Dinner this week at Ethos (Dec 27th)

This Sunday Night is going to be a special night at Ethos. As a part of our Sunday Night Worship Gathering, we will be gathering as a church family to eat a meal, reflect on the goodness of Jesus, worship, share scripture, and spend time in smaller groups praying for one another and our city. It is going to be a special night that you will not want to miss. Just a couple of things to remember.

1.) We will only be meeting at 5 PM this week because of our holiday schedule.
2.) Since we will be eating dinner together this week come hungry. If you have a job and can afford to help cover the cost of your meal that would be greatly appreciated. If you have a job and can help cover the cost of someone else’s meal that would be great as well. Suggested donation is $8 for the meal. If you can’t afford, you eat free. No biggie.
3.) Bring a friend with you this week.
4.) Get to the Cannery a few minutes early, go for a walk around the block, and invite someone in to share a meal with you who is cold and will not have a place to eat, or friends to share life with on Sunday Night.

Have a wonderful Christmas and we will see you Sunday Night.

Last night was an incredible night at Ethos Church. Here are just a few things that are resonating with me this morning.

+ Listening to hundreds of people sing what we have traditionally viewed as Christmas Carols as passionate songs of worship

+ Watching a couple, down on their knees pouring their hearts out as they sang “Fall on your knees, hear the angels singing…”

+ Watching Cre Nix choose to follow Christ through baptism. There is something unbelievably powerful about watching a baptism in a bar.

+ Just watching the diversity of our church body interact … long time followers of Jesus, athiests, rich business men, poor street dwellers, educated, uneducated, American and Not-American. It made Paul’s words really come to life when he says here (around Jesus) “There is no Jew or Greek, Male or Female, Slave or Free.”

+ Nearly all of our regular volunteers were out of pocket last night with Holiday travel. I was overwhelmed by how many people just stepped up and helped out.

+ It was a powerful night that reminded me of how grateful I am for our church family.

Merry Christmas.

Sorry that these were not posted last week. I had some serious internet troubles as Sydney and I were in the process of moving. We are back on track today.

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Ten : Give Your Talent
When it comes to giving gifts, I find that we often think in a far too limited capacity. We tend to think of financially gifts, or something that we can purchase from a store, but what would it look like to give something a little more unique.

One of my best friends is an unbelievable web designer and graphic artist. Over the years I have watched as he has continuously given hundreds of hours to build websites and do design work for people and causes he believed in for absolutely nothing. In fact, he will often put his paid projects on the back burner because his generosity nearly all takes the front seat.

So what would it look like for you to give your talents away today? Are you good with numbers and spreadsheets …. help out your buddy who is starting a non-profit. Are you a great photographer, share that love with others like my friend Justin Wright. Do you play guitar, give free guitar lessons to someone you know this Christmas. The list could go on and on. I know a lady whose favorite hobby is writing encouragement notes. She literally writes more than a hundred a week. But she doesn’t stop there, she now invites people to come share in that hobby with her.

Whatever your talent may be, I encourage you to give it away today. Have fun. Merry Christmas.

Ethos this Sunday (5 PM only)

Merry Christmas. This is just a reminder that Ethos will only be meeting at 5 PM this Sunday Night, December 20th. This Sunday Night we will continue our study in the Gospel of Luke as we look at the Birth of Jesus. Take some time today to invite a friend to come with you this Sunday Night, if you have a Bible bring one with you, and we look forward to gathering on Sunday Night to worship God and celebrate all of the things he has done through Jesus.

Holiday Schedule

Although this is a wonderful time of year, it can also be a hectic time of year as we travel to see family, friends, and everyone else in between. Over the next several weeks, Ethos Church will be on a slightly different schedule. Please take a second to look at our holiday schedule below, and make sure you spread the word to anyone you know that might not be on our mailing list.

Sunday, December 20th – 5 PM Only
Sunday, December 27th – 5 PM Only
Sunday, January 3rd – 5 PM Only
Sunday, January 10th – 5 PM Only

House Church Schedule

If you are a part of one of our house churches, then you have probably heard that our house churches will not be meeting for the next couple of weeks. Every year, around this time, we take a 3 week break from house churches as peoples’ schedules tend to get a bit hectic.

House Churches will resume the second week in January. If you are not a part of a house church, you will have an opportunity to sign up for one after the first of the year … but as we say every week, you are welcome to join a house church whenever (not just in September and January).

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Nine : Give Up Your Parking Space
Now I realize this is stepping on sacred ground, but today we are going to give up our parking spots. If you are high enough up on the corporate food chain and have your own parking spot … give it up today. Make sure you let someone know they can park there or else it won’t do much good.

If you aren’t privileged enough to have your own spot, then simply park farther away from the building. For one day, simply leave the closest and best spots for your friends and complete strangers. Don’t just practice this at your work … do this at the store, when you go to lunch, and anywhere else you might venture for the day.

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Eight : Spread Good Gossip
Okay we all know how to gossip. We know how to creatively tear someone down in ways that don’t make us look to bad in the process. But what would it look like if we reversed this? What if you looked for intentional opportunities to spread good things about people without them knowing? What if you went around spreading good (and true) things about people, all the while doing your best to make sure they never found out? I wonder what would happen? How could this change someone’s world today?

Have fun.

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Seven : Give Globally
Still need a good gift for your brother, or maybe your sister-in-law from AZ? Instead of buying a sweater that will find its way to a Goodwill Collection Bin a few months from now, give a gift that will help someone in need. Simply purchase a gift in the name of the person you are shopping for. This is also a great conversation starter (your great aunt is going to want to know why you purchased a chicken in her name for a family in Guatemala).

If you need some ideas, here are a few links to fantastic organizations.

World Vision
Blood Water Mission
Red (Starbucks)
Compassion International
Heifer Fund

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Six : The Shirt Off Your Back
I always grew up hearing that you knew your friend was a good friend if he would “give you the shirt off his back.” If you ask me, that does seem pretty admirable. Of course, I had never experienced that literally, but I got the point. A few years ago, I was downtown on a cold winter night when I saw a guy wearing a thin white tank top. I stopped to ask him if he was okay and if there was anything I could do to help. He said it would be great if I could give him a warm shirt.

I paused for a moment, and then took the sweater off my back and gave it to him. About thirty seconds after giving the guy my sweater, I realized it wasn’t my sweaters. I had borrowed the sweater from my friend and it was a gift from his girlfriend. That didn’t go over so well, but it really made me think — how can I use what I already have to bless someone who is without?

So maybe you don’t know anyone that needs a shirt, do you know someone that needs a ride? You don’t know anyone that needs a warm jacket, maybe you have an unemployed friend that could benefit from a bag of groceries pulled from your cabinets. How can you use what you already have to bless someone who is without?

Still out of ideas … with weather like this, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find someone who could use a warm shirt.

Baptisms this Week

Last night at Ethos a couple of people made the decision to give their lives to Jesus through baptism! If you are interested in learning more about baptism, or if you are interested in making the decision to follow Christ and would like to talk with someone, you can email Dave at (ethoschurch@gmail.com). If you are ready to take that next step in your faith, you can be baptized next Sunday Night along with others, or any other day for that matter.

Take time today to thank God for the decisions that are being made.

Christmas at Ethos : Give Your Life Away

If you weren’t at Ethos last night, then click here to find out how you can join with us as We Give Our Lives Away this Christmas. Currently hundreds of people from all across the country have decided to partner with our church as we bless one person at a time. I hope you will join us as we spread the love this holiday season.  You can follow along on twitter here or here.

Meals for Popcorn

We need people to help provide a warm meal for Jim and Popcorn over the next week and a half. If you don’t know Jim and Popcorn, they are a valuable part of our church family. Popcorn is extremely ill, and it makes it very difficult for them to get out. Over the last two weeks, our church family has been providing warm meals and fellowship. If you could provide a meal for one of the following dates (Dec 8, 10, 11, or Dec 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) please send an email to Jessica Duty (jessica.duty@lipscomb.edu).

Join us in Serving this Week

This week, Ethos will be serving all over the city in more than 26 different locations. Once a month, our house churches take a break from meeting in our homes so we can spend time loving on those in the larger Nashville community. If you are interested in meeting up with a house church to serve this week send an email to Brandon Steele (steelebn@lipscomb.edu).

If you would like to find out more about what we are doing this Christmas Season then you may want to read this post : Give Your Life Away : Make a New List.

Day Five : Give Your Time
Well since it is Monday, I figured we should start the week with something a little more challenging. Today we are going to give up something most of us seem to be running short on anyways … time. Today’s challenge is really straightforward — how can you bless someone today by giving them your time?

In case you are having trouble getting started, here are a few ideas:
* Babysit for free for a couple that could use the time together or a single mom that could use the help
* Spend time with an elderly friend or stranger who may not have many visitors
* Do something with your wife / husband that only he/she enjoys doing … and don’t complain
* If you have a job that pays hourly, work a free hour as a way to honor your boss (come in early / stay late)
* Volunteer at a local Non-Profit Organization of your choice
* Spend time listening to a friend that is grieving
* The list could go on. Be creative.