Category: the Thread

Remember mad libs? You'd have this page with a list of word types – noun, adjective, verb, transitive verb, prepositional phrase, past perfect non-transitive preposition…. Ok maybe not the last one. But you'd come up with this list turn the page and then insert your word choices in order in the blanks specified and then get some ridiculous story that almost always left people rolling on the floor in fits of painful laughter.

Example
Three blueish mice. See how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's accountant,
Who cut off their ipads with a carving cellphone.
Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blueish mice?

Question: This Sunday Peter talked about playing Madlibs with scripture…sorta. Take 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and replace the word "love" with your name – is the passage still true? I mean I know people have said "replace Love with Jesus and you get a picture of Jesus." Well if we're supposed to be Christ like right? So can we replace our names in there?

Answer: Cards on the table, I did this and got an epic fail. I mean EPIC fail. If Ben Hur was the star of Lord of the Rings recast against the backdrop of an evil galactic empire it would not come close to the epicness of my fail here. But I can honestly say that I am trying, and I am getting better… according to my wife at least and I think that counts for a lot.

So what next? I now have seen a glimpse of what the ideal me looks like. "Sage is patient, Sage is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast." So I got something to work towards. It isn't the complete picture, and I probably won't get there for a good long while, but that doesn't mean I can't do better.

Seiji
SDG

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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 

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Shortly after John Wimber became a Christian, he became a voracious Bible reader. The Scriptures excited him, and finally after reading for weeks about life changing miracles in the Bible and attending boring church services, John asked one of the lay leaders…"When do we get to do the stuff ??" "What stuff," asked the leader. "You know the stuff here in the Bible, the stuff Jesus did like healing the sick, raising the dead, healing the blind…You know, stuff like that! " "Well, we don't do that anymore," the man said to John…John answered, "You mean i gave drugs up for that ??" John had much passion for the Scriptures, but he also often said…"It's not enough to be Biblically literate, we must also learn to be Biblically obedient." — We think that about sums up John. His drive to understand scripture, teach it, and do it.

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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 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? 

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.

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?

Comments: justapen.wordpress.com
Email the author: seijiyamashita(at)tapestrychurch(dot)org

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?