Matthew 22.37-39 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

What a heart challenge, what a great thing to set our minds, actions and hearts to doing. What if we did this? What would our lives look like?

“Lord, grant that my religion may not be occasional and partial, but universal, influential, effective, and may I always continue in thy words as well as thy works, so that I may reach my end in peace.” Pg 40 Valley of Vision

A Prayer for each other today -

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking
that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience with joy,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

What can I add to my life?

• Reading the Bible | you might not like reading, but if you are looking to grow in your walk with Christ, this is something that cannot be neglected. God’s Word is active, and powerful in the life of His people, and change will come if you trust in what it says about the Jesus.
• Join a Student Life Group | We have discussed how messy community can be, but we should realize that only when we are meeting together with other believers will deep growth happen. Many of the Atmosphere leaders can attest to how they have benefited from being in a Gospel-centered community.

What can I change

• Pray more often | Praying means that you are trusting that the sovereign God of the universe is going to take care of things for you. Do you trust him enough to pray instead of worry when things go wrong?
• Be more open | Great blessings come when you are open with those around you. If you keep everything to yourself, no one will be able to speak the words into your life that you need to hear. Keeping to yourself hurts the Church.

What can I remove

• Friends | For some of us believers, being around old friends isn’t conducive to our growth in Christ. At least not until we can responsibly handle the worldly pressures that will inevitably arise. Again this isn’t to say we will never be their friend again, but rather we need Christ to speak into our life before we can speak into theirs.
• TV | Are there shows that are worldly that you need to stop watching? Are these shows filling you up with crap instead of the truth of the Word?
• Internet | Maybe you aren’t addicted to porn (if you are, you need to stop) but are you wasting time on-line when you should be in the Word and worshiping Christ? How can you take this temptation away?

This is not a complete list, so what are some things you can add/change/remove in your own life? Comment below.

“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit”  pg. [xv]

Valley of Vision is a series of blog post that will contain quotes from the book Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Thoughts from Cody:

Songs From Rumney:
Friday Night -

You Are Holy (Prince Of Peace) – Micheal W. Smith

Here I Am To Worship – Tim Hughues

Open the Eyes of my Heart – Sonic Flood

Everlasting God – Chris Tomlin

Saturday Morning -

It Is Well With My Soul – Horatio Spafford

Mighty To Save – Hillsong

Mighty Is The Power Of The Cross- Chris Tomlin

Take Me In- Petra

Saturday pm -

This we Pray – Cody DeGraff
It Is Well With My Soul -Horatio Spafford
Here I Am To Worship- Tim Hughues
Agnus Dei – Micheal W. Smith
Majesty (Here I Am) – Delirious?

Sunday -

It Is You – Newsboys
Mighty To Save – Hillsong
God Of Wonders- Mac Powell

Thoughts From Josh:
Rumney was a whole new experience for me. I had never even been to something like this, let alone speak at it. Scott and the team were amazing and this palace was the real deal. Above all of this I would most definitely say God showed up in a real and powerful way! A week and a half later and I still can not put into word what the Spirit did through this weekend not only for the students, and leaders, but also me. All I can think about is 1 Cor. 1.21 “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (emphasis mine) I did not say anything profound, or amazing, but nonetheless the Holy Spirit used it. For that reason I am thankful!

If you were at Rumney join in the conversation below!

Messages From Rumney:

Friday Evening: due to technology problems we did not capture the message

Saturday Morning: What is your treasure?

Saturday Evening: Prodigal God

Sunday Morning: Simon Says

Atmosphere Church is pleased to invite you to The Calling, May 8 2010. Please join us for a day of God glorifying equipping, featuring speaker, Jared C. Wilson, author of Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior

COST | $15 per person, $12 for groups of five or more, only $10 for Atmosphere attendees

WHEN | Saturday, May 8th 9:00am-4:00pm (Late registration begins at 8 a.m. Lunch will be available for $5)

WHERE | 560 Park Ave. Auburn ME, 04210

Were looking forward to you worshiping with us!

“Thou God of all grace , thou hast given me a Saviour, produce in me a faith to live by him, to make him all my desire, all my hope, all my glory.”  pg. 44

Valley of Vision is a series of blog post that will contain quotes from the book Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Unfortunately, this book was not what it could have been. Wheaton is often patronizing in his delivery and it is difficult to believe that his theories would aid very many people in returning to Christ before heading to College.

Missing Community

Besides his condescending writing style, he encourages the believer to keep non-believers simply as acquaintances. He actually tells us that we should not have active communication with unbelievers more than a few times a month lest we fall into their sin. While I agree that the biggest influence in our life should not be an enemy of God, we should be more than an acquaintance to them. If believers are involved in the local Church, and a small group or fight club (groups of three believers that encourage each other daily) they may be able to be good friends with non-believers meanwhile maintaining their faith.

No Repentance

Wheaton writes:

“When you became a Possesor (a true believer), God forgave every one of your sins—past, present, and future. Therefore, you don’t have to ask forgiveness when you sin; rather, confess your sin and claim the forgiveness He has already given you at the point of your salvation.” (pg. 147)

Now would have been a good time to talk about what true repentance is, but no such definition can be found. There is a brief reference to it near the end of the book, but other than that, he only encourages confession- which is only half the work. I think it was Luther who said, “The life of a Christian is one of daily repentance”. If you are going to teach about being a true believer, why leave repentance out?

No Gospel

Finally, Wheaton explains salvation but his audience is those who profess belief while living sinful lives. His solution? Offer the sinner’s prayer- the very thing that put these people in the spot they are in now. After having the reader pray this prayer, he excitedly confirms that, if they meant it, then they are now saved. I am sure this is not the first time this audience has heard this. Besides this potentially false hope, the motivation for most of his advice is moralism rather than the Gospel. As a (better) book about how to stay Christian in college has been written, this could be aptly titled: “How to stay morally religious in college”.

Ultimately I would not suggest this book to Christian students going into college. As I said, he has some decent points about how to keep faith in Christ, but the not so good outweighs the good here, and for a good book about retaining one’s faith, I would stick with How to Stay Christian in College by J. Budziszewski.

“Lord, keep me from committing the greatest sin in departing from him, for i can never in this life perfectly obey and cleave to Christ.”

Valley of Vision is a series of blog post that will contain quotes from the book Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

On March 20 at the Park Ave. Campus, and March 21 at Oak Hill, we will once again be answering your questions. Josh Otte, Worship Pastor at Windham Baptist Church, will be joining our Josh to help answer you. Use the form below to ask us whatever it is that you want to know about life, theology, and ministry. (If you can’t see the form below, or want to listen to past U Asked sermons, please go to our sermon page)

Who is this for?

In a word: everyone.

We will be writing specifically for those who are entering, going through, and leaving college. But in looking into education and continuing in the faith, we have realized that this will be beneficial for people in High School and in the work force. Everyone needs the encouragement to keep the faith against all odds; college isn’t the only place that will attack your faith.

Who we are

I (Jakob Guy) will be doing most of the editing and writing on this blog, but expect to see some of our friends here as well. I have limited experience with secular schooling (2 years in High School) and now attend a Bible College; I am slightly sheltered from the world. So, some of my good friends who have been through secular college will be adding their input along the way.

Getting involved

You have a few ways to get involved here no matter where you come from:

• If you’re in school and facing struggles in life ask us questions, they can be about anything and we will do our best to answer them according to Scripture and logic.
• If you have gone through struggles in school and don’t want others to face the same outcomes, we welcome your input. Shoot me an email and we can figure out how to add your piece.
• If you have found some good resources that you think we should know about, let us know! We’ll look through them and make them known.

We hope you enjoy reading, and are blessed by what comes out!

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

Love ya guys!

I hate it

The sinful, prideful, arrogant Jakob doesn’t want any of this. Deep down, my flesh hates it: “Community? Really? Why on earth would you want others involved in your life? You can and should do this on your own! Why let others challenge you when you are doing just fine!?”

I don’t want to be part of Gospel-centered communities because they hold me accountable for my sins and encourage me to grow. They challenge my heart. They force me to look at myself and my actions and compare them to God instead of others. They speak the call of Gospel into the life that I so want to be in control of.

I need it

But I cannot imagine being away from any of it! I sometimes wonder what my life would be apart from these people, the Church, God…

What would it be like if I dropped the Fight Club? If we ended our small group? If I quit Atmosphere? Nothing. Nothing good anyway. Pastor Cousineau talked about that in a recent sermon- if I stop moving forward I begin moving backwards. That is why I need my small group, Fight Club, and everything else: they hold me accountable for my sins and encourage me to grow. They challenge my heart. They force me to look at myself and my actions and compare them to God instead of others. They speak the call and the comfort of Gospel into the life that I so want to be in control of.

Being part of the body of Christ is vital to staying connected to the head.

As we prepare to sit down and eat together at Park Ave. tomorrow night, let’s consider the purpose behind the meal together.

We are coming together to:

• Worship God in Christ by His Spirit and in unity with each other
• Hear the Word of God proclaimed
• Fellowship with each other and meet each other’s needs
• Build our faith

Come, join together with us tomorrow night as we do this and more. Join the community of believers that will be gathered at the Park Ave. Campus. Hear why we need other believers in our lives from the Word of God. Add your thoughts as to how to live in community in light of the Gospel.

May we be united in faith, and meditate on this truth:

I therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit– just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call– one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4.1-6)

Feb 4th – 7th  | Verge 2010 Missional Community Conference

Josh flies out this Thursday for Texas. Pray for his travels, and as he works to connect with conference speakers, build a firmer foundation for our Student Life Groups and learns how we as Atmosphere can be more missional minded. He will also be working on some writing and reading while he’s gone, so pray for his productivity. Follow good quotes, highlights and photos from him on twitter.

Feb 13th | Atmosphere and 5:00 Service

In addition to preaching at Atmosphere Park Ave. and Oak Hill, Josh will be preaching at the 5:00 Saturday evening service. This is also the weekend where a number of us will be away at Snow Camp, so pray for us, but also for Josh, Tim, Richard, Carol, and others as they try to meet the needs at Atmosphere while missing some of us.

Feb 19th -21st | Winter Blast: Rumney

Josh will be speaking 4 times: once on Friday evening, twice on Saturday and lastly on Sunday evening. Pray as he prepares the message of the Gospel, and for his travel, wife, and kids as he will be away for the weekend.

March 12th | Winter Bash

Josh joins Joel and Janna at the True Love Waits Winter Bash: Message for Hope and Purity. Pray that he will have the right, Gospel-centered message for the teens that attend. May Christ be glorified there.

Above all pray that the gospel goes forth, God is made much of and that he stays healthy. Also for his wife and kids since he will be gone a lot.

“We are a culture that relies on technology over community, a society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to come by and excessive. Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of. We are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry.” (Francis Chan- Crazy Love, p.25)

Is that what the Bible calls for? No, look at what James says about our communication with one another:

“…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1.19-20)

Our Conduct

Look again at how you use your social media accounts. Are you bitter? Angry? Do you show the love of Christ even when you aren’t near other people? Christ called us to lives that are worthy of His calling (Luke 14.27; Eph. 4.1-3) are you living that?

Real Friends

So if we are supposed to live lives worthy of the calling of Christ, why don’t we? Do you think you don’t have time to show love? Are you too busy? Do you care?  Here are some ways to show that love of Christ and live according to the calling:

• Instead of wishing someone a happy birthday on facebook, why not call them and see how their doing?
• If you are arguing with one of your friends, don’t approach them on facebook; go out for coffee with them, work it out in the name of Christ.
• Use your accounts for good! Send encouragements, don’t mock others on-line (or in person). Show the love of Christ to all.

Are there other ways to live lives worthy of the calling even while you’re on-line?

Open doors for leaders, open doors for Atmosphere –

Many times you can hear a message like preached this weekend and thoughts like these run through your mind; “Well I’m glad Josh has a chance to minister”, “oh I can never join the leadership team, I don’t have what it takes”, “I can’t be on mission my life is too busy”, “I don’t know enough about Jesus, or the Bible to serve Him.” To be honest none of us have what it takes, but when God opens doors for Atmosphere and works in and through us, we  will walk through them. Many times these open doors come to the leadership, whether it be speaking engagements, special meetings, youth group development, new campuses etc… What everyone needs to understand is that when a door opens for the leaders, it opens for all of us.

Open Doors:

Doors are opening fast within Atmosphere, many times it seems faster then we can move through them. What are these doors? New campus opportunities, new Student Life Groups starting along with new speaking engagements for some of our leaders. We have the chance to host regional conferences and trainings (The Calling & Lead) as youth ministries from around Maine contact us for partnering. All of these things are great and we as leaders can see God’s hand leading in these things, yet with all of these open doors we start to see the need for more people living on mission.

Our Needs:

1)    Prayer – We need hundreds of people on their knees praying for what God is doing, discernment in what we are to do, what open doors we are to walk through, what ones we are to pass by. We also need to be praying for the hurting people that are walking into SLG’s or our campuses on a weekly basis.

2)    People – We need more leaders. We need adults who are willing to give up their lives for the sake of the Gospel. We need students who look at their fellow students and are broken knowing they do not know Jesus, and are willing to live on mission for them. We need Student Life Group leaders, who can commit to reaching their friends for Jesus. We need College aged guys and girls who want to give up everything for the sake of the cross.

3)    Passion – We need students who have a passion for art, music, graphic design, sound, web design, and above all Jesus. When these things and Jesus collide the effect is a blessing to the body. What passion has God given you that you can serve him with?

Connecting:

Connect with us. Email us, follow us on twitter, subscribe to our blog, become our friend on facebook, or fill out the form below, just get connected! Know what is going on, find out where you can serve, help, and grow in your faith. Jesus is worth giving the whole of your life to!
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A Very Merry Christmas Slide Show from Atmosphere Church on Vimeo.