The Driven Missions trip to Greater Los Angeles 2006
Our Mission
Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor
Jesus
Covenant
1. Do all blog devotionals 2. Attend Driven/Sunday School/invert/small group when not at work 3. Weekly Prayers: 15 min for L.A. & 15 min for team 4. Silence: 1 hour weekly (20 min times) 5. Helping Hands 6. Committed to each other.
Training Schedule
April 22 - 6p April 23 - church services April 23 - 12:30-2pm May 7 - 12:30-2pm May 21 - 12:30-2pm June 3 - 9am-4pm all day advance June 3 - 3pm Parents Meeting June 4 - 12:30-2pm June 11 - 12:30-2pm
then our username is drivenlax06 and our password is the name of the city where the VBS was. I don't write it here so that our files can't be hacked. Upload any files you want, only rule is no altering photos. If you find one on there that is rude or whatever, let me know right away and we'll take care of it.
These verses are talking about how awesome Jesus is, and everything that we will do for him is worth it and equal almost. But because he died on the cross, Paul says this: "So I am willing to endure anything." I love that - and it applies to us absolutely. Not only for LA, but in our everyday lives. ~Theresa
Paul wants Timothy to keep trying. He doesn't want him to fail. He wants him to be strong for Jesus. Paul wants Timothy to keep teaching people about Jesus Christ, and Paul wants him to go through all the hard things in life like everyone else. *Amanda*
So...why on earth would Paul want Tim to go through the hard things?
"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now rise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
My interpretation: God hears the cries of those in need and promises to rise up and defend them from evil. He will send us out to answer the cries he hears. We are His hands and feet on this trip. *Cathy
Question: What are the cries you are hearing? What is your response?
Onesiphorus has come to him and he feels better because someone looks up to him while he's in jail. It's kinda like now, the homeless and drinkers are like him in jail and they look up to us...*Shanda
Lately we've really been talking about how to talk to people about our faith. In these verses Paul was in jail for being a priest. He talks about how he was persecuted for speaking the Word of God. This is easily relatable to our trip, and life. We've all been like Paul and will be. But here he tells us not to worry about it because Jesus was persecuted as well. The verses also tell us that we can be made fun of or whatever and to not be ashamed because we know God. In verse 14, it says to "guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." To me this says to not let other people's (non-believers) thinking get to us. And, with the help of the Holy Spirit, no one will be able to shake our thinking or our own relationship with God. This makes me feel confident in knowing that we have the Holy Spirit there helping us when we are being challenged by being persecuted. ~Michelle
What I think this is saying is that to the people that need help out there, God is going to help them. And on this missions trip, we are God's hands to the people that need His help the most. ~Andrew
I think this means that God gave us the ability to be powerful and self-disciplined but also to love. He gave us this "flame" which represents the gospel. We need to fan that flame to make it grow or spread to others. ~Jordan
This afternoon I spent some time on the phone with Rudy, the director of Harambee. We are going to be so busy - I don't know how it will all get done - but the major part of evidence from our conversation is that we are seeing the way that God is already working and will for sure.
I have two big things that I need from each of you as soon as I can get it -
1. Your t-shirt size. You can post it in the comments or email me: james(at)sacchurch.org
2. This Sunday we are going to be praying for our team in the second service - many of you are in children's ministry, so it would be cool if you got out of that for 10 minutes - but we are also going to have "trading cards" for each of you in the bulletins. On one side will be the names of our entire team, on the other there will be the name of one individual and specific prayer requests for you. So it will say something like:
James Pray that I may have patience and compassion on all those who I serve. Pray that I am able to see the face of Jesus in the faces of L.A. Pray that I will lead our group as Jesus would want, so that we can become as Jesus would want.
You can post yours in the comments, or email it too me also.
I think that this verse means that it is not nice and right to think that we are better than other people, that we are stronger or richer, because in the end it doesn't matter anyways. What the Lord has and gives us is the important thing. His understanding, kindness, love and delight. Because without Him ourl ives are empty and nothing else really matters, so we need to listen to Him and learn from Him not from other selfish people who want our sights to be at them. ~Barbora
This passage is so cool. You see what this person is saying is that his forefathers and mothers all are believers and that he is following in that line of beliefs. ~Dustin
So, how are we following others who went before us?
This is a pretty big announcement for all of you team members. The core staff of the missions trip has decided to add Shanda to the missions trip team. Many of you know her already and many of you will get to know her as she willbe at the meeting on Sunday and be doing devotions over the next while.
Let's all welcome her to the team (round of applause!!)
Ok - So this game is a new one and it is going to have a prize!! This is a really funny weird game that is easy to play but I have no idea what is going on!! If you can take screen pictures of your creation, feel free to post them too!! Click here or on the title to play:
The winner of this game, is the one who gets the highest score. Lieing is against the rules.
The prizers will be as follows:
1. First prize gets to choose the first place we stop to eat at for lunch on the way down on Saturday. It has to be reasonable, though, not Outback, more like fast food.
2. Second prize chooses on Sunday, same deal.
3. Third place will recieve 25 random compliments from Aaron and Lacy during the trip.
Here's some things that you all need to be aware of:
1. This Sunday is another of our regular training meetings. A couple new leaders will be there so you can meet them. We'll be doing some training on the gospel, some personality work and talking about a prayer strategy, which includes taking your picture, so make sure you look as lovely as you all usually do.
2. Make sure all your devotionals are done, NOW! (in a gentle, loving way that will get upset if you don't...)
3. BIG SCHEDULE CHANGE! I've had to move the parents' meeting to the end of the day long retreat. Your folks will all receive a letter about this -
4. Be praying...it seems that God might be moving!!
It's saying that money isn't the only "wealth" in life. There's wealth in being able to be yourself with God. You don't have to pretend to be something you're not, because God would see right through it anyway.
But if the only wealth we're after is money, then we're just digging ourselves into a hole. And I think that we really need to remember that while we’re on the trip, money isn’t everything.
I really like these verses, and I think they both apply to us going into LA. They talk about how we should treat people. If we go to LA, yelling at everyone, we won't get the "results" we want, but rather just turn people away. I think if we go and be respectful to everyone, they will respect us and listen to what we have to say. Also, I think this verse can be decieving because it says to treat others the way you treat your parents, but if you don't have a good relationship with your parents, then you would, in a sense, not be able to build a relationship with the people you interact with.
I think these verses are talking about how omnipotent (click for definition) God is. It talks about how people are crafty and try to trick others, but God thwarts them. At the end of the section, it says the "downtrodden are saved by God," and that they are saved from those that would hurt them, by the grace of God. At the beginning it says that you should go straight to God because he is merciful and cares about you. ~ Brianna
sorry this one is late, I've been out for a few, so I'm catching up...
You need to talk to others and try to introduce them to God every chance you have because there are so many other people that have had the chance and pased it up. Also you must stand up for people that might have the same beliefs as you or maybe you can talk to them about God. ~Jacob
Sin always finds a way of revealing itself. Whether it's a lie or stealing something that seems secret, it will come out eventually, but the same goes for good deeds. You may try to hid them but they will be made known. If you help a friend, people will learn of it. If you help the poor, it will be made known, an dmaybe through the example of good that is being done people will floow Jesus and also do good deeds. But maybe this passage could also be a warning that as good deeds are made known and could influence others to do good, so also could the revealed sin lead others into sin. ~Joyce
This verse was saying to me that if we need any help that we need to cry to the LOrd for help and then God will come and help you. I think that this will help us on our trip because when we need help we just need to ask God and if you do it meaninfully you probably will get help. ~ Logan
This verse talks about our jobs as Christians - but more importantly, not to get mixed up in only doing good things for people you like or when helping someone conquer sin, you yourself get mixed up in it. I have fallen into this; because of my shyness I only do things for/with people I like. There will be no chance for favoritism in LA - how do you think this will help? Do you think getting mixed up in someone's sin will be easy to do or not?
What this passage means to me is that my parents can complain about me going to church but if I believe in God, which I do, that my parents' opinion doesn't matter when it comes to my religion - what I beleive in comes first. ~Dustin
So - for your convience you can click on the words BLOG DEVOS on the right hand column at the top and it will take you to a linked list of all the devos so you don't even have to scroll around to find if you've done your deovs.
As you are doing them, be sure to check on the anonymus comments - there's two of them - and claim them if they are yours.
l*r - J<><
you're the firestarter, twisted firestarter. I'm the self-inflicted, punk detonator.
The world doesn't care about the poor. In fact, most people try to ignore them all together. This doesn't just happen right now, its been going on forever. Psalm 140: 12 says that Jesus was different. He "secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Jesus paid more attention to the beggars and diseased than He did to the wealthy and the Pharisees. He shook society because He dared to help those in need. So, since we as Christians are trying to be like Jesus in everything we do, shouldn't we be doing the same? Instead of watching the celebrity news to see who broke up this week, we should be watching for poverty and people who need our prayers. To me this is one of the most important things that we'll need to remember in LA; paying attention to the people we're there to serve rather than searching for movie stars.
sorry about the delay, we're working on it. click on the title to see the scripture.
I think that this passage means that we should all keep our gifts of ministry in use. You know, like daily doing something to grow in Christ because the passage states that others will see you (us) mature before their eyes.
We should keep a watch on what we do and not be diverted. It's easy to be led astray, especially in high school, but we as the christians on campus should be firm in our faith. If we keep at our own salvation(faith) then others around us will see the growth in us and will eventually find salvation.
Going to California, we are going to need to be mentally prepared for the toll this trip will take on our faith, so when we continue to grow in Christ, it will be less of a shock.
james' note: I love this-a lot of time we spend thinking just about the culture shock, but what is the faith shock going to be? How does the faith shock really affect us? Awesome thoughts!
You all did a stelar job yesterday and it was a ton of fun playing afterwards as well! Congratulations to the winners...I forget already...All I remember is the stupid bonus points being very funny.
Anyways - I talked to Pastor John last night and he shared with the invert class that a woman got saved yesterday after first service. I don't know how that happened other than the work of the Holy Spirit! It made me super amped and I am so excited to see that God is already using the LAX missions team to show Himself and draw others to Him!!
