the model of Christ

Hello friends. I just wanted to take a second to challenge us in how the passage from this past weekend applies to us. We looked at Philippians 2:1-18. Paul challenges the Philippians to put the needs of others above our own. He gives Jesus as an example. Jesus, being God, became a man. The man became a servant. The servant died as a condemned criminal. Then Jesus was exalted as Lord. He is the model for us. We humble ourselves and pour ourselves out for others. In the end, God will honor us, and there will be reward, but today, we serve as the lowest of low.

So, how are we doing? Is your life marked by “grasping” after things for yourself? Is it seeking the things for your own comfort or gain? Or is your life marked by seeking the good of others? How do we move from self seeking to others seeking? I think the key is Christ’s example. We seek others’ good when we trust Christ to seek our good. Ultimately, we try to take care of ourselves when we don’t trust anyone else to take care of us. Matthew 6 teaches us that God is looking out for our needs. Let’s trust Him to take care of us… like He did on the cross, and let’s start pouring ourselves out for others… like He did on the cross.

For His glory and our joy,

NR

A Flemish Chili Pot Thought

Last year I was facing a dilemma.  I had a lucrative sales job, making good
money but something in my heart was stirring to ask the Lord how to move
forward.  My prayer was, "Lord, either change my attitude or give me a new
direction to follow with your guidance."  The more I prayed this prayer, the
more I had an inner voice within me nudging me to go and serve.  This voice
to serve got bigger and I started telling people my prayer and a good friend
of mine, Matt Newman, responded in saying: "Fleming, get your tail up here
to Arkansas and serve with our youth. They like weird people like you up
here."  So I did.

I decided to quit my sales job and set up the next six months to volunteer
with different ministries. My first stop was here in Arkansas, then Rwanda,
New Mexico, India, and Nepal to follow.  Let's just say that is was quite
the world tour of experiencing various forms of ministry in different
cultures.  I am writing you this chili pot thought today and am on my way to
serving in Nepal next year as a missionary.  How in the world did I go from
being a salesperson last year to now moving to Nepal to serve in missions?
I listened to the small voice inside nudging me "to go and serve."

My challenge for you today is to encourage you to slow down and take the
time to ask the Lord how you need to serve.  There are Outward Bound
opportunities to serve locally and God calls us to live missionally, locally
and abroad.  Please do not wait to only serve when you take your spring
break mission trips to Guatemala or Portland.  There are opportunities for
us to serve in our schools, neighborhood, and eek--even in our own families.

Lord, let us pray to you to open our hearts and minds to serve you.  Teach
us to listen to your instructions Lord God so our lives can humbly serve you
in Spirit and Power.

Rev. 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Blessings in Christ,
Ryan Fleming

Follow my adventures and read some more of my story on my blog:
www.ryanmartinfleming.wordpress.com

townhouses

So…this isn’t your prototypical Chili pot thought.  Usually those are clever ways of engaging us with God’s word…making us scratch are chin and simply go…hmmm.  In fact, those who have never taken part of our Chili pot thought, the basic idea is this:  you can learn a lot about people and where they are from their shoes, their key-chains, and their chili.  Up north (the true chili J), they use macaroni noodles.  Ohio, it’s spaghetti noodles with sprinkled cinnamon.  East coast uses oysters at times while west coast its more soupy.  How do you do your chili?  The fun thing is…it’s a mixture of unique and personal ingredients that when you put them together…you usually end up with a pretty good chili.  That’s why these are chili pot thoughts.  They are just one ingredient to a big bowl of thoughts.  We would love your thoughts and responses as we go in this weekly endeavor.

This week…we thought we would put in your hands one more time the letter we gave your students to give you (parents) last week…just in case it never made it out of their pockets.  This is to remind you of some of the tweaks we made this ministry year in an ongoing effort to reach NWA and the world with the gospel.  Hope you enjoy.

Have a great week!
Matt and the Student Mosaic team