Just the title of this post makes me laugh. We’ve talked about the church as a “Beautiful Mess” but marriage is probably just as appropriate.

This weekend we will be studying from I Corinthians 7:1-24. As you read this Scripture, imagine it being read to a group of people who grew up in a society where sex was inconsequential, where marriage was disposable, and where following Jesus was definitely not the societal norm. That shouldn’t be too hard to imagine (turn on your TV set).

Where does the rubber meet the road in our desire to follow Jesus? Will it simply be head knowledge or will it transform our life from the inside out? How does following Jesus transform our understanding of marriage and relationships? These are real questions that need real answers. It is precisely this that the Apostle Paul is delivering to the Corinthian church. Practical words about the mess of marriage that God longs to make beautiful.

For those of you who are not married — no ditching this weekend! Next week the Apostle Paul will talk to you and I won’t let the married folks ditch that week either.

I don’t usually post stuff like this here, but I feel compelled to ask that you would be in prayer for the Chapman family. I just read over on Eugene Cho’s blog that his five year old daughter (who is one of three girls they have adopted from China) was accidentally killed in the family driveway when an older brother ran over her in an SUV.

As a parent, this is my worst nightmare. I can’t imagine the family’s grief or the guilt that the son must feel at the moment (whether he was at fault or not). Please say a prayer for them today.

You can read the story in the Seattle P-I here.

This message was “intended” to hit the streets two weeks ago, but sometimes “intentions” need to be pushed out of the way as new priorities surface. But I’m here to say that “Intentions” are back, which really means that we are back into I Corinthians at chapter six verses twelve to twenty.

Did you read the verses? Then you know we are talking about SEX this weekend. Why? Well, because the Bible talks about it and it is “real life” for anyone who breathes. Here the Bible talks about what God “intended” for sex and what was not “intended”. It’s not limited to a certain culture or spot on a historical timeline, it’s about humanity and it applies to you and me.

Whenever we take something out of the context of it’s original “intent” we are in danger of either abusing it or feeling the pain of its misuse. This principle applies to many things in life…how do you see this principle applying? When does this principle not apply? When is it okay to use something outside of it’s intended purpose?

This past weekend was a tough one for all of us. I was personally blown away by God’s grace in giving me the passage of Scripture that we dealt with. It was equal parts pain and joy as well as Mother’s Day and loss of someone you love. It is one of the things about the Bible that amazes me on a regular basis - how it can speak to our present situation with such clarity at moments when we believe it might be impossible.

This weekend we are going to go from dry streams to living water. In reality, it is where God desires to lead me and it is where I want to be.

Have you ever felt the rush of God’s living water meet you in the midst of a dry stream bed?

Today I met Rick, the Waver. We’ve crossed paths hundreds of times, but never met before this morning. Rick is a guy who walks his dog along a street that I drive daily and everytime that I pass him, he waves with a smile. Today, as we passed and waved at each other, I felt this compelling need to tell this guy that he encourages me daily even though we don’t know each other. So I whipped the old Pathfinder around, stopped, and hopped out to greet the man who has waved at me hundreds of times. I think I may have startled him at first as I walked up, shook his hand and thanked him for waving with a smile. He told me that he’s from the Midwest and can’t help himself. (Does everyone in the Midwest wave?) It started when he was jogging in Chicago (there for a doctor’s conference he was attending). He went out for a jog (he used to jog until he had back problems and had a disc removed - it’s amazing how much you learn about someone in a short conversation) and was flipped off by dozens of people. He decided that he would wave and smile back at them.

Well, Rick is an encouragement to me. When I see him coming along the road, it changes my mood instantly. Thanks, Rick.

How can you be an encouragement to someone today?

You are invited to join Alex’s family and friends as we celebrate the life of a guy we all loved deeply.

Saturday, May 17th, 3pm at Faith Fellowship Church. (14616 35th Avenue SE * Mill Creek, WA)

If there are thoughts you would like to share during the service, please contact Dean (dean(at)findpathways.com) as it would help as we put the service together. We will also eat together afterwards. If you would like to bring something to share, please contact Dianne (sbratz(at)juno.com).

Most of all, we would appreciate your presence as we honor a friend.

I’m still learning the nuances of what it means to be an online community, but it seems to me that creating a space to speak our hearts regarding a guy that all of us loved is very appropriate.

For any who may not have heard, our friend and community member, Alex, took his life on Tuesday evening. I have thought a lot since I heard the news about what my heart wishes to express in this time. I guess I can only say that I am convinced that Alex is now fully aware of how deeply he was loved by his friends, but most importantly, by his God and Creator. I believe he is blanketed in that love and God Himself wiped the tears from His eyes on Tuesday night.

We will be having a Memorial service for Alex and would love to have your presence there. We don’t have the details yet as we are trying to connect times and dates for his family, his co-workers and the Pathways community. (edit: we have the details - Saturday, May 17th at 3pm - Faith Fellowship Church)

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and prayers here…

I lived in Illinois for the first three years of my life and I have only one memory. I remember being in the lobby of a church, clutching my Dad’s car keys and seeing the perfect key slot appear before me in the wall. I placed the key in the slot and found myself thrown across the room (literally) and I would never look at one of those “key slots” the same again. From that day on, I pointed at all electrical outlets and said, “Danger.”

We all know that keys are a very good and useful tool that we use daily. We also know that electrical outlets are a very good and useful tool that we use daily. The “danger” comes when we use either one of those tools outside of their intented purpose.

The same principle applies to living within our created purpose. When we step outside of the lines of God’s purpose, we are bound to experience “danger”.

This is the point of I Corinthians 6:12-20.

Question: Do you have a “Danger Story” of using something outside of it’s intended purpose and feeling the sting of that decision?