In this special teaching, Pastor Adam introduces us to a Daily Prayer Guide adapted from Pastor/Author Brian Zahnd and composed of time-tested words from Scripture and the saints who have gone before us. Download the prayer guide in the RESOURCES section or from the link below. Then, follow along and accept the invitation to pray this way for the next 30 days. How might God use this tool to grow you in relationship and partnership with him?

Daily Prayer Guide: https://clovermedia.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/398ee187a3/attachments/DAILY_PRAYER.pdf

A helpful link to find the daily Bible readings from the Book of Common Prayer: http://www.crivoice.org/daily.html

A link to an iOS app with the BCP daily readings: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bcp-daily-office-readings/id574757244

Sometimes we just need a change in perspective. The ancient words of Psalm 46 invite us to "Be still and know" that God is exalted above natural disaster and national frenzy.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Psalm 46

// QUOTE -- "We always live what we believe. We just don't always live what we profess we believe." (Dallas Willard)

// How would your day be transformed if you stopped to breathe, believe, and live trusting that God is with you?

// Image 1 -- God as storm shelter

// The Psalms teach us to take the range of human emotion and experience and channel them Godward.

// 1) Name it, 2) Pray it, 3) Share it

// Image 2 -- God as incumbent King

// Are we living as though Jesus is Lord or are we merely professing it?

In this message we look at 2 Psalms that give us 2 lifelines when we are longing for renewal. How might these ancient words lift you out of a deep place? How might the practices of Remembering and Asking draw our attention back to God, our source of life? NOTE: We experienced some connection issues early on in the recording of this message.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Psalms 42 and 43

// LIFELINE 1 -- Remembering God's goodness then when it's tough now

// The Psalms give us permission to be honest with God, ourselves, and others.

// When pain narrows our vision, look for God.

// Practice: Centering Prayer

// What's a "CHORUS" that helps lift you out of despair?

// LIFELINE 2 -- Asking: A discipline of dependence we'll never outgrow.

// Petitionary Prayer is not a vending machine but a mystery that changes us and the world.

// Romans 8.26-27 (NIV) -- 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

The Psalms teach us that nothing is out of bounds when it comes to communicating with God -- even pain and complaint. "Lament" is the ancient prayer that mixes tears with trust. In this message we'll answer the questions, "What is a Lament," "How do we Lament," and most importantly, "Why should we Lament?"

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Psalm 13

// The Psalms help God's people by giving us: PROMPTS, POETRY, PATTERN, and PERMISSION.

// "Prayer is the means by which we get everything in our lives out in the open before God." EUGENE PETERSON

// Lament FORMALIZES our Grief, there's a beginning and an end (but Lament Psalms never end with Lament).

// Lament DIRECTS our Grief to the God we trust can do something about it.

// Lament turns our Grief into a Grievance.

// Big pieces of a Lament -- 1) Lament, 2) Petition, 3) Confession

// The goal of the Psalms is not to express what they feel but to feel what they express (Paraphrase of Brian Zahnd)

// When you experience the deafening silence of his voice, may you hear the unceasing heartbeat of God's love.

// Why Lament? 1) Lament DEEPENS our solidarity with God. 2) Lament PURIFIES us of our unrealistic expectations for cheap or quick fixes. 3) Lament WAKES US UP to the realities of a broken world.

// "The whole point of the Christian theory is that pain is so real that even God Himself could experience it." G.K. Chesterton in Kenosis

In this series we turn to the prayer book of God's people, the Psalms, to explore and embody these ancient words for our modern time. One of the ways the Psalms teaches us to pray is contemplation. In this message our student ministry leader Jason Knight introduces us to contemplation -- what it is, what it does, and how we can jump-start our own prayer lives in this season.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Psalm 119.41-48

So you're telling me that God's able to do "immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3.20). Really? Even now, when things seem too big, too scary, or too hard? Paul's answer might sound like this: God's capacity for giving far exceeds our capacity for asking. So maybe we can dare to ask and imagine that this doxology is not too good to be true.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Ephesians 3.20

// CORE IDEA -- God's capacity for giving far exceeds our capacity for asking.

// Tweet from Rich Villodas 8/24/20 -- "Evangelical Christianity in the United States is often characterized by a deep desire to have 'Christianity' pervade our culture but not have Christ permeate our being."

// What does it look like when we let Christ permeate our being?

// When Christ permeates our being we are rooted in the expansive love of God that expands our view of what God can do.

// You cannot ask God for too much. What do you need to ask for?

// You cannot out-imagine the love, power, and goodness of God. What do you need to dare to imagine?

// TNC Mantra -- We pray BELIEVING God can, ASKING that God will, and TRUSTING that God loves us no matter what.

How have you experienced community during the pandemic? We hope you have because the support that community provides is not only possible, it's essential. In this message we'll learn 3 ways we can cultivate community without proximity from someone who has experienced disruption and distance from those he loved.

// OPENING PRAYER: "God, draw all people into your life and love."

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Philippians 1.1-11

// Who do you call?

// Try this practice -- When they cross your mind, REACH UP to God and REACH OUT to them.

// Who are you partnered with?

// The GOSPEL is the good news that Jesus is Lord and he's inviting all people into life in God's kingdom.

// Try this practice -- Spend at least 5 minutes each day this week in prayer for others using the words of Paul's prayer in Philippians 1.9-11.

Sometimes it's hard to keep the main thing the main thing. Maybe that's why the essential command to "Love your neighbor as yourself" gets repeated and rephrased throughout the New Testament. Because when it comes down to it, this love that de-centralizes self by seeking the good of the other really does sum it all up.

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS: Romans 13.8-10

// CORE IDEA: It's all summed up with a love that de-centralizes self by seeking the good of the other.

// Love is a debt we'll always owe to one another. (Try not to miss a payment.)

// Love seeks the good (not harm) of the other.

// Love is not some simplified legalism to "get to God" but a way of living because God got to you.

// You know the love of God is flowing in you when love of neighbor is flowing out of you.

// Here's the article re: "Pandemic Questions" -- https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/questions-will-get-me-through-pandemic/613144/

// Here's the article mentioned at the end called "The Moral Bucket List" -- https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/david-brooks-the-moral-bucket-list.html

Isaiah 40 is a pure dose of optimism and encouragement for a weary people. But comfort and strength almost sounds too good to be true these days. This message addresses the questions that are just as relevant now as they were in the sixth century. Does God even want us? Can God bring us back home? Will God really do it?

// SCRIPTURE FOCUS -- Isaiah 40

// Part 1 -- The story of Israel in 6 minutes

// Part 2 -- The questions we're all asking

// Part 3 -- The invitation to find strength

// "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." (PSALM 105.4, NIV)

// QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION -- Am I able to admit that I feel weary and can't make it alone? Why or why not? What will help me remember to seek the Lord and his strength? What practices help me stay connected to the Source of strength and renewal?

This short Psalm gives us an image of and an invitation to quiet confidence in God. When was the last time you felt contented, calmed, and rested? Is it even possible to feel that way these days? Listen as we explore this evocative image as well as some practical reminders of how we might live in quiet confidence.