Pathways Church Blog

My youngest brother, Scott, went in to have an angiogram yesterday to check out some irregularities in his heart. They discovered that one of his valves is deteriorated and have decided to do open heart surgery today to replace the valve. Please keep him in your prayers. My parents are down in Arizona with him and will stay through his immediate recovery.

I’ll keep you up to date as the news comes in the comment section below.

The three filmmakers who flew to Northern Uganda to make the documentary of Invisible Children will be on Oprah tonight! She has heard from thousands of people through letters and emails and it has gotten her attention. I would encourage you to watch tonight and continue to ask how God will move your heart toward justice and mercy for those who recieve none.

Please take a look at the post below regarding the Global Night Commute that is taking place on behalf of Invisiible Children on April 29th (this weekend).

In the last two weeks, the Story of God has reached its denouemant (I learned that word in high school English class and like to use it from time to time). Christ has been crucified and raised from the dead and as John explained this past weekend, God’s Spirit came to rest, not in a temple, but in His people (plural and singular). The rest of Scripture tells the story of God’s people living out the results of interacting with God’s Story. It is the same situation in which we find ourselves. How are we going to live as a result of God’s Story?

Read Acts 6 & 7, this week as we read about the life of a man named Stephen. What strikes me about Stephen is the description that he is given in Acts 6:5 – “full of faith and filled with the Holy Spirit.” Knowing that about him, the rest of the story finds him in bold declaration of God’s Story – even in the face of persecution. Persecution is not an issue that Christ-followers in the United States deal with as dramatically as those in the first century, but it causes us to ask a few really important questions.

What does faith “look” like and am I allowing it to flourish in my life?
What would a community of “Stephen’s” look like in today’s world?

Share your perspective with the rest of us!

Last January, prior to the launch of Pathways Church, we showed a film to our small Launch Group called Invisible Children. It was overwhelming as it opened our eyes to a war taking place against children in Uganda. Children are being kidnapped from their homes and indoctrinated into an army in which they are desensitized by being forced to kill their friends and family. Entire legions of children – children without conscience – are now going into towns to slaughter the residents. They are the Invisible Children because nobody is speaking about it. Nobody is acting. A trio of college friends went to Uganda and filmed this documentary and are trying to wake the people of the United States up to the atrocities. They are not looking for money – they desire awareness and voices who will call attention to it so that our government will act.

People in 130 cities across the world are gathering on April 29th to spend the night outside to make a statement that something must be done. 645 people (at the time of this writing) are gathering in downtown Seattle to spend the night in Greenlake to draw attention to one of the largest injustices on the African continent. If you are interested in being a part of this event, contact our own Emily Krause.

The story of God reached a climax with the resurrection, but it certainly isn’t winding down. In fact, it is only continuing to open to a wider drama. Jesus made many appearances over the 40 days after his resurrection before he finally ascended to heaven.

After his ascension, the disciple spent 10 days waiting and wondering what to do next when the day of Pentecost came. The day of Pentecost was a celebration of God giving the Torah on Mount Sinai. And it also happened to be the day that the church began. Read Acts 2 to learn how the church began.

In light of Acts 2, here’s some questions for us to wrestle through together this week:
-In Acts 2, almost 3000 people became followers of Jesus in one day. How come we don’t see that kind of thing happening today?
-What is the role of the Spirit in the beginning of the church? What should the role of the Spirit be in the church today?
-What exactly is the church supposed to be? What is the role of the church in the world?
-Read the description of life in the early church in Acts 2:42-47. What do you find attractive about that description? What do you think that might look like today?

Baby Madyson was born to Jeremy and Breanna Andrist at 6:54am on April 12, 2006. (Click on the image to the right to enlarge it.)

At 21 3/4″ long, we’re pretty sure she is taking after her mom! She weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz and finally decided to get some sleep last Saturday night so that mommy could make it to our Easter Sunday gathering. Mommy was very thankful!

Feel free to leave them a comment of congrats below!

John did a great job last week of helping us feel the tension that existed in the time of Jesus as His crucifixion approached. Among the people, there was great anticipation. Among the Jewish leaders there was great hostility. Among the Romans there was almost a nervousness as the most volitile season of the Jewish calendar approached.

Then death. A crucifixion of horrific torture. The disciples watched it all. They watched their leader die. They watched their hopes and dreams fade. Steeled determination (Peter saying, “I will die with you”) turned to doubt and confusion (Peter denying he knew Christ even to a little servant girl).

Huddled in a locked room, fearing that they might be the next ones hung a cross, unsure of the future, the disciples are a picture of complete confusion.

Amidst and in spite of that confusion, doubt and fear – Love Wins!

What thought/emotion does that spark in you to know that God includes such confusion and doubt in His story?
Does your story have a simlilar or different experience?
How have you or haven’t you experienced “Love Winning”?

We look forward to seeing you and your family on Easter Sunday!

We had a GREAT time cheering for the Mariners last night! Click here for some pics…

The International Justice Mission is a fantastic organization working on behalf of those who are oppressed and without a voice around the world. They are having a benefit dinner in Bellevue on Thurday, May 4 featuring IJM’s founder, Gary Haugen. I have heard Gary speak about how IJM came to be and what they do, and it is a story I recommend everyone hear. Cyndee Baldwin is working to put together a group from Pathways to go. If you are interested, please send her an email.

Things are changing up this week as we take a break from home groups and look ahead to Easter. We are going to spend the next two weeks focusing on the Passion — the events of the week leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. To fully understand the Passion, we need to understand that it was during a Jewish holiday called Passover. Take some time this week to read Exodus 12:1-28, where the Passover originates.

As you read, what parallels do you see between the Passover celebration and the events of the Passion?
How does a fuller understanding of the Passover effect how you understand the crucifixion of Jesus?