Daily Devotional - Written by Travis Whalen

Chosen.

We are embarking on a journey together.  I will be honest up front and admit I don’t really know where it is going and I think that is ok… I have found that when it comes to following God the journey is just as impacting as the destination.  God will mess us up as we pursue Him, He will break our hearts… and then rebuild them… stronger, softer and more sensitive to His will.  I think it’s going to be a very cool journey and I hope you will take it… but that choice, like many along the journey, is yours.

There is something about being chosen.  I can remember playing basketball on the playground and each and every day my number one aspiration was to be the first person picked when we divided up teams.  It’s a good feeling to know you are wanted, that someone believes in you.  This was especially true for little Jewish boys.  Every little Jewish boy had a dream of growing up to be a great Rabbi.  In fact every Jewish boy initially went to school for this purpose, to become a great teacher of God’s word, however few made that dream a reality.  It was tough.  You were required to memorize scripture… lots of scripture… the whole Old Testament in fact.  You were required to debate and defend Theology.  You were required to preach and most of all you were required to live out what you preached 24 hours a day.  It was a grueling process and few students survived, but the ones who did… at the culmination of their studies were picked by a Rabbi to follow him, to learn everything about him and his teachings and then carry on his ministry.  This was the highest honor in all of Jewish culture and it only went to the best of the best.  So what happened to those that didn’t get picked?  They went on to learn their family trade and live normal lives, however my guess is they never forgot about what they could have been, if only they had gotten picked.

Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

So Jesus walks up on these brothers, who are obviously participating in their family trade, which obviously means at some point they didn’t get picked, and He…. Picks them.  He chooses them, to follow Him.  He makes disciples out of men who this world would never have chosen, Jesus sees potential in those who the world has given up on. And here is the crazy part… after three years with these men… He tells them to not only carry on His ministry, but make disciples out of… everyone.  Choose everyone He says.  That means you.  That means that Jesus, the greatest Rabbi of all…. Chooses you.  Because He believes in you.

We have been chosen.  First we were ransomed at a high price… given life again, and now we are chosen… to know Him, to follow Him and to make His name known among the whole earth.  Live today like you believe that.  Live today in a way that will make others believe that.  Share the joy of being chosen with someone else today… give them the opportunity to embark on a journey that will not only change their lives… but change the world as we know it.

New Bible Electives begin May 4th

If you are interested in exploring God’s word on a deeper level check out all the electives that Northside offers at our Bible Elective Web Page. You can sign up for your favorite elective there as well.

Northside offers several electives that never change, which are:

SOUL FOCUS SINGLES
FRIENDSHIP (seniors 50+)
SPECIAL NEEDS
Walking Through the Word

We also have electives that change every two months. If you’re interested in viewing those, please check our page here.

Ichthus.08 coming to Northside!

 Since 1970 the annual Ichthus festival has been the perfect hangout for youth groups all over the country. Tons of music. Tons of teaching. Tons of time to spend with one of the largest Christian families in America.

Make Ichthus 2008 your spiritual retreat. Come to listen. Come to live.

The Ichthus festival, as a part of Ichthus Ministries, is an outdoor Christian festival that started in 1970 as a Christian response to Woodstock. For 38 years Ichthus has focused on being an event where you or your youth group can have some fun BUT also have a chance to just listen and to just live.

Around 20,000 people migrate to Wilmore, Kentucky where they get to hear some of the top names in youth ministry, hear some incredible music and do some other fun stuff as well. Imagine a “tent city” built on the hillside of some of the beautiful bluegrass country of Kentucky. Imagine having a chance to catch your breath from all the insanities of life and fellowship with a ridiculous amount of like-minded brothers in Christ.

The Ichthus family is one that has grown and evolved over many years. It feels a lot like “going home” and sitting outside on the back porch reading a good book. Your neighbors are always friendly. You all know why you’re here. Ichthus has always been about celebrating the incredible and gracious Lord we have in Jesus Christ.

Join us Friday April 25th at 7pm in the Centrum for the Kickoff of Ichthus 2008! Bands include; Day of Fire, Redline-Live and Brent Bramer & The Rising. In the Centrum.

Easter Service Paintings for Sale! Silent Auction

We have 5 Jesus paintings that we are selling to anyone who is interested.

All proceeds go to our “Beyond Ourselves” campaign.

The paintings are 8 feet x 8 feet. So keep that in mind when you are placing your bid.

If you are interested in placing a Silent Auction Bid, please leave your email in the reply below, and we will contact you for your Bid!

It’s Funny How God Provides

I would like to share something very personal and kind of embarrassing with you all . . . last week, I had an ingrown toenail. I know, GROSS!! I have the Epsom salt, I bought stock in Band-Aid and Neosporin and for the next few days I will continue to wrap my foot in Syran Wrap so it doesn’t get wet in the shower. Too personal?

Here’s the thing about my funky toe . . . I think it was a gift from God. You heard me right! Funky toe equals gift from above. You see, last week was also one of the most emotionally trying and physically uncomfortable times in my life so far. Not ready to share that info yet, but thought you should know why I could be happy for a sore toe. You know when you are in the middle of one of life’s storms and the rain is pouring so hard you can’t see? That was my week last week . . . and then God showed up with an umbrella . . . in the form of an injured extremity.

The pain and discomfort of one big toe was able to take my mind off the bigger problem at hand. I even got a good laugh at how ridiculous I looked hobbling around the office. God sheltered me from the rain so that I could have a chance to rest, dry out and listen to His voice in the pitter patter of falling drops. He is so good. And you know that calm that comes after the storm? Isn’t it peaceful? And doesn’t it make you appreciate being dry?

I know this might have been too much information . . . but I just wanted to offer encouragement to anyone who might be going through a storm. God WILL be your umbrella . . . but don’t be surprised if it’s not the traditional device used to keep you dry.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank you God for being my shelter in the storm . . . and thank you Lord for my funky toe.

The Audacity of a Smile.

I have been kicking myself lately over an introspective observation…. I smile and nod a lot in public situations. You know when you are walking down the street and passing various strangers, of whom you know nothing and probably never will, and you paste on this token smile that you distribute freely to anyone who will take it? Yah I do that a lot. And for a long time I have passed that through my conscious as totally acceptable and even at times God pleasing. I like to think that God likes when I smile at people, that I have done a good thing, brightened someone’s day even. However we serve a God that wants to see His children progress… and even grow. So even though a few years ago when I decided to start smiling at people in public it was immensely God pleasing… I feel now it has become complacent. I feel it has been stripped of any good intent and now solely exists as routine. I think this happens a lot in our walk with God. We renovate a small aspect of our lives by adding or removing something and at first it seems to change everything, but eventually the glitter fades and we forget why we were doing it in the first place. I think it’s because we treat these situations as a check on a list. Every time we change something we check that list and say there is another way I have grown closer to God… and then we forget about it. I forget that the reason I wanted to start smiling at people was to become more relational… smiling was a good start but it lacked progressiveness. So what if I stopped just smiling and started extended a hand or exchanging a word? What if we stopped just doing this one small thing to be like Jesus and added a few small things… that lead to big things…. and bigger things. God wants to see His children push themselves, to run this race with endurance, like we are intending to win it… not just make a good showing. So let’s take things a step further.

Can you guys see areas where you need to push the limits?

What about as a church? Are there areas where we could challenge each other more?

Events this week at Northside.

Blood Drive
We will be assisting the American Red Cross with a blood drive on Mar 31, 3:00-8:00pm, in the Foundry. Visit the Welcome Center to schedule an appointment or drop by at your convenience. For more info contact Sheryl at 542-4047

Romania Mission Trip
You can still sign up! Fund Raising meeting Sun, Mar 30, 1:00pm in the Foundry. Pizza and drinks provided.

Real Moms “Night at the Races”
Date night on Fri, Apr 4, 6:30 to 8:30pm in the Centrum! Will include Derby fare food, commemorative Derby pics, and table games for door prize chances. Cost is $15, $20 with childcare. See the women’s booth for more info.

Aerobics Classes
Mon at 5:30pm and Wed at 8:30am in room 206. Classes are for all fitness levels and include step, kickboxing, weight training and abdominals. Cost is $2.00/class. Contact ReginaTetley@hotmail.com for more info.

God’s Girls
Girls Night In: Craft Night, Apr 3rd. Come and enjoy a night of painting a bird house, eating, and gabbing. Please stop by the women’s booth to sign up and for details.

Men’s Breakfast
Apr 5, 7:30am, Centrum. Special guest Steve Kragthorpe, U of L Football Coach. Cost $5.00. Sign up at the men’s booth.

How did you see God at Northside this weekend?

As we get this Blog going, I thought it would be interesting if we let You write this article… So here’s the question:

How, When, Where did you see God do amazing things here at Northside during the Easter weekend? Or anytime during Easter this year?

It was a powerful moment for me when the two paintings came together on the main stage this weekend to form Jesus’ face. Even though I knew what they were painting, it was still an amazing moment of awe when it finally came together. Truly a moment of worship.

So Click Here to share your story! Maybe we’ll all share in a moment of awe of how awesome God is.

Have you ever asked yourself, why am I here?

Have you ever found yourself asking the question why am I here? Not why am I here on this planet, but more why am I here in this season of life (health, career, kids, finances etc…). This has been a big question for me over the past several months.

Lately, I have found myself asking, “God why do you have me working with young adults when, although I still may act like I’m six, I don’t feel like I’m the person who can best relate to them.” So I began a journey of prayer and I not only got my answer, but I found out something that might help you too.

I was working on a sermon for our young adults and the topic just happened to be why am I here. Immediately, I began preparing in Psalm 139 to explain that we understand our existence as we look at our complexity and that their had to be a designer. Then I proceeded to examine why God made us by looking at the first four commandments from Exodus 20. God intended us to be here to be in a relationship with Him, but the answer to why I was in this season still wasn’t found. Then I read and studied Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I realized that God has a specific plan for all of us, and it is as unique to us as our fingerprints. It was reassuring that God knows what He’s doing when we don’t. I thought how do we know that His plans are unfolding especially during those seasons when it seems to make little or no sense.

God proceeded to lead my heart to Proverbs 16 and in verse three I found my answer, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” As I read and reread this verse, I realized that we see God’s desired purposes unfold as we commit our day-to-day decisions to Him.

As I kept thinking about this verse, I was reminded of something I heard Louie Giglio say at a leadership conference several years ago, “Why would God give inside information to people who don’t want to spend time in relationship with Him.” I don’t know if I mentioned this was my last sermon to our young adults. After several months of prayer, God unveiled the answer I was looking for because the leadership here at Northside felt compelled to hire a young adult minister.

The unexpected answer I got that we all can benefit from is the joy of getting to know God in PRAYER…

Jim Veihl 

Do you wish you could be a kid again?

Do you ever wonder why as a kid all you wanted to do is be an adult, and as an adult you wish you could be a kid again? In my ongoing adventure of growing-up (which is going slowly because I’m a Toys”R”Us kid), I have been experiencing the fun and enjoyment of bills.

Recently, Abby and I got caught off guard by some unexpected dentistry bills. I am not sure what it is about bills, but the unexpected ones always seem to show up at the worst times. Due to the timing of the bill, we were put between a rock and a hard place. On one side, we could pay it off but it would be really tight for several months, or we could gather some more debt. Needless to say, like any person, I was a little stressed over the decision that needed to be made. Over the span of a few days I prayed for guidance and some wisdom on what to do. A funny thing happened…after a few days God gave me peace. Whether we added some more debt or money was tight, God reminded me that He would take care of Abby and me.

In my 23-almost 24-years of life experience, God has always been faithful when times were tough. No matter the situation, there was always food on the table and a roof over my head. In either outcome of the decision, I was reminded of these blessings from God. After this peace came, my stress was lifted, I could sleep better at night, and then a few days later I got an interesting phone call. The call came in the afternoon and it was from the lady doing our taxes. She called to figure out when I could sign some papers and to let us know that we got a refund. The refund was way more than I ever expected; in fact, I had to ask her to repeat it to me. It ended up being just what we needed to cover the unexpected bills.

Right now, it still amazes me the ways God provides, especially when he uses the U. S. tax system. Now, I tell you this story not to make the point that the more you believe or do for God the more blessings you will receive. God does not work on a Quid Pro Quo system.

What I want to point out is the peace that God brought. I was stressed out, and didn’t know what decision to make because both had effects on our life. I needed peace and God reminded me of His presence. I didn’t need an unexpected tax refund, it was a blessing, but I didn’t need it. What I needed was for God to remind me that He was here, that He loved me, and that He would be with me always.

Andy Clark