep, I slept peacefully.

Written By:
Anna
February 15, 2006

Trials

2006-09-17T23:28:00.000-04:00

Hey guys here is a little encouragement for those trials that we all face. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1. 2-4). Those at Common Ground can make such a difference in this community if we would strive to be joyous and go through our trials with perseverance knowing that in the end it is for God’s magnificent glory and our good. But we must look to Christ, and walk in Him. Imagine what God could do with an entire group of us.
God’s glory, that is all that matters! We seem to forget that fact. God is trying to teach us something during our tribulations, He is also usually teaching someone else something by using our burdens, and in the end it will be for our good and God’s glory. God will never put us through something that will be for the worst concerning us, or something that brings shame to His name. But we have to remember that during those sufferings and hardships that we must look to Christ in faith and take peace and joy in knowing that we will make it through. Not only make it through, but also we will come out glorifying God, and having a stronger testimony and relationship with our Maker.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." What a awesome promise.

Prayer Request and Sharing

2006-09-14T22:57:00.000-04:00

I am going to use this blog as an avenue to be open with people and really share and ask for prayer. Because I know that struggling through somthing without the help and prayer of fellow christains will never get me very far. So here goes. For a long time I have been struggling with not allowing God to be the ruler in my life. Um about February I gave everything to Him but I still struggle with things and mmm the biggest one that is coming out right now is finding my self worth in other people. Judging myself by what other people think of me. Trying my hardest to be the funny witty smart pretty one and not allowing people to see the scared little girl that I feel I am inside. I put up a false face and fasade to try and get people to like me. Um also I struggle with judging other people. So in judging them I make myself feel like a better person. But at the same time I wont forgive myself for the sins I have commited. Even though I am forgiven and God has taken care of that. I still struggle with defineing myself by the things I have done. So all that to say I would really appreciate the prayer of everyone. Its been a long hard road for me to get here and Its going to keep getting harder because Satan doesn't want to see me trying. So if you guys could pray for me about that. That instead of finding worth in what other think of me. Finding it in what God says of me. People will always let me down and will always treat me wrongly. But God is forever and I need to remember that. So if anyone sees me just remind me of that. I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much. And also continue to pray for the unsaved that God has brought into our group. They are here for a reason...lets show them God's love. The way it was ment to be shown.

Hiking Ricketts Glen SAT 9-16

2006-09-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

I am planning to do some hiking on Saturday in Ricketts Glen State park. The hike will be on the falls trail there. It is a 3 mile loop trail along streams which have numerous water falls the largest being about 90 feet high, It is about 45 minute drive from the Clarks summit area. I plan to leave form BBC at 9:00 AM on Saturday. We will be eating lunch on the trail or at the park after the hike so pack a lunch. We will return around 3PM or 4PM.

If you are interested let me know at our meeting tonight or email me at wumberger@yahoo.com

Thoughts

2006-09-12T23:36:00.000-04:00

I've had some great conversations with some of you recently, so allow me to share some of the wealth, as well as my heart tonight. The war we are involved in appears to be intensifying. I sense it, and have experienced its effects on me, as well as some of my brothers and sisters. Be watchful, the enemy is lurking. Cling to the truth.

Anyway, :) I have no clue how many or few of you actually read any posts on our blog, but I want to challenge you to post: share ideas, thoughts, etc. I've been talking with a few of you about some ideas.

For instance, there are some of you who have been gifted to sing or make music. Music can have such a tremendous impact on us as believers, rehearsing truth in a very experiential way (music has that way about it). So, if that's you, I'd like to see some of you either write and or sing spiritual songs others have written to challenge and encourage the body of believers. Let someone know who you are. But there's other ways.

We have nitty gritty details that need to be met on a weekly basis. There definitely behind the scene: like power-point stuff, clickers, and people who keep things organized.

Then there are those who can paint, sculpt, sketch, and design. I bet you we have no idea how much creativity can be found in our group. Would you paint, and then show our body and explain what your creation conveys about you as a person, and about the image of God within you?

Writers, I know you exist in our body. Would you write to encourage, exhort, teach, and help us reflect on the gospel of Jesus, our lover and savior? Would you utilize this blog for the edification of the saints?

And finally, but most importantly, every one of us in this group needs to be ministered to. And there's a world who needs the gospel ministered to them. Fortunately, God has designed each one of you to uniquely minister to at least one commoner in our group. And can you imagine what we would look like if we were all functioning and possessing the same care for one another? I'm guessing, and maybe hoping, that then we would experience the fullness of what it means to be the incarnation of Jesus to a very lost and desperately captive world. What do you think? Can it happen? How have you been designed to serve the body? I dare you to be the freeman, the child, and servant of the King that you really are.

Quotes

2006-09-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

I collect a book of my favorite quotes. Some funny some encouraging some challenging. I wanted to share some of them with you.

I have lived sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? - Benjamin Franklin

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. - C.S. Lewis

Men will wrangle for religion; Write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but live for it. - Charles Caleb Colton

How many observer Christs birthday! How few his precepts. O! 'tis easier to keep holiday that commandments. - Benjamin Franklin

We are punished by our sins, not for them. - Elbert Hubbard

Let your religon be less of a theory and more of a love affair. - Gilbert K. Chesterton

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King Jr.

I like your Christ, I do not like your christians. Your christians are so unlike your Christ - Gandhi (this is a challenge to me to make sure I am like Christ. People are watching)

Verse of the week..

2006-09-11T12:54:00.001-04:00

Hey guys this is a really sweet verse...

James 1:27

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

...even though it is very simple, i found it to be very challenging.

information 9-10-06

2006-09-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

picnic today
we are having a picnic at 4:00pm at Summit Christian Acadamy Secondary campus. If you need directions, visit this map (...click directions "to here" and enter starting address) bring a drink if you don't want water. if you need a ride, call 239.839.5823 (ask for tim)

calendar --->
if you haven't seen it, we have a link to our calendar to the right under "events." check it our for future dates we have planned. and note, the calendar is a work in progress, but if you click a particular event, you will find more information and a link to a map for directions.

wednesday chill outs
we are meeting at 7:00pm at summit on the bottom floor. i totally forgot to mention this, and if you haven't already figured it out, i'm not a details person. i desperately need someone to make sure these kinds of things are "mentioned" when we gather on sundays, so if you're interested, let me know!

For anybody that cares...

2006-09-07T21:41:00.001-04:00

I never could figure out this blog thing until (TIM) told me how...not its going to be all down hill from here.... So anyhow...im taking resumes for friends so if you want to hang out let me know!! By the way...What team are you going for this season?? Go Bengals!

Book List

2006-09-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

so, to beckon people to start writing on this blog of ours (ahem, brandon), i'd like to put together a common ground book list. basically, leave a comment and add books to the list. make sure you leave in your comment:

book title and author
a comment why you're adding it to the common ground list. how the book impacted you.

leave as many as you want. someone asked tonight about good books to read, and hey, common ground anyone? :)

Report from Cameroon

2006-09-06T17:51:00.000-04:00

by Simon Mvondo

Simon is a pastor and seminiary president in his country, Cameroon. We share in his ministry praying for and supporting Simon and his family in any way we can. For those of you who have not met him, I hope you can soon. Anyway, From time to time we will hear from him so we can stay connected to him, his ministry, his family, and the church in Cameroon. I know you will enjoy this. He has started his own journal online, so if you wish to visit, the link will be provided.

click to expand
This is Simon and his wife, and their children.

posted by Simon Mvondo at 12:58 PM on this blog cameroonews:

Dear brothers and sisters,
I hope God’s blessings are upon you all. I am very happy to make you known once more how God is working in my life and family. We have started a new school year in Cameroon Biblical Seminary where I am the acting President on the 4th of September. The year seems to be good and blessed. We have now 20 students from 15 students last semester. I will be teaching two courses: Reading, Interpreting and Applying the Word of God, and Elementary Hebrew. Pray for me for this last course because I did not work on Hebrew language for a couple of years. So I need to take more time on this course.I will be working with four other teachers.

On the family level, my children are doing quite well with their health; however, as you know my wife is still under the control of her uterus cancer attack. Finally we found a place where she can go for the examination. She will get the result, hoping so on the 27th September and we continue to believe that God will work a miracle on her.

I have started a ministry of teaching the Word of God in the modules form last May with one of my schoolmates at Baptist Bible Seminary Doug BOISVERT. I will continue this ministry in October with Pastor Samuel BOUM in YAOUNDE the capital city of Cameroon. We have a group of 38 pastors and deacons. We have the desire to extend the ministry to DOUALA another big city in Cameroon. Pray for this ministry for there is a great need in our country to train these pastors and deacons leading local churches here with no good training. If you have the desire to join this ministry you can e-mail me.

Perfect to the Lord your God, Deut.18: 13
Love in Christ, Simon Mvondo

shepherding the flock

2006-09-04T22:01:00.000-04:00

i realized in my post-tiredness that i flew threw those announcements this past sunday. i totally missed the point of something i think you and i will find very dear to our hearts. i'm talking about our home gatherings, and those of you whom i think will make amazing shepherds among these groups of people. think about this:

how has God designed you to serve in the body?

i know the term shepherd can sound intimidating and repulsive in a very time-conscious society...believe me, i know. but let me add something that i hope will clarify all of this. "shepherd" does not refer to something you do as if it requires tons of time. "shepherd" is who you are. being a shepherd is being an example to people you love, and for whom you care deeply. i really hope that you each will find our home gatherings to be a safe place, a refuge, and a community of people within which you will encounter God and be strengthened as your draw near to God together through prayer, meditation, and encouragement.

i want you to understand that these groups are not meant to be a program we perform/do each week because we have requirements to meet. so what will they look like? it is our desire that they be the beginning of a fellowship, a corporate journey with God in which we experience God's love for us, and love one another in response. it is our desire that some of you for the first time experience and taste what it means to be the children of God in a love relationship with the Father. it is our desire that some of you will find a group of people to rejoice with in times of rejoicing, and mourn with in times of mourning, and suffer with in times of suffering (see 1 cor. 12:26). it is our desire that we live an abundant, victorious christian life together.

this is the direction we are journeying. it may appear blury to you now, but over time, i hope it becomes clearer. we will talk about this more in days to come. however, i share all of this with you now because there is a huge need. from the beginning, we would like these groups to include both men and women. (though it isn't required :) for this to happen though, we need both a man and a woman to lead in these groups, to be shepherds. why? while there is huge blessings in developing deep, healthy inter-gender (?)relationships, there is still the need for something deeper in separation and for good reasons (best of both worlds)--hence the need for a man and a woman to take the lead in caring for their friends in these groups. all that's required is you being willing to care for a group of 8 or so friends, being an example and leading in drawing near to God--however you want this to look.

*now, this is really important because this month on tuesday evenings, the group of shepherds will meet together to prepare for this embarkment. if you feel unprepared for this task, then this hopefully will be your resolution. :) but we need to begin soon! i need to know if you are willing. please commit to at least searching your heart and asking the Spirit. the body needs you. contact me via e-mail or call me (239-839-5823) if you have questions, wish to talk, or wish to seize this divine moment. God loves you so much! i love you guys too.

hoping to hear from you soon,
tim

information 9-3-06

2006-09-03T12:42:00.000-04:00

i know this is information overload, but having it down on here may make it easier when any one of us forgets later. these are the stuff shared on sunday morning, and at least a little more clarified.

church picnic- next sunday (9/10) 4:00pm at Summit Christian Acadamy Secondary campus (see map...click directions "to here" and enter starting address) bring a drink if you don't want water. if you need a ride, call 239.839.5823 (tim's cell)
wednesday chill-outs- this week at 7:00pm at SBBC, room I which is downstairs. You can expect to be relaxed, hang-out, and spend time in prayer together.
serving common ground- if you would like to be involved in our common ground community, or in the greater church community, we want to know. e-mail us or talk to myself (tim) or the sikorskis or the dodds, etc. we can provide coaching/mentoring if you would like.
collegiate membership- free bbq lunch following common ground on sunday (9/17). it's painfree, and will be a good time.
home group leaders- if you are interested and available to shepherd home groups, please contact me asap. our home groups will be an amazing time of growth, and this begins with people who would be willing to step in and lead.
blog- stay connected with the family. stay informed. share what's going on. encourage each other. here are some things that might help:

to log in: http://www.blogger.com
connect with the global church. our brother Simon Mvondo, who met us last year, lives in cameroon, africa, with his family. he is a shepherd in the church there and leads a seminary. We will be able to correspond, stay connected to, and pray for him and his family. (more on him later...)

men's prayer breakfast- 6:30am at the summit diner (map) every wednesday morning.

Thanks for Praying

2006-09-01T11:42:00.000-04:00

OK....I'm new to this so if this shows up twice then just bear with me.

I wanted to say thanks to the people that were over at our house last night (8/31/06). Thanks for your prayers. Sir was able to get a good nights rest and work went pretty well today. Keep on praying because we all need it.

Jared, Thanks again for that great reminder.

Toby & Jill update

2006-08-31T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone, how's it going? Toby, Jill, & Josiah here to touch base with all of our beloved "commoners." Things are going well up here in Rochester, our small groups (community groups here) are just getting rolling and we've been learning a lot (some of it the hard way).

Every now and then I get a chance to preach at my church - they put the messages online - the website is www.northbaptistchurch.org and you should be able to hear it (if you want to). David Whiting is the senior pastor and his messages are always worth a listen. I'm preaching again this September 17th, so pray for me!

Also, another item for prayer: some of you know that I wrote a book-length story back a while ago and have been recently updating it and editing it (some of you have been kind enough to read it and give me your ideas and suggestions). Well, I decided to stop messing around and actually do the work to try to get it published. I have a friend here in Rochester helping me out, and we just made my first submission on Monday.

I won't hear back from them for 6-8 weeks, so that gives you guys lots of time to pray that it works out!

We love you all and miss you very much. I am excited to hear what God does in your midst.

Keep the comments coming!

In Christ, Toby, Jill and Josiah

Tailgate Party Photo

2006-08-30T23:49:00.000-04:00

(click to expand)
Left to Right: Brandon's dad, Brandon, Jeffy, Ben, Ashley, Bethany, Bill, and Erin.

The game wasn't so exciting, but the door prizes they gave out were, as was the company. Not pictured, but definitely there, is mom and sir Sikorsky, and Amanda. Our activities in CG won't usually cost money, so you won't have to worry about that barrier. I'm looking forward to Sunday. God is on the move, and we never can tell just what He'll do next. But, He is good. :)

Answer this Question

2006-08-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

Hi friends...
I have a question that maybe will help some of you not be shy on this. Write your response by leaving a "comment," writing as little or as much as you want. Just answer it!

Pretend you are a color. Which one are you, and why? Now, if Common Ground Ministries was a painting, what would your color add to the painting?

Prayer Request for a friend of mine

2006-08-28T18:53:00.000-04:00

Hey guys I found out today that a friend of mine has turned his back on God and has become a wiccan. It has come to as a huge shock to me and I am really hurt. It breaks my heart that he did this. I would appreciate your prayers for him. He is in 29 Palms, CA right now. He is in the Marine Corps. So if you could pray that God would get ahold of his heart. He used to be a spiritual infulence in my life and its hard watching him do this. So please if everyone could pray I would greatly appreicate it! And continue to pray for Jesse and his roomate Lee. If you don't know Lee is in a coma after a serious accident and Jesse is a good friend of mine. Jesse is taking it hard and is behind on his rent and was counting on Lee getting back to help pay those bills. And they said it will be almost a year before Lee will be able to function on his own a little. So pray for that as well. And please continue to pray for everyone else as they start school and others who continue to work their jobs.

Instructions

2006-08-27T22:07:00.000-04:00

Make your title as specific to what you're writing about as possible. The sidebar will contain the title as a link to the post itself. This will help people find something they may be looking for.
If you are announcing an activity, or you are wanting people to hang out on a specific date, include the date in your title.
Leave comments on the postings by clicking the phrase "0 Comments," or otherwise indicated by the word _ Comments.
Share what it is you're learning, what you're excited about pertaining to this year, any ideas you may have, prayers, etc. This blog may be read by our friends who do not yet know Christ--you never know how God could use you.

The Story of the Gospel

2006-08-26T23:49:00.000-04:00

Toby Locke wrote this as a reflection and summary of the Greatest Story ever told. It's the Story told by God. It's the Gospel, the story God scripted and designed to woo our hearts back to Him, and to captivate us and bring us into relationship with Him, who is the King. This is the Living Water, sent from God to a dry and thirsty land, destitute of truth and hungry for direction. Read it and allow it to draw you to the Source, the Word of God. (you will not be disappointed, though your life will never be the same)

Before there was a physical universe, there was God.

God is (and has always been) a community of three distinct persons bound together in love into a perfect and complete oneness. These three persons were revealed to us later as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

Out of the overflow of their love for one another, God decided to create the physical universe, including the land, sea, air, vegetation, animals, and especially humans. He commanded that they exist, and they existed. God saw the result of His work and was delighted.

He created the first man and woman for the express purpose of enjoying two things: relationships (with Him and with each other) and adventure (exploring, subduing, and ruling the rest of the physical universe that God had made). For some time, mankind experienced this oneness with God and one another, and ruled the world well under God’s authority.

But mankind had an Enemy. This Enemy empowered a snake to incite rebellion against God, casting doubt on the His goodness and encouraging the man and woman to be their own boss, living independently of their Maker. In that fateful moment, the man and the woman chose to listen to the voice of their Enemy and abandon the God who loved them and provided for them.

Instantly they discovered that they were aware of their nakedness. They realized that they were incapable of fulfilling their life purpose apart from God; they felt guilt for the first time, and shame. When God came after them, they hid from Him in fear of punishment. The harmonious relationship that had existed between God and the prize of His creation, the man and the woman, was broken. A horrible barrier between God and man (called sin) was erected on that dark day. Spiritual death (a relational separation between God and man) entered the world.

Eventually, physical death also took its toll on humanity. The first man and woman died, leaving behind their descendants, who were infected with their parents’ bent towards independent living and defiance of God. Mankind’s Enemy, a spiritual being later called Satan, continued to spread His lies, opposing God’s interventions into human history. The world became more and more corrupted by the evil of mankind. It seemed that God’s plans for His world had been frustrated.

But God would not be stopped. The story of our world since our first parents’ fall into selfish, independent living is a story of rescue and redemption. When mankind turned away from God and sought to gain life on their own, He chased after them, calling them to return to Him and enjoy the life that they had lost. He even chose a nation of people (called Israel) to be His messengers of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation to the broken planet. For hundreds of years He worked with these people, day and night, to make them into the people that He intended for them to be so that they could call the rest of the world back to the intimate relationship that mankind was created to enjoy.

But God’s efforts found limited success. Some heroes in Israel would arise and do well, only to have their children return to the self-centered living that plague each generation of mankind since our Fall. Though individuals within the nation of Israel had walked with God and fulfilled their purpose for them, the nation as a whole was still far from enjoying the intimate relationship with God that He desired. More drastic measures needed to be taken.

So, the community that is God decided together to send the Son to mankind as the ultimate messenger from God. The Son, being fully God, chose not to dazzle mankind with the brilliance of His nature, but clothed Himself in the flesh of humanity, tasting of the hardships and joys of being fully human in order to fully identify with us and to show us the way back to the intimate relationship with God that we were created for.

The Son’s name became Jesus, which meant the “Savior.” Though His conception into the young Mary’s womb was supernatural (perhaps the greatest miracle of all time), His birth into the home of Joseph (a humble carpenter from northern Israel) was very natural. For thirty years He lived in relative obscurity, obeying His parents and growing into the man that His Heavenly Father intended for Him to be.

It was at the age of 30 that the time was right for Jesus to announce to the world His true identity and His mission on God’s behalf. He went to Israel because Israel was the nation who should have welcomed Him first and helped Him accomplish His mission of spreading the good news (that mankind can be reunited with God) throughout the rest of the world. He performed many supernatural signs to prove that He was from God, including healing the sick, forgiving people of their selfish choices, and even raising people from the dead. His message was simple: if the nation of Israel (and the world) embraced Him as their Master and King, He could become part of God’s family once again and fulfill the purpose for which they were created.

Sadly, most of the people who heard His words and even saw His miracles rejected Him. Blinded by their own selfish ambition, greed, and pride, they instead searched for a way to kill Him and get Him out of their hair. The barrier that the first man and woman had erected by their selfish choice to live independently of God was still standing, and it kept many men and women from seeing the truth of what Jesus said and did.

Jesus knew (even before He began His earthly mission) that the barrier needed to be destroyed before mankind could enter into the life that He intended for them. Therefore it had been decided that the community that was God would allow mankind to put Jesus to death. However, what sinful men and women did not realize was that His death would open up a new way for mankind to enjoy an intimate relationship with God. Only the death of Jesus could destroy once and for all the barrier that existed between mankind and God.

As Jesus hung on that cross, He experienced the complete agony of the punishment that mankind deserved for their own selfish independence. Because Jesus had lived a perfectly innocent and good human life, and willingly gave up His life for mankind, God accepted His death as a substitute for ours. In that moment the barrier of sin and judgment was destroyed and all of mankind was issued an invitation: “Enter into the new relationship with God that Jesus’ death had opened up! Turn from your self-centered existence and embrace Jesus. If you do, you will know the life that you were created to experience!”

As wonderful as the news of Jesus’ death is, the news of His resurrection is even more amazing. The Father was pleased to bring Jesus back from the grave and to experience a new life, one that would never again be touched by death or the selfish way of living called sin. He has found a way back to life out of the clutches of death, and He promises all those who embrace Him that they will do the same. Each day of their life on this earth, they can know an intimate relationship with God that breathes life into their mortal bodies and injects each day with passionate purpose and meaning. They can live an abundant life each day on this earth. Even better: one day, when physical death reaches out to grab them, they will come to know a life more full and more rich, free from the pain and agony of living in our corrupted world. They will rejoice, fully alive, in the presence of the God who loves them forever.

So, the invitation was issued, but how would the world find out about this great invitation? Jesus came back to life, yes, but the Bible records that He left the earth almost immediately after that great event to return to His Father’s presence in Heaven. Just before He left, He promised a handful of people who had turned from their self-centered lifestyle and embraced Him that He would return to them, and that they should look for Him, for He could return at any moment. As it has turned out, He has been gone quite a while. What has happened to the invitation in the meantime?

Jesus’ answer is the small group of followers that He left behind on earth. They would issue God’s invitation to the world as His messengers. He gave them many names, but perhaps the most interesting is the name of “Body of Christ.” As Jesus’ “body,” they would carry out his wishes in this physical universe. As His “body,” they would also be intimately connected to one another, working together to accomplish the purpose for which they were called into relationship with God in the first place. They would live His life in front of a world that still does not know Jesus or His love for them. As they lived His life, the world would see Jesus in them and accept His invitation to be their Savior, Friend, and God.

Crucial to their success was the third person in the community who is God, called by many names, but most commonly as the “Holy Spirit.” He would be the source of power and strength for all those who have embraced Jesus and seek to follow in His footsteps. He has guided them, rebuked them, loved them, used them, and led them in the 2000 years or so since Jesus returned to Heaven to be with His Father.

And so, we wait for Jesus to return. We wait for Him to come back for us, His children and His body, and take us to be with Him wherever He is. While we wait, we make it our ambition to love God supremely and love our Christian brothers and sisters passionately. While we wait, we are energized by the Holy Spirit to also love those who have not yet embraced Jesus and entered God’s family, whether or not they love us back. We seek to live the life of Jesus Christ and serve those who God sends our way, inviting them to embrace the forgiveness that Jesus offers and to live the new life that Jesus died to give us. We are truly a new humanity, one that is still imperfect, but fully equipped to do the job that God has for us to do on this planet.

One day Jesus will return, and when He does, He will restore the planet to the condition it was in before mankind chose to rebel and abandon God. He will punish our Enemy (Satan) for all the ruin that he has unleashed upon our world and for the deception that he has whispered into each one of our hearts. From that moment on, he will never trouble mankind again. Peace and harmony will rule supreme, and those who have embraced Jesus will enjoy the relationships (with God and one another) and the adventure (ruling the world under God’s authority) that for which they were originally made. Sadly, those who have refused to embrace Jesus will receive the just consequence of such a terrible decision. As allies of the Enemy (Satan), they will share his fate, banished from God’s presence into the outer dark, forever cut off from the only One who can give them love and life. The Bible, God’s written revelation to mankind, gives us no indication that they will ever be set free from this terrible condition or given a second chance to embrace Jesus. Men and women were built to exist forever, and their choices to embrace or reject Jesus will have eternal consequences.

This is the story of the Bible as best we understand it, and we have come to fully believe it and embrace it as truth from the mouth of God Himself. These truths drive us to action, to be the people that God has called us to be, and to live the life that He has called us to live. Here we take our stand; upon these truths we gladly stake our lives.

What's a blog?

2006-08-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

It's like a pool, only this is the party. A pool with out a party can be boring, but when you put the two together, you're golden. God has told us to encourage one another, minister to one another, help one another, pray for one another, teach one another, and bear one another's burdens among many others. In this busy story we are all a part of, we often miss the opportunity to play this role in the lives of our brothers and sisters in the Faith. So, we bring our common ground to another dimension. Our faith is shared together for the benefit and building up of the saints (that's us). So how does the blog come into play? It's simple. Share what God is doing in your life as it happens. Share insights and thoughts from scripture you've read. Share scripture with one another. Only, you do it here. We do it together. As we explore the riches of our Common Ground, we will moment by moment experience the abundant, victorious Christian life together.

How do I join?

It's really easy. If you have not already received an invitation to join this blog, please e-mail us and let us know you want to join. If you have received the e-mail invitation, then follow the link provided on your blogger invitation. Create a username and password, and start posting. Hey, it's free, and come on, this at least could have heavy eternal value. If you have any questions, ask.