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I am listening to Jim Collin's book Good to Great on cd and there are a couple of things that have really stood out to me (and I'm only on chapter 3).

Correction: there are TWO things that have really stood out to me that I'm going to share with you, and I honestly believe that there are significant spiritual implications for both of these. Today I'm only going to talk about one of them, and I'll probably hit on the other next week so stay tuned! But for now Item number 1.

Good is the enemy of Great.

Mr. Collins uses this phrase to describe why we have good schools, or good government, and an overwhelming plethora of "good enough" inspired mediocrity. We need to remember that Christ came to give us life and life abundant, not life in a good suburban neighborhood with good schools and an ok job. He doesn't want us to have a reasonably good spiritual life he wants us to shine so bright that we cannot help but be noticed. Examples.

Peter asks Jesus, "How many times should I forgive my brother? Seven times?" Seven times is good, but it is not great. "Seven times seventy times" Jesus answers.

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Don't you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run the race in such a way to win the prize." (trans: don't settle for second place – be excellent. Be great)

(and my personal favorite) Luke 19:46 "My Father's house should be a house of prayer! But you have made it a den of thieves!" (trans – this worship just isn't good enough)

To take another extra biblical example to illustrate the point, allow me to quote Orlando Bloom in Kingdom of Heaven "It is a kingdom of conscience or not at all." He states boldly that compromising his ethics and his morality is the ground upon which something great, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, becomes something mediocre: a fallen city.

I propose that the Kingdom of God is very much the same. That there are plenty of good things that could be and will be utilized for the sake of the kingdom, but at the same time, we are all called to greatness. I mean think about it – does it get any greater than the Kingdom of Heaven? Are we as Christians, loyal and loving followers of the Father, willing to stand before him with something good when we are capable of bringing something GREAT?

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Email the author: seijiyamashita(at)tapestrychurch(dot)org

If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all-Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer-to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, "I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don't want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, 'Well done.' "

It is one thing to follow God's way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a "doormat" under other people's feet. God's purpose may be to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased . . ." (Philippians 4:12). Are you ready to be sacrificed like that? Are you ready to be less than a mere drop in the bucket-to be so totally insignificant that no one remembers you even if they think of those you served? Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted-not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work while maintaining a saintly attitude, because they feel such service is beneath their dignity.

To keep up with our news please visit tapestrychurch.com

Prayer and counseling ministry

If you need special prayer or ministry and you can't be at church on Sunday to have our prayer team pray for you on the spot, you can email letuspray@tapestrychurch.org.

If you need further counseling, deliverance or prophetic ministry, please simply let Lori know, lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org so we can schedule a time to meet with you 

Are you interested in reaching out to some teenagers in need? 

To keep up with our news please visit tapestrychurch.com

Prayer and counseling ministry

If you need special prayer or ministry and you can't be at church on Sunday to have our prayer team pray for you on the spot, you can email letuspray@tapestrychurch.org.

If you need further counseling, deliverance or prophetic ministry, please simply let Lori know, lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org so we can schedule a time to meet with you 

Are you interested in reaching out to some teenagers in need? 

Tapestry Tapis Spring 2012 Line Up
Our Tapis Groups Start today and go through May the 12th. We have a great line up. Please find a group and get plugged in!
Financial Peace University
Sundays at 2pm
At church
Led by Lori Hedrick
lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org<mailto:lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org>
Available to anyone who signs up by Jan 29th
A 13 week DVD course. Getting Control of your money. Stop struggling to make ends meet. Tell your money what to do. Change your family's future.

Creative Spirituality: Encountering God through Art
1st Sunday of the Month; 2-4pm
At church in the Teacher's Lounge
Led by Joan Yamashita
Joanyamashita@tapestrychurch.org<mailto:Joanyamashita@tapestrychurch.org>
Available to everyone. No talent needed.
We will be experimenting and playing with various art mediums. Unless you have specific materials you want to work with, supplies will be provided. No experience required.

TSN | Tapestry Sunday Nights
Sundays at 5pm
Locations vary (MD and VA)
Led by Jon Lahey
jonlahey@tapestrychurch.org<mailto:jonlahey@tapestrychurch.org>
Available to Everyone
A Tapestry Community Group. Super casual, some worship, relational intimate, outreach and some dinner.

Stories of Faith
Wednesdays at 7-8:30pm
At Nathan and Melissa's home
Led by Nathan and Melissa
baird.melissa@ymail.com<mailto:baird.melissa@ymail.com>
We will look at the story God is writing in our lives. We will examine several stories of faith in the Bible, as well as take time to share our own stories of faith with one another. Regardless of where you feel your faith journey is, God is present and working. Let's share this journey together!

Tapestry Mid-Week | Revival History
Specific Topics on Specific Wednesdays
7:30pm
At PD and Lori's House
Led by PD
lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org<mailto:lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org>
Available to everyone
Feb 15th Revival & Awakening – An Explanation
Feb 29th Revival – A concise history of revivals
Mar 7th Revival Praying – Why Revival Tarries
Mar 21st Evangelism in Revivals and Awakenings & How to Prepare
Apr 4th Gifts in Revival – The Outpouring of the Spirit
Apr 18th Miracles & the Manifest Presence of GOD in Revival
May 2nd Unity In Revival – We will Break Dividing Walls with
Worship & Action

Tapestry Youth
Thursdays at 7:30 – 9:00pm
At PD and Lori's House
Led by Seiji Yamashita
seijiyamashita@tapestrychurch.org<mailto:seijiyamashita@tapestrychurch.org>
Available to all youth
What is your treasure? How do you peruse it?

Hearing God's Voice
Thursdays at 7:30pm
At David and Ellen's house
Led by David and Ellen
ellenawu@gmail.com<mailto:ellenawu@gmail.com>
Available to everyone
A book study with accompanying DVD sessions on hearing God's voice, alternating between discussion DVDs. Based on the book "4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice" along with worship and prayer.

Tapestry Men's Group
2nd and 4th Saturday at 7pm
Meeting at various places
Led by Jake, Kevin and Seiji
jcschans@hotmail.com<mailto:jcschans@hotmail.com>
Available to all Men 18 or older
Various Topics, Community Based Leadership, Casual Structure, Social Activities, Learning and Service

Tapestry Challenge Fitness Group
5 days a week
on your own time
at your own home; connect online
Led by Christy Jones
christy.jones@hotmail.com<mailto:christy.jones@hotmail.com>
Available to everyone
90 day commitment, workout at your home and meet monthly for a group workout. Connect online with group daily. Optional: read through Blessing Your Spirit Book: Daily Blessings.

One Another
Any day of the week except Tuesday
Weekdays after 7; weekends are flexible
Location is Telecom/ Skype in the comfort of your own home
Led by Haecin Chun
haecin12@gmail.com<mailto:haecin12@gmail.com>
Available to any of the Tapestry Ladies
Meet in person once a month to have coffee or a meal. Read through the book of John. Super Casual. Together, lets learn about how much God loves us.

Forum
Various Days of the week
Locations Vary too
Led by Meggie Ladlow.
unimeg@gmail.com<mailto:unimeg@gmail.com>
Discussion Group. Open to anyone. No meals. Moderately Serious. Please ask Questions.

To keep up with our news please visit www.tapestrychurch.com

Prayer and counseling ministry

If you need special prayer or ministry and you can't be at church on Sunday to have our prayer team pray for you on the spot, you can email letuspray@tapestrychurch.org.

If you need further counseling, deliverance or prophetic ministry, please simply let Lori know, lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org so we can schedule a time to meet with you 

Are you interested in reaching out to some teenagers in need? 

Women Of Faith

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops -Matthew 10:27

Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into "the shadow of His hand" until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). "Whatever I tell you in the dark. . ."- pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood- darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.

After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, "How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!" And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart- a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.

Speak; for Thy servant heareth. – 1 Samuel 3:10

Because I have listened definitely to one thing from God, it does not follow that I will listen to everything He says. The way in which I show God that I neither love nor respect Him is by the obtuseness of my heart and mind towards what He says. If I love my friend, I intuitively detect what he wants, and Jesus says, "Ye are My friends." Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord's this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not consciously have disobeyed it; but most of us show such disrespect to God that we do not even hear what He says, He might never have spoken.

The destiny of my spiritual life is such identification with Jesus Christ that I always hear God, and I know that God always hears me (John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God, by the devotion of hearing all the time. A lily, or a tree, or a servant of God, may convey God's message to me. What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am not devoted in the right place. I am devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes but I do not hear Him. The child attitude is always, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." If I have not cultivated this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times; at other times I am taken up with things – things which I say I must do, and I become deaf to Him, I am not living the life of a child. Have I heard God's voice to-day?

They said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die' `-Exodus 20:19

We don't consciously and deliberately disobey God- we simply don't listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them- not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

"You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . ." We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don't want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God's servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, "Well, that's only your own idea, even though I don't deny that what you said is probably God's truth."

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, "Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?" This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.