BAPTISM
At Ethos Church, we believe baptism is one of the most exciting moments in a person’s journey of faith.

Baptism is a powerful moment in which we publicly identify ourselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as we surrender our ways to His way. It is a life changing moment.

BAPTISM AT ETHOS CHURCH
At Ethos Church, we celebrate baptism in a variety of ways.

In the past year, people have been baptized in front of large crowds during our Sunday Worship Gatherings, in small groups after a house church meeting on a week night, in rivers and pools — even during lunch breaks in our church office with just a handful of friends to celebrate.

Regardless of the time, the place, or the number of people watching — we love to celebrate as people decide to follow Jesus through baptism.

BAPTISM SUNDAY | Sunday, Feb 19th (9:15AM, 10:45AM, 5PM, 7PM)
Over the last several months, many of you have made the decision to follow Jesus for the very first time. What an incredible decision! Some of you know you are ready to make that decision, but for a variety of reasons have yet to jump all the way in.

On Sunday, February 19th, at all of our worship gatherings, you will have a special opportunity to take the next step in your journey with Jesus through baptism.

We believe baptism is a big step, and not something to just rush into — so that is why we are giving you a heads up about February 19th. Take some time to think, pray, search the scriptures, and your heart about your relationship with Jesus and what it means to commit your life to Him.

ARE YOU READY TO BE BAPTIZED?
If you or someone you know is ready to be baptized :

1) Send an email to baptism@ethoslove.com and include your Name, Age, and tell us a little bit about your faith story.

2) Once you have sent an email, someone from our ministry team will contact you to set up a time to talk, pray, and fill you in on the details for Feb 19th.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you still have questions, don’t hesitate send us an email (baptism@ethoslove.com) and someone will get back with you shortly.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ON BAPTISM?
If you would like to explore further what the Bible teaches on Baptism, please download the PDF below for a list of scriptures regarding baptism. Baptism Verses (PDF)

Here is how we will Love God and Love People on Superbowl Sunday.

First, we want to keep our priorities in line by gathering together as a church to express our love towards God in worship. We worship God, not football, so we don’t cancel our worship gatherings so we can watch a game.

Second, in an effort to love our friends & neighbors well — we will be flexible with our meeting times to provide everyone in our church an opportunity to not only gather with our church family for worship, but to gather with their friends and neighbors who aren’t a part of a church to watch the game. So make sure you go ahead and invite your friends and neighbors over to your place to watch the game. After all, we believe Jesus’ followers should throw the best parties.

Schedule : Superbowl Sunday, FEB 6th
9:15AM
10:45AM
1:00PM – The 5PM Worship Gathering will be meeting at 1PM on Feb 5th
3:00PM – The 7PM Worship Gathering will be meeting at 3PM on Feb 5th

ONE : Prepare Our Hearts
We are gathering on Thursday, December 22nd as a way to intentionally prepare our hearts and minds for Sunday, December 25th. For many, Christmas brings about much stress and chaos. We are gathering early to set our hearts on Jesus and the peace that He alone can bring.

TWO : Bring Your Friends and Families
We wanted to create an opportunity for you to bring everyone you know to celebrate the goodness of Jesus with us. Since many of your friends and family members will be out of town, or busy with family activities on December 25th, we wanted to create an opportunity for them to come worship and celebrate with us.

THREE : Family/Friends Worship Gatherings on Dec 25th and Jan 1st
Finally, we wanted to create a special opportunity for you to worship with your family on Sunday December 25th. For the first followers of Jesus, the home was the central gathering place for worship (Deut 6:4-9, Acts 2:46, 1 Cor 16:19, & Col 4:15). Friends and families gathered to read the scriptures, sing songs, reflect on the goodness of God, and share a meal. For the earliest followers of Jesus, worship began in the home.

A few times each year, we like to take the opportunity to get back to our roots. So on Sunday, December 25th and January 1st, Ethos Church will not be gathering at the regular times for worship at the Cannery. Instead, Ethos Church will be meeting in hundreds of homes all throughout Nashville and beyond. In fact, wherever you are on December 25th and January 1st is where Ethos Church will be meeting.

For those of you who are at our Christmas Worship Gatherings on Thursday, December 22nd, we will give you special instructions for our “worship gatherings at home on Dec 25 and Jan 1.” For those of you who will not be with us on Dec 22nd, we will post the at home worship guides online on December 23rd.

While we don’t believe December 25th is Jesus’ actual birthday, we love to take this time each year to refocus our hearts on the greatest gift ever given. As many find themselves overwhelmed by the stress and chaos of buying presents — we try to rest in the peace that comes from dwelling in the presence of Jesus.

As we enter this Christmas Season, we hope you will join us as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ, and wait in eager anticipation of his return.

Our schedule over the next couple of weeks will be a little different. Please notice the changes and mark your calendars accordingly.

DECEMBER WORSHIP GATHERING SCHEDULE
Sunday, Dec 4th – 9:15AM, 10:45AM, 5PM, & 7PM
 Sunday, Dec 11th – 9:15AM, 10:45AM, 5PM, & 7PM
Sunday, Dec 18th – 9:15AM, 10:45AM, 5PM, & 7PM

CHRISTMAS WORSHIP GATHERING SCHEDULE
Thursday, Dec 22nd – 6:30PM & 8:00PM

DECEMBER 25th and JANUARY 1st
* There will be no worship gatherings at the Cannery. Instead, we will gather in hundreds of homes all across Nashville and beyond. To find out what and why we are doing this click here. 

Once you send her an email, she will give you the rest of the details including time & directions.

Sunday, November 27th we will be on our Holiday Schedule. We will only have 2 Worship Gatherings (10:45AM & 7PM). If you regularly attend the 9:15AM or the 5PM Worship Gatherings, please mark this change in your calendars and then take a few minutes to spread the word.

Have a great Thanksgiving and we will see you November 27th!

TWO : INTERVIEW
 ***Our application/interview process is necessary so that we can balance out our team demographics – gender, age, spiritual gifts, personality, etc. - as we build the team that we feel is best suited to serve the people of Basirhat.***

Once all interviews have been completed  the team will be formed and solidified by November 18th, and a non-refundable deposit of $150 will be due before Christmas break (this will secure one’s spot for this trip)

THREE : DETAILS AND SUMMARY OF TRIP
a) When is this trip?  May 29 – June 14
b) Where are we going?  Basirhat, West Bengal, India as well as Gabadora (Basirhat is in North East India and is about 3 hrs from Kolkata)
c) How much will it cost?  Close to $3,000 (If you’ve never been on a mission trip before, don’t worry!  We will all be fundraising)
d) How many spots are there on the team?  6 spots (unfortunately with the nature of this trip we have to have limited spots – so please apply ASAP!)
e) What will we be doing?  This is the incredible part: We will visit the 2 Ethos church plants (in Basirhat & Gabadora), as well as the school started by Ethos in Basirhat. We will partner with the churches in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those that have never heard this message (also to those of Muslim & Hindu religions), be a blessing to the churches and encourage the believers & their families, aid the churches in serving their local communities, visit the sick in the local clinics, teach & train the church leaders/staff, host a VBS, as well as other activities to serve these 2 communities & spread the loving message of Jesus Christ!  How awesome is that?!
f) Is there anything else I can do?  Yes!  Please help by spreading the word about this trip and getting people to apply!

We worshipped, took a special offering for Charity:Water, studied the word, shared communion, and cheered as we watched lots of new people follow Jesus in baptism. It was a great day.

For those of you that were not there … we celebrated as nearly 30 people were baptized and $71,000 was raised to provide clean water in Ethiopia!

We invite you to spend some time this week thanking God for all that He has done. It has been a great 3 years, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for our church family. Thank you so much for digging down, and giving generously from your hearts. It is such a joy to be a part of this church family.

Love you guys,

Dave Clayton
Vision & Teaching

As we look towards this exciting day, we are continuing to ask the question, what would happen if I became more like Jesus? Take a few minutes to prepare your heart for this Sunday, and if you have missed a week in this series and need to catch up — you can do so below.

OVERVIEW
This week will begin the seventh week of our series “More Like Jesus.” The feedback has been great as we’ve really been digging into the implications of what would happen if we actually became More Like Jesus. For an overview on this series go here.

WEEK 10 Preview 
During our time together, we will be jumping into John 1 as we will ask the question, what would happen if we became MORE LIKE JESUS in discipleship?

MISSED A WEEK? CATCH UP BELOW >>
WEEK 1 RECAP (Listen)
During our first week we started by laying a really important foundation as we discussed the reality that before we could become More Like Jesus we must realize that all of us are DIFFERENT THAN and IN NEED OF Jesus. Our text for Week 1 was Matthew 9:9-13.

WEEK 2 RECAP (Listen)
During our second week we explored one big question, what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we TRUSTED God the Father?  Our text for Week 2 was Matthew 6:19-34.

WEEK 3 RECAP (Listen)
During week 3 we explored one big question from John 5, as we asked what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we VIEW and PURSUE community with God and others?

WEEK 4 Recap (Listen)
During week 4 with wrestled with  Luke Chapter 10, as we ask what would change if we became more like Jesus in regards to His Mission, our joy, and our identity.

WEEK 5 Recap (Listen)
During week  5 we will be dove into Luke 15 as we asked what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our view and pursuit of the lost?

WEEK 6 Recap (Listen) 
During week 6, we explored  Matthew 5:43-48 as we asked the question, what would happen if we became more like Jesus in love?

WEEK 7 Recap (Listen) 
During week 7, we dove into Matthew 14:1-21 as we asked the question, what would happen if we became MORE LIKE JESUS in our priorities? 

WEEK 8 Recap (Listen) 
During our time together, we explored  Mark 10 as we asked the question, what would happen if Jesus really became enough? How would this change our relationship to God and others? 

WEEK 9 Recap (Listen) 
During our time together, we explored  Matthew 16  as we asked the question, what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our pursuit of God’s kingdom?  

We woud love it if you could take a minute to read the 40 Days for Life Blog, and spend some time engaging in prayer and or serving this organization in any way possible.

If you have any other questions, you can email Ross Caudill at (rosscaudill@aol.com).

Thanks so much!

It was just a few short years ago, that 12 people gathered in a living room off of Shackleford Drive to pray and dream about a new church family in the heart of downtown Nashville. It wasn’t long before that little living room could no longer hold our church and so we moved — first to a coffee shop, then to a park, and then finally to the Cannery.

As we approach our 3rd Birthday, it is hard to believe all of the things we have seen God do. The group of 12 has now become more than 1500 strong. One little house church has become more than 60 house churches scattered all across our city, and in April of 2011 we planted two churches and a school in India.

We’ve seen God heal people physically and spiritually, marriages reconciled, friends and neighbors baptized, parents and spouses return to Jesus, babies born, life celebrated, and so much more. It has been an incredible 3 years, and I can’t wait to see what the next 3 years will hold.

As we approach our 3rd Birthday there are two main ways that we are going to celebrate Jesus and the last 3 years as we gather:

ONE : BAPTISM SUNDAY
We can’t think of any better way to celebrate our 3rd birthday than by giving you the opportunity to take the next step in your relationship with Jesus publicly through baptism. On October 23rd, you will be able to be baptized at all of our Sunday Worship Gatherings. If you would like to be baptized or would like to find out more about baptism (…more)

TWO : CLEAN WATER
Last year we celebrated our birthday in a big way by giving our birthday away to provide clean water in 4 villages through Charity Water. Last October, on one Sunday, you gave more than $20,000 to celebrate Ethos Church turning 2. This year, we are praying we can give even more. On October 23rd, 100% of our offering will go to dig clean water wells through Charity Water, who just celebrated their 5th birthday by kicking off the campaign featured in the video below.

There are 3 ways we are asking every person in our church to participate in this celebration :

ONE : PRAY
Spend time praying about what God would have you give towards our clean water project. Our goal is that every man, woman, and child in our church will spend the next 3 weeks asking the Lord what he desires for us to GIVE.

TWO : SHARE
Share the story of  Clean Water. Tell people about what we are praying God will do through us on October 23rd. Tell everyone you know (i.e. Friends, Co-workers, Parents, etc) and invite them to help us. On October 4th, we will relaunch www.AwakenaMovement.com, a site designed to help you share this part of our mission with people outside of the Ethos family.

THREE : GIVE
Give Generously. Give Sacrificially. Give Joyfully. 100% of the funds given to our Awaken a Movement Fund, and 100% of every donation given on October 23rd will go to provide clean water. You can give online HERE.

What a great 3 years it has been. I can’t wait to celebrate on October 23rd. I love our church, and I truly believe the best is yet to come.

Love you guys,

Dave Clayton
Vision and Teaching | Ethos Church

It’s been an awesome week in the life of our church family. If you haven’t heard yet, God completely answered our prayers regarding Jenny Stites’ surgery (read here).  We are so thankful for that awesome blessing. This week, we will continue our study of what it means to be MORE LIKE JESUS.

Take a moment to Read Mark 10 before we gather this Sunday, and as always, bring a Bible and invite your friends. Love you guys – Dave

OVERVIEW
This week will begin the seventh week of our series “More Like Jesus.” The feedback has been great as we’ve really been digging into the implications of what would happen if we actually became More Like Jesus. For an overview on this series go here.

WEEK 8 Preview 
During our time together, we will be jumping into Mark 10 as we ask the question, what would happen if we became MORE LIKE JESUS in our connection to others?

MISSED A WEEK? CATCH UP BELOW >>
WEEK 1 RECAP (Listen)
During our first week we started by laying a really important foundation as we discussed the reality that before we could become More Like Jesus we must realize that all of us are DIFFERENT THAN and IN NEED OF Jesus. Our text for Week 1 was Matthew 9:9-13.

WEEK 2 RECAP (Listen)
During our second week we explored one big question, what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we TRUSTED God the Father?  Our text for Week 2 was Matthew 6:19-34.

WEEK 3 RECAP (Listen)
During week 3 we explored one big question from John 5, as we asked what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we VIEW and PURSUE community with God and others?

WEEK 4 Recap (Listen)
During week 4 with wrestled with  Luke Chapter 10, as we ask what would change if we became more like Jesus in regards to His Mission, our joy, and our identity.

WEEK 5 Recap (Listen)
During week  5 we will be dove into Luke 15 as we asked what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our view and pursuit of the lost?

WEEK 6 Recap (Listen) 
During week 6, we explored  Matthew 5:43-48 as we asked the question, what would happen if we became more like Jesus in love?

WEEK 7 Recap (Listen) 
During our time together, we will be jumping into Matthew 14:1-21 as we ask the question, what would happen if we became MORE LIKE JESUS in our priorities? 

As Jenny recovers from this extensive surgery, our church will be providing meals for she and Josh. To sign up to bring them dinner … go here.

Here is a quick note from Josh. I loved reading his thoughts after God’s provision yesterday.

“I left the hospital at about 7:45 and she was resting well. She was dosing off with the help of some feel good drips. Her mom is staying with her tonight. Our world-class primary doctor, Matthew Miller stopped by to see her this evening and check on her. And the neurosurgeon will be by tomorrow before or after his clinic hours, so before 8:00 or after 5:00. Again, it is so cool to be in a city with so many gifted healthcare providers. These guys aren’t playing around.
Real quick, today has been physically and emotionally consuming.  So as I get home tonight and read messages, emails, texts and calls from people literally all over the country (and beyond i.e. Afghanistan) who are praying on our behalf I am very grateful and mindful of a story from Exodus 17. A better writer could paint a better picture; but the skinny is that even Moses had to have someone come along side him and hold up his hands in prayer because he couldn’t do it himself. This week we have had some awesome people come along beside us and help us hold up our hands to the Giver of Life. We are blessed people.

Please pray that Jenny will have a good night’s rest. The doctors said from the beginning that one of the greatest concerns with this procedure would be infection during the recovery process. We are praying that Jenny rests comfortably so that her body will be rested and strong.

Love you. Thank you.  - Josh “

Baptism is a powerful moment in which we publicly identify ourselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as we surrender our ways to His way. It is a life changing moment.

BAPTISM AT ETHOS CHURCH
At Ethos Church, we celebrate baptism in a variety of ways.

In the past year, people have been baptized in front of large crowds during our Sunday Worship Gatherings, in small groups after a house church meeting on a Wednesday Night, in rivers and pools — even during lunch breaks in our church office with just a handful of friends to celebrate.

Regardless of the time, the place, or the number of people watching — we love to celebrate as people decide to follow Jesus through baptism.

BAPTISM SUNDAY | Oct 23rd (9:15AM, 10:45AM, 5PM, 7PM)
Over the last several months, many of you have made the decision to follow Jesus for the very first time. What an incredible decision! Some of you know you are ready to make that decision, but for a variety of reasons have yet to jump all the way in.

On Sunday, October 23rd, at all of our worship gatherings, you will have a special opportunity to take the next step in your journey with Jesus through baptism.

We believe baptism is a big step, and not something to just rush into — so that is why we are giving you a heads up about October 23rd. Take some time to think, pray, search the scriptures, and your heart about your relationship with Jesus and what it means to commit your life to Him.

ARE YOU READY TO BE BAPTIZED?
If you or someone you know is ready to be baptized :

1) Send an email to baptism@ethoslove.com and include your Name, Age, and tell us a little bit about your faith story.

2) Once you have sent an email, someone from our ministry team will contact you to set up a time to talk, pray, and fill you in on the details for October 23rd.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you still have questions, don’t hesitate send us an email (baptism@ethoslove.com) and someone will get back with you shortly.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ON BAPTISM?
If you would like to explore further what the Bible teaches on Baptism, please download the PDF below for a list of scriptures regarding baptism. Baptism Verses (PDF)

It was such a joy to gather with our church family yesterday. It was an unusual but exciting day. If you weren’t with us yesterday, you can read about what happened HERE.

As we prepare our hearts for Sunday, take a minute to catch up on weeks you’ve missed and read ahead for this Sunday. I truly believe that our time together will be far more fruitful if our hearts are set in a unified direction.

OVERVIEW
This week will begin the seventh week of our series “More Like Jesus.” The feedback has been great as we’ve really been digging into the implications of what would happen if we actually became More Like Jesus. For an overview on this series go here.

WEEK 7 Preview 
During our time together, we will be jumping into Matthew 14:1-21 as we ask the question, what would happen if we became MORE LIKE JESUS in our priorities?

MISSED A WEEK? CATCH UP BELOW >>
WEEK 1 RECAP (Listen)
During our first week we started by laying a really important foundation as we discussed the reality that before we could become More Like Jesus we must realize that all of us are DIFFERENT THAN and IN NEED OF Jesus. Our text for Week 1 was Matthew 9:9-13.

WEEK 2 RECAP (Listen)
During our second week we explored one big question, what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we TRUSTED God the Father?  Our text for Week 2 was Matthew 6:19-34.

WEEK 3 RECAP (Listen)
During week 3 we explored one big question from John 5, as we asked what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we VIEW and PURSUE community with God and others?

WEEK 4 Recap (Listen)
During week 4 with wrestled with  Luke Chapter 10, as we ask what would change if we became more like Jesus in regards to His Mission, our joy, and our identity.

WEEK 5 Recap (Listen)
During week  5 we will be dove into Luke 15 as we asked what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our view and pursuit of the lost?

WEEK 6 Recap (Listen) 
During week 6, we explored  Matthew 5:43-48 as we asked the question, what would happen if we became more like Jesus in love?

THE PLAN
The plan for today was to continue in our series “More Like Jesus.” Our passage for today was from Matthew 5:43-48, and the goal was to explore how we go about loving people that are difficult to love … ironically, it never crossed my mind that God would allow for some really challenging moments to happen during our time together.

A FEW MINUTES BEFORE 9:15AM …
A few minutes before the 9:15AM began this morning, my wife Sydney and son Micah, ran into a guy in the parking lot that was yelling obscenities at the top of his lungs.  He was not interested in talking, just yelling, many of you encountered him as well. So I went outside looking for him, hoping to have a conversation, but unfortunately, I could not find him.  This was an interesting way to start the morning to say the least.

DURING THE 9:15AM …
Not long into our Worship Gathering, I found this guy as he came into the Cannery and began yelling (many of you heard him, even over the music). As I was attempting to teach from Matthew 5, he was making noises, talking and fussing at some of you in the crowd, making some interesting gestures towards me from the back and so on. It was distracting to me, to all of you, and I know some of you even felt scared.

To be completely honest, I was a bit concerned he might harm someone, and it made it next to impossible for me to teach, or spit out a somewhat coherent thought. You guys weren’t alone in your feelings.

BEAUTIFUL RESPONSE
Anyways, amidst the chaos and distractions of the 9:15AM, it was beautiful to watch the way you guys responded. I saw person after person, go over and sit with him, talk with him, encourage him, etc. I was so unbelievably proud to watch the way you guys did exactly what we were talking about. Nobody shunned him, or made him feel like an outsider.

The truth is, none of us deserve the grace of God, and yet it has been given to us so freely by our amazing God. You guys extended that so beautifully this morning to a man who desperately needs the grace of God and God’s church, just like each and every one of us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

HOW TO HANDLE THIS IN THE FUTURE
Many of you know this is not the first time something like this has happened. In fact, in our setting, it happens fairly often. It happened today, and chances are it will happen again soon. Our church exists to serve, love, and bless ALL people — no matter where they currently are in their spiritual journey. Several of you grabbed me afterwards, and asked me what is the best way to handle similar situations in the future … the answer is simple, handle it just like you did today.

1) No matter the distraction, love the person and treat them with honor.
2) If they are threatening people physically or intimidating folks, just get up and help walk them into the lobby or some other neutral place where you can talk thru the situation.
3) Don’t hesitate to grab a couple of other folks to help you out.
4) Trust your instincts.

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
After the 9:15AM Worship Gathering, I took a few minutes to just pray about what had just happened. As I was praying, my good friend Brian, a family member at Ethos who currently lives in Seattle, sent me an email.

The email was about a dream he had this morning. The dream was so vivid that when he woke up (6:30am his time which is 9:30am our time), he got out of bed and sent me an email describing the dream. I got the email just before we started the 10:45AM Worship Gathering. It felt like a word from the Lord for sure.

I will paraphrase the dream here, but you can go on to the podcast this week to listen to the dream in detail (I’ll read it out loud at the rest of our services today). Brian said he had a dream, that someone wandered into Ethos and created quite a stir during the service. In fact, in his dream, this person was making a lot of people feel scared and uncomfortable. But despite their feelings, people from the church kept standing up and encouraging this person who was causing the commotion. (I thought this was beautiful because this is exactly what happened).

Towards the end of Brian’s email, he ended it like this …

“In the dream you (Dave) were frustrated that weren’t able to finish the sermon you had worked so hard on because of this person’s disruption. You seemed to miss the beauty of what had actually happened. I don’t know if any of this dream rings true at all for what has happened at Ethos today, but I want to encourage you to leave room for the Holy Spirit’s work in all of your plans so that you can receive well the unexpected ways God is breaking into our world. Love you dude -Brian”

CONCLUSION
I was so blown away after reading Brian’s email. It was a powerful reminder that Jesus’ life and ministry was constantly bombarded with people and situations that were uncomfortable. As we follow Jesus, the same will be true of us. I pray our church is the type of church that is constantly bombarded with Holy Distractions. Distractions that shake us out of our comfort zones and remind us of the work of God and the messiness of life. May we never be too comfortable, or feel to safe in our own skin.

I am so grateful to God for the chaos that happened in the midst of the 9:15AM and the way our people responded.

This is our mission.

Our God is great. To him be all the glory.

Love you guys,

Dave Clayton

I hope you’ve had an awesome week. As we prepare our hearts for our time together this Sunday, take a few minutes to review where we have been, and prepare for where we are going. I really believe God will do something great among us if we will come ready to encounter God and bless people.

OVERVIEW
This week will begin the sixth week of our series “More Like Jesus.” The feedback has been great as we’ve really been digging into the implications of what would happen if we actually became More Like Jesus. For an overview on this series go here.

WEEK 1 RECAP (Listen)
During our first week we started by laying a really important foundation as we discussed the reality that before we could become More Like Jesus we must realize that all of us are DIFFERENT THAN and IN NEED OF Jesus. Our text for Week 1 was Matthew 9:9-13.

WEEK 2 RECAP (Listen)
During our second week we explored one big question, what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we TRUSTED God the Father?  Our text for Week 2 was Matthew 6:19-34.

WEEK 3 RECAP (Listen)
During week 3 we explored one big question from John 5, as we asked what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we VIEW and PURSUE community with God and others?

WEEK 4 Recap (Listen)
During week 4 with wrestled with  Luke Chapter 10, as we ask what would change if we became more like Jesus in regards to His Mission, our joy, and our identity.

WEEK 5 Recap (Listen)
During week  5 we will be dove into Luke 15 as we asked what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our view and pursuit of the lost?

WEEK 6 Preview 
This Sunday, we will be exploring Matthew 5:43-48 as we ask the question, what would happen if we became more like Jesus in regards to perfect love?

BEFORE WE GATHER THIS SUNDAY
Here are a few practical things I’m asking everyone in our church to do before we gather this Sunday.
1) Pray about who you will invite and then invite them.
2) Read Matthew 5:43-48 at least one time before we gather, and ask God to open your heart to his word.
3) Come ready to bless someone’s life on Sunday. (i.e. look for someone new, take someone to lunch, be a listening ear, etc).

I absolutely love being a part of what God is doing here at Ethos Church. I love you you guys and can’t wait to worship our great God on Sunday.

Dave Clayton
Leader | Vision and Teaching

As we look towards our time together on Sunday, I want to give you a brief reminder of what we’ve discussed the last few weeks and then give you the opportunity to prepare your heart for the days ahead. I really believe we will be able to go much deeper with one another if we come together with hearts that are prepared to bless and be blessed.

OVERVIEW
This week will begin the fourth week of our series “More Like Jesus.” The feedback has been great as we’ve really been digging into the implications of what would happen if we actually became More Like Jesus. For an overview on this series go here.

WEEK 1 RECAP (Listen)
During our first week we started by laying a really important foundation as we discussed the reality that before we could become More Like Jesus we must realize that all of us are DIFFERENT THAN and IN NEED OF Jesus. Our text for Week 1 was Matthew 9:9-13.

WEEK 2 RECAP (Listen)
During our second week we explored one big question, what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we TRUSTED God the Father?  Our text for Week 2 was Matthew 6:19-34.

WEEK 3 RECAP (Listen)
During week 3 we explored one big question from John 5, as we asked what would change if we became more like Jesus in the way we VIEW and PURSUE community with God and others?

WEEK 4 Recap (Listen)
During week 4 with wrestled with  Luke Chapter 10, as we ask what would change if we became more like Jesus in regards to His Mission, our joy, and our identity.

WEEK 5, This Sunday
This week we will be diving into Luke 15 as we ask what would happen if we became more like Jesus in our view and pursuit of the lost?

BEFORE WE GATHER THIS SUNDAY
Here are a few practical things I’m asking everyone in our church to do before we gather this Sunday.
1) Pray about who you will invite and then invite them.
2) Read Luke 15 at least one time before we gather, and ask God to open your heart to his word.
3) Come ready to bless someone’s life on Sunday. (i.e. look for someone new, take someone to lunch, be a listening ear, etc).

I absolutely love being a part of what God is doing here at Ethos Church. I love you you guys and can’t wait to worship our great God on Sunday.

Dave Clayton
Leader | Vision and Teaching

Please pray for the family of Kelly Creel. Kelly died on Thursday unexpectedly of a heart attack. She was only 43. She is survived by her husband Tim and 2 sons Heath (12) and Josh (9). This is one of many families in our community that are hurting. We know the power of prayer. I will keep you posted as the needs of this family become known.

In Luke 14 we see Jesus teaching an upside down (seemingly “nonsensical”) way of living as he says that we shouldn’t be consumed with rising to the top, being noticed, and receiving praise; but we should strive for the lowest place at the table, serve those that can’t pay us back, and lovingly lift up those that often get overlooked and left behind. On Wednesday night, August 3rd we will have an incredible opportunity to do just that, as we join God as we seek to live out his mission for us right here in Nashville.

This Wednesday, we will be taking the women from Mending Hearts (a program designed to help women recovering from long term addictions) bowling. The goal of our time is to simply build friendships with these incredible women. I really hope you can be there. Here are the details:

WHAT : Taking the women of “Mending Hearts” BOWLING!
WHO : ETHOS and the women of “Mending Hearts” (a group of women seeking recovery from addictions)
WHEN :  Wednesday, August 3rd / 6:30PM
WHERE : Hillwood Strike & Spare (3710 Annex Ave. Nashville, TN 37209)
COST : $9 per person (for shoes and 2 games)

If you can go, please let Jason Parker know by Monday, August 1st (parkerjb@lipscomb.edu) and be sure to spread the word!

There will be inflatable rides, games, food, and we will be giving away a backpack full of school supplies to every child that comes! Last year, we gave away school supplies to more than 500 kids. This is a great way to put your faith into action and bless a child’s life.

A FEW DETAILS
when : Saturday, August 13th (11am – 1pm)
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
who : Ethos Church and Families w/ kids in the East Park NeighborhoodH

HOW YOU CAN HELP
1) GIVE. We are asking every person in our church to give an extra $10 through our Awaken a Movement Fund to help purchase the backpacks and school supplies. You can give on Sunday or online right HERE. If you have friends and family that don’t live in Nashville, but would like to bless a child’s life, send them the link to donate towards the cause. All gifts are tax deductible.
2) VOLUNTEER. Just as we need you to give of your resources, we need you to give of your time as well. Here are three specific areas we need volunteers. You can sign up for any of these teams at the SERVE banner in the lobby at Ethos on Sunday.
1. People to spread the word on Saturday morning. (9:30am-11am)
2. A team to set up and work the stations for an hour. (10am-12pm).
3. A team to work the stations for an hour and then tear down. ( 12pm-2pm)

Thank you so much for your willingness to relentlessly bless the Kids of East Park.

This will be an ongoing time of prayer and conversation every Thursday Night. Spread the word. 

Genesis 1:1-3
Colossians 1:16-24
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
1 Timothy 6:15-16
Isaiah 40:12-15
Exodus 34:5-7
Numbers 23:19
Deuteronomy 4:24
Deuteronomy 4:31
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Joshua 1:8-9
2 Samuel 22:32-33
Psalm 33:11-13
Psalm 37:30-31
Psalm 46:1-2
Psalm 48:14
Psalm 50:6
Psalm 54:4
Psalm 59:9-10
Psalm 62:7-8
Psalm 68:19-20
Psalm 73:26
Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 94:22
Psalm 116:5
Proverbs 30:5
Isaiah 61:1-3
Matthew 22:32
Mark 1:15
John 4:24
John 6:33
Romans 5:5
Romans 6:23
Romans 14:17
1 Corinthians 1:9
1 Corinthians 4:20
1 Corinthians 10:13
1 Corinthians 14:33
2 Corinthians 9:8
Galatians 6:7-8
Ephesians 4:24
Hebrews 4:12
1 John 1:5
1 John 4:16
Revelation 21:3
Psalm 115:3
1 John 4:7-9
Psalm 36:5-7
Lamentations 3:21-23
Deuteronomy 7:9
2 Peter 3:9
Deuteronomy 32:4
Psalm 45:6-7
Exodus 34:7
Psalm 7:10-11
Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 99:5
Habakuk 1:13
Isaiah 57:15
Romans 1:18-20
Nahum 1:3-7
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
Hebrews 10:26-31
Isaiah 55:8-11
Revelation 1:7-8
Revelation 1:12-18
Revelation 4:8
Revelation 4:11
Revelation 5:9-10
Revelation 5:12
Revelation 19:6-8
Revelation 22:12-14
Romans 8:14-15
Galatians 3:26
John 1:12
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 3:26-28
Galatians 4:6-7
Romans 8:17
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 2:19
Philippians 3:20
1 Corinthians 6:17
John 15:15
Romans 6:18
Ephesians 4:1
Colossians 3:3
Matthew 5:14
2 Peter 1:4
Colossians 3:4
Colossians 3:12
1 Thessalonians 5:5
Romans 8:37
1 Peter 2:5
1 Peter 2:9
1 Peter 5:8
John 3:3-6
1 Peter 2:11
2 Corinthians 2:14
Ephesians 2:8
Revelation 5:9
Revelation 19:7

For those of you that regularly worship at the 9:15AM, 5PM, & 7PM please help spread the word about our holiday schedule on July 3rd. Thanks!

The food and drinks are free.

All you have to do is bring yourself and invite your friends. Everyone is welcome.

Here are the details:
when : Wednesday, June 29th (6-8pm)
where : The Peeples (605 Oak Harbor Cove, Hermitage, TN 37076)

CHOLUTECA, HONDURAS
We are partnering with the Harpeth Hills Church as they send their first team to this part of Honduras. This will be an ongoing mission effort (one in which we hope to partner for years to come). Zach Baldwin is leading this trip. The group is leaving July 1st and returning back to Nashville on July 10th. If you are interested in finding out more, email Zach (zacharyb@americanconstructors.us.

CITY OF CHILDREN | Baja California / Mexico
On August 6-12, the Reggs will be leading a group to the City of Children. During the course of the week, our team will be helping with flood relief, various building projects around the children’s home, leading Bible classes, and building relationships with the kids. The approximate cost of the trip is $750. If you are interested in going, or finding out more, email Rob (robregg@yahoo.com). For more info on the City of Children visit www.cityofchildren.com.

How would you like to read the entire New Testament with me in the next 60 days?

Now I know it sounds crazy, but just hear me out. This might stretch you a little bit, but it is anything but impossible. If you spent roughly 30 minutes a day reading the scriptures, you would finish the entire New Testament in the next two months. Pretty crazy huh?

I firmly believe that nothing will change your life and your relationship with God quite like choosing to spend time in his WORD every day. I dare you to try it.

HOW THIS WILL WORK
My goal is quite simple. I want us to read the New Testament together, and share what we are discovering as we read throughout the day. This is how we will do it.

ONE : The Plan
Now some times the hardest part is just knowing how to get started. I have posted the reading plan that I will be following online. You can download it HERE. I encourage you to print it off and place it somewhere visible as a reminder each day. This always helps me stay on track.

TWO : Connect Online
Each day, I will be tweeting about the things that are capturing my heart and attention as we read the scriptures together. You can follow along HERE and HERE, but more importantly, I’d invite you to chime into the conversation by adding your thoughts as well. For those of you that will be tweeting what you are reading, use the hashtag #NT60. This will help everyone follow along throughout the day.

I am praying that hundreds of people will step up to the challenge of reading through the New Testament this summer. Feel free to spread the word. I look forward to reading with and learning from each of you beginning June 6th!

Love, Dave

TEAM MEMBERS
Paul Stevens, Daniel Hudgins, Sarah Gonzales, Mary Beth Adams, Brittany Milton, Tyler Mansfield, Becca Carden, David Gilbert, Jillian Jacobs, Tory Wolf, Sarah Hayes, Ashley Keyso, Ashley Franklin, Megan Crawford, Caroline Gallagher, Haley McDougal, Camille Santos, Madison Vaughn, John Michael Elder, Grace Bennett, Heather Stewart, Megan Salyer, and Rainey Lankford

Pray that the children’s hearts are touched and benefit from our team building activities and teaching through a series on The Heart of God.

Pray that they see both the grace of God and his presence in their lives, watching over them and their families at the orphanage.

Pray that the teenagers are lifted up and see that they are leaders in showing Christian love to the people around them when they go to school outside the orphanage.

Pray for our safety as we travel to outside villages and deliver shoes and clothes to those without. Pray for our team, that the  people we come in contact with see Christ in us, not just Americans handing out free stuff.

Pray that when we return we continue to love our neighbors in the same capacity as those in Ghana.

Today, 13 women from our church family will be heading to Maldova to work with women and children who have been hurt by human trafficking. These women from our church will be working in schools and safe houses to be the hands and feet of Christ in a very dark situation.

If you would like to help fund a portion of their trip, you can GIVE financially.

More than anything, we ask that you join us in praying for them over the next 10 days as they SERVE in Moldova.

Here are some specific requests:
* The team members will stay healthy.
* Courage, Confidence, and Boldness from the Lord
* Complete faith in what the Lord has planned
* That God will give hope, peace, and joy to the women they are serving
* That God will put an end to Sex Slavery in Moldova and all over the world
* The name of Jesus be lifted high in Moldova.

We have a unique opportunity to bless our friends, the owners of the Cannery Ballroom and Mercy Lounge — the space we gather in for worship each Sunday. Every Monday – Saturday, thousands of people walk through the doors of the Cannery to listen to live music, attend events, or simply meet up with friends. Due to the busy schedule, it becomes difficult at times to take care of projects in and around the Cannery — that is where we come in.

8AM – 4PM | Work Shifts at the Cannery
On Sunday, May 29th, we are going to bless our friends at the Cannery by thoroughly cleaning the building, repainting the walls, re-doing the bathrooms, fixing broken light fixtures, cleaning the porches, and much more. We will not have our usual worship gatherings at 9:15AM and 10:45AM that day. Instead, we will put our worship into action as we bless our friends and neighbors at the Cannery.

5PM | Combined Worship & Communion Service
Once we have finished cleaning, painting, and overhauling all 3 floors of the Cannery, we will gather as a church family for a time of worship and communion at 5PM. Since we don’t have enough space to seat our entire church in one worship gathering — this will be a standing room only worship gathering, with the exception of a hundred or so seats provided for those who can’t physically stand for an hour.

VOLUNTEER DETAILS
This Sunday, May 22nd, at all 4 worship gatherings, you will have an opportunity to sign up for one work shift on May 29th or multiple work shifts. We have organized the work shifts by responsibility, times, and what is needed to accomplish the task. All you have to do is sign up on the 22nd, and then show up ready to serve on the 29th. We will provide all of the supplies and direction you will need — whether you are painting a wall, cleaning a floor, or tiling a bathroom.

Thanks so much for your willingness to SERVE our friends at the Cannery. It will be great worshipping through service all day long, and then gathering to celebrate as a church family at 5PM.

If you are interested in making the trip this weekend to help, contact Michael @ rig2977@yahoo.com or call 615-429-2929. He will be leaving Saturday afternoon and returning Sunday evening.

If you can’t make the trip, it would be wonderful if you could pick up some or all of the supplies below to send down with Michael and the team.

Baby products: formula, diapers, wipes, etc.
Non-perishable food items
Toiletries: Shampoo, tarps, toothbrushes, soap, feminine hygiene products, sunscreen, etc.
Blankets, tarps, grills, Ensure, tea, fruit
Underclothes, socks, etc.
Clothing
Batteries

Email Michael regarding when and where you can drop off the supplies rig2977@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!

As we continue to assess ways in which our church family can be of greatest assistance, here are a few practical ways you can help right now. The Church of the Highlands, located in Birmingham, AL has organized a massive relief effort that we will initially channel our people and resources through.

To find out about the latest needs and opportunities go HERE.

As we have more information, and ways you can serve, we will update this page. Thank you for living out the Gospel.

We had 4 Big Goals for our time together yesterday. Since we have 4 worship gatherings, it can be tough to get a grasp of the larger picture, so I want to give you a quick update.

OUR GOALS
START : 2 Churches & 1 School in India
FEED : 1.2 million people in Zambia
SHARE : Invite our friends, family, and co-workers to help us accomplish this
CELEBRATE : Gather to worship Jesus together on Sunday

HOW : Raise $30,000 in one Sunday to fully fund these efforts.

HOW THINGS WENT
START : 2 Churches and 1 School in India
Ethos India (2 locations in Basirhat and Gaborda) got off to a great start yesterday! Ethos Basirhat officially kicked off with a Good Friday service on Friday afternoon and gathered for Easter Sunday at 9:30 am. Ethos Gaborda held its first Easter Sunday Service at 4:00pm.

The school in Basirhat already has 50 kids registered to go, and will be starting in the weeks to come.

FEED : 1.2 Million Meals for Zambia
Well this was a huge goal, but thanks to your generosity we met this goal and more. We are currently in the process of seeing how many more meals we could provide with the extra funds. Isn’t it amazing to think that we can do something in Nashville, TN that changes lives all across the country of Zambia!?!

SHARE : GET FRIENDS TO HELP
You guys did this in an extreme way. We had people from all over the country take part in the Awaken a Movement Initiative. As of yesterday, folks from 9 different states had participated in bringing healthy food to our friends in Zambia. This is all because YOU shared what God was doing, and asked your friends to help.

CELEBRATE : Gather to Celebrate Jesus
This is exactly what we did yesterday. It was wonderful to see people gathering all day long in the Cannery to worship Jesus the risen King, to take communion, to repent from sin, to take steps in their journey of faith,etc. It was abundantly clear that you invited your friends and family to join us for the celebration, as there were tons of new people that joined us for worship for the very first time yesterday.

FUNDS RAISED : Yesterday you gave more than $38,000 to feed the hungry, start new churches, and educate the next generation! What a great way to celebrate the empty tomb.

Thank you for stepping up to the challenge. You guys never cease to amaze me. It is such a blessing to be a part of this church family. There is no other church family that I’d rather serve. Love – Dave

We still have a few spots open for tomorrow night. If you are interested in attending, simply email us (questions@ethoslove.com). Put the phrase “Open House” in the subject line.

Here are the details:
WHEN : Tuesday, April 26th (6:30pm – 8:00pm)
WHERE : The Cannery (1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN 37203)

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our house churches has been investing in the wonderful women who are a part of the program at Mending Hearts. Over the last several months they have been serving and building relationships with these incredible women. This month, this house church decided it was time to simply deepen their friendship with these women. So on a Monday Night, they picked up these ladies and took them bowling. Who knew that bowling could be such a spiritually uplifting experience? This house church did, and it was great to see that Jesus can be given glory in many things — even bowling.

This is just one small example of how GOD is using our house churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom right here in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to brag on you. I share this so that we may celebrate how God is at work among us. I pray that God will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make his name great. I pray that as God continues to opens doors for us to serve, that we will joyfully walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

Please be praying for Vernie and Lynnie McBride. Pray for Caroline, Meggie, and their families.  Our God is a good God, and He is capable of great things. Thanks for praying.

Several years ago, God really began to speak to Sydney and me through a passage of scripture in Jeremiah 29. We stumbled across this passage during a long season of prayer and fasting as we were wrestling with whether or not we should start a new church in downtown Nashville. The Word of God seemed to jump off the pages as we read :

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters, find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for the city …” – Jeremiah 29:4-7

As we approach Easter Sunday, we are going to spend time as a church family crying out to God for the good of our city. We are going to pray that God blesses our city leaders, our coworkers, our neighbors, and our friends. We are going to pray and fast for our friends that know Jesus and for our friends that do not.

THE PRACTICALS.
On Thursday and Friday of this week, April 21 and 22, men and women from our church will be fasting and praying for our city. You can Pray and Fast on one day or both days. It is completely up to you.

As you pray and fast, here are some specific things and people you can pray for:
1) Pray for our city leaders.
2) Pray for your co-workers and neighbors.
3) Pray for your friends who know Jesus.
4) Pray for your friends that do not yet know Jesus.
5) Pray that God will continue to reveal himself in every aspect of our city.

www.awakenamovement.com

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our house churches has a huge heart for kids living in several of the rough neighborhoods throughout downtown Nashville. Over the last several months they have been partnering with Y.E.S., a local non-profit whose mission is to provide holistic care for children and their families. Our house church has begun to see that being a consistent presence in the life of these kids can make a world of difference. From making crafts, to playing sports, to simply listening to kids that are wanting to talk — one house church is making a significant impact in the next generation.

This is just one small example of how GOD is using our house churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom right here in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to brag on you. I share this so that we may celebrate how God is at work among us. I pray that God will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make his name great. I pray that as God continues to opens doors for us to serve, that we will joyfully walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our house churches has began asking the question how can we bless those who are living in a assisted care facility called the Meadows? After spending some time with the residents and director, it became clear that the residence were in need of something they could do with their hands that would stimulate their minds as well. So our house church decided to builded a raised bed vegetable garden. The garden will produce lots of food, give the residence something to work on, and will allow many of the residents to participate in one of their favorite hobbies (gardening) that many of them thought they had given up when they moved out of their home. In the months to come, this house church will be returning to help work in the garden, pick vegetables, and to eat a meal with the residents that they grew in the garden.

This is just one small example of how GOD is using our house churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom right here in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to brag on you. I share this so that we may celebrate how God is at work among us. I pray that God will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make his name great. I pray that as God continues to opens doors for us to serve, that we will joyfully walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our house churches spent their week serving at the School for the Blind.  Each month the school has their Association of Blind Athletes game night.  Our house church was able to organize the event, serve the athletes and their families, and even participate in some of the games. So often when Jesus would speak of his work in the world, he spoke of helping people see life more clearly. Although these kids are blind, in our time with them, they helped us see life much more clearly.

This is just one small example of how GOD is using our house churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom right here in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to brag on you. I share this so that we may celebrate how God is at work among us. I pray that God will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make his name great. I pray that as God continues to opens doors for us to serve, that we will joyfully walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

Quite simply, this meant that we would see ourselves not simply as a group gathered for church services, but instead as a group of people gathered with Christ, ready to change our city and the world.

Over the last couple of years, we have seen this vision come to life as our church has served in neighborhoods all across the city, helped plant churches all across the country, and blessed thousands of people all across the world with food, clean water, medical relief, and the good news of Jesus Christ. We have seen this gathering of people grow from a handful of friends, to more than a thousand people ready to change the world as we follow Jesus together.

2 NEW CHURCHES & a SCHOOL
On Easter Sunday, Ethos Church is going global. We are moving beyond the confines of downtown Nashville as we plant two new churches (Ethos Basirhat and Ethos Gaborda) and a school in the eastern most corner of India (on the border of Bangladesh).

The first church plant located in Basirhat, India will be led by Sandip Chatterjee and his team. His associate minister Piyas Dey will be handling most of the day to day ministry as Sandip helps launch the second church. In addition to launching the church in Basirhat, we will be building and staffing a school that will teach local trades and skills (i.e. basket weaving) and assist adults in becoming more literate through reading programs. Currently Basirhat is 60% Hindu, 28% Muslim, and 2% Christian. It is going to be incredible to watch Jesus change Basirhat through our new church there.

The second church will be located in Gaborda, India, not far from the border of Bangladesh. This is a dangerous area, as human traffickers often cross the border in this area resulting in many women and children becoming victims of sex trafficking. Our new church will be working towards providing education and practical work solutions for children and women that will ultimately help protect them from becoming easy targets for human traffickers. We believe Jesus has big plans for his church in Gaborda, and we can’t wait to watch what he does there.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
There are 3 practical ways you can help.

ONE : PRAY. You can pray for Sandip, Piyas, their families, and the two local teachers we will hire to run the school. There has never been a Christian church in either of these places and we believe the enemy will look for ways to stop them at all cost. Pray for these great folks who are joining our team here at Ethos to Awaken a Movement and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in India.

TWO : GIVE. As you can imagine it takes money to build a school, fund a church planter’s salary, and hire school teachers. If you would like to help with this effort we would welcome your financial support. You can GIVE online HERE.

THREE : GO. In the months and years to come, our hope is to take teams from Ethos to visit our churches in India. If you feel God calling you to go and be a part of this work, let us know by emailing us at questions@ethoslove.com. If you are interested in going on a short term trip through Ethos Church, just hang tight, we will provide info regarding that as it becomes available.

Thank you for joining us on this journey as we strive to LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, and AWAKEN a MOVEMENT.

There is something special about Easter Sunday. There is something powerful about millions of people gathering all over the world for the sole purpose of remembering that the tomb of Jesus Christ is empty. Easter reminds us of a truth we proclaim at Ethos every Sunday – Jesus is Alive, and that changes everything.

The last two Easter’s at Ethos Church have been special. We have shared a meal, celebrated as people gave their lives to Jesus, served our city, and invited our friends that are not Christians to join us in the process. This Easter will be no different. After much prayer and planning, our goal is to turn things up a notch as we celebrate and participate in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This Easter we have 4 GOALS :
(1) START : We will start 2 Churches and 1 School in India (read more)
(2) FEED : We will feed 1.2 million people in Zambia (read more)
(3) SHARE : We will invite our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to help
(4) CELEBRATE  : We will gather to celebrate the reality that Jesus is alive

We believe the task at hand is far too big for us, but is certainly not too big for God. As a church we love to put ourselves in positions in which only God can get credit for the outcome. We believe this Easter will be a real example of an “ONLY GOD” moment.

Here are 4 WAYS TO HELP:

ONE : GIVE GENEROUSLY
Our goal is to raise $30,000 on Easter Sunday to fully fund 2 New Churches, 1 School, and food for 1.2 million people. (GIVE HERE)

TWO :  TELL PURPOSEFULLY
Share our goals with everyone you know. Invite your friends, parents, neighbors, and co-workers to START, FEED, SHARE, and CELEBRATE with us. Tweet about it. Change your facebook status. Put a message in a bottle. We don’t care. Just be creative. Imagine what would happen if the 1,200 people of Ethos Church each invited 10 friends to help with this effort?

THREE : THINK STRATEGICALLY
Over the next 8 months we will be sharing more info regarding the tasks at hand. We believe God has equipped many of you within our church family to help meet some of the greatest needs in the regions we are serving. What ideas do you have? How can we serve our friends in Zambia and India better?

FOUR : PRAY FERVENTLY
Pray. Pray. Pray — For our friends in Zambia. For our new brothers and sisters in India. For our neighbors, co-workers, and friends that will see Jesus alive and well in ways they have never seen him previously. Pray that Jesus Christ will receive every ounce of glory through our efforts this Easter.

This is not about Ethos Church. This is about an empty tomb, a risen King, and a Glorious God. What better way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ than by advancing the Gospel, feeding the hungry, and educating the next generation. Thanks for dreaming God sized dreams with us, and for having the courage to swing for the fences as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken the Movement that Jesus began.

One of our house churches stepped up in a big way and provided a lot of basic needs to get this family going again. Recently, this family was able to move into a new place, and now they are in need of basic furniture items.

HERE IS WHAT’S NEEDED:
1. Couch or living room chair
2. Twin Mattress
3. Table and Chairs
4. Pots and Pans
5. TV and TV stand
6. Lamps
7. Any other furniture that someone no longer needs just ask and I’ll see if they could use it.

If you can help, email Susan Evans (Suebubs34@yahoo.com). Thanks!

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our house churches meeting on Belmont University’s campus got together on a Wednesday night and collected money to put together sack lunches for our homeless friends.  Among the 27 students who were present that night, they were able to raise $270!  After the money had been raised, they shopped for the food and put together 100 food bags.  This past Sunday after church, they went over to Room in the Inn, a local shelter and recovery program, and delivered the meals.  Every single one of them would be given to someone who needed it.  It is great to see God working in the hearts of our people and then watching them come together to make a difference in the lives of our friends on the street.

This is just one small example of how GOD is using our house churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom right here in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to brag on you. I share this so that we may celebrate how God is at work among us. I pray that God will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make his name great. I pray that as God continues to opens doors for us to serve, that we will joyfully walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

This Sunday, one of our house churches will be selling Sonic Gift Cards for $10 each. Every penny will go to help cover the cost of field trips at Warner Elementary for kids who can’t afford to participate in the field trips due to lack of money. Our goal is to make sure that every kid is able to go on their annual field trip. Due to their situation at home, the annual field trip is one of the few times each year many of these kids get to leave their neighborhoods.

If you would like to help with this great cause, stop by the table in the lobby after the 10:45AM, 5PM, or 7PM Worship Gatherings this Sunday. Thanks!

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
Recently an 8th grade girl who attends school were one of our family members teaches, lost everything when their apartment burned to the ground in the middle of the night. Unfortunately this family did not have insurance so everything was lost. The school quickly put out a memo asking teachers and people in the community to help, but unfortunately they didn’t get much traction. One of our house churches heard about the situation and began to collect gift cards, clothes, food, and basic house hold items. The school and family were overwhelmed that a house church, who didn’t even know them would take their needs so seriously. It is fun to watch God bless people all over our city, and it is even more fun when he allows us to be a small part of that blessing.

This is just one small example of  how GOD is using our House Churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to boast about how great our people are, I tell this story to show what GOD is doing. I pray that GOD will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make His name great. I pray that when he opens doors, we’ll walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

If you are not a part of a house church and would like to get connected, email Brandon@ethoslove.com.

By now, many of you have heard that Everley Burton’s surgery yesterday was completely successful. The surgery that was supposed to last 8 hours, lasted less than 2. God gave the surgeons steady hands and clear minds as they removed a very complicated tumor.

They were able to remove 100% of the tumor, and in the process only had to remove a small portion of her pancreas and spleen (neither are vital organs). She is now recovering and the doctors are very optimistic as they move forward. The family is overwhelmed by the covering of prayer they have received in the last two days. Thank you for standing in the gap with them.

The days ahead are going to be critical as she recovers from such a major surgery. Please continue to lift Everley and her family up in prayer.

If you would like to write a note to encourage them their address is :

Sloan and Ginny Burton
5205 Overton Road
Nashville, TN 37220

God is good — not because he heals, but simply because He is good and His ways are always best. We are immensely grateful though that he has healed Everly and given us more time with this sweet little baby. Keep praying for her continued recovery. It is great to worship a God big enough to do the impossible. Check back here for updates in the days to come.

Love you guys. – Dave

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our House Churches has become friends with Ken, a single man, who is living in a motel off of Murfreesboro Road. Ken is an incredible man, who has had a hard life. He has no living relatives or friends nearby. He has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, can no longer speak, and is living with the help of Hospice. Although Ken’s situation is sad on so many levels, he has brought great joy to one of our house churches as they spend time with him each week — reading stories, playing cards, watching movies, and sharing meals. Ken feels blessed to have the love and support of this house church, but this house church would argue they feel blessed to have Ken. It is incredible to watch as God encourages his child Ken, and blesses us in the process as well.

This is just one small example of  how GOD is using our House Churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to boast about how great our people are, I tell this story to show what GOD is doing. I pray that GOD will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make His name great. I pray that when he opens doors, we’ll walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

If you are not a part of a house church and would like to get connected, email Brandon@ethoslove.com.

As of 7:00 am this morning, they took Everley in to perform the surgery. I just got done talking to the family, and here are several very specific prayer requests.

1) Pray for complete healing and recovery.
2) Pray that there will not be much bleeding. Babies do not have much blood, so any amount of blood loss is quite serious at her age.
3) Pray for the Doctors. Their names are : Dr. Chung, Dr. Rauth, Dr. Morrow, Dr. Neblett, Dr. Morgan, and Dr. Martin.
4) Pray that they are able to remove the entire tumor.

I’ll post an update here as soon as we have it.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our House Churches has decided to invest in the men and women living at the Hobson House, a transitional house here in Nashville. This group prepared supper and spent time simply building new friendships. Although the meal was great, it is the laughter and friendship that continues to make an impact — not only on those living at the Hobson House, but on the people who served there as well. It is inspiring to watch men and women in our church tangibly live out the words of Jesus as he calls us  “Love our neighbors as ourselves.” This house church continues to take these words seriously, as they shine the light of Christ into our community.

This is just one small example of  how GOD is using our House Churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to boast about how great our people are, I tell this story to show what GOD is doing. I pray that GOD will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make His name great. I pray that when he opens doors, we’ll walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

If you are not a part of a house church and would like to get connected, email Brandon@ethoslove.com.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
One of our House Churches decided they would be a blessing to a refugee family from the Middle East living here in Nashville. Each week, one of our house churches helps them tangibly get assimilated into American culture.  They are helping them learn english, adjust to new routines, and make sense of a new way of life. Ultimately they are working hard to help this wonderful family feel like they are truly a part of the Nashville community, instead of feeling like outsiders.  By simply investing in this family week after week, this house church is embodying the very heart of Christ.

This is just one small example of  how GOD is using our House Churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to boast about how great our people are, I tell this story to show what GOD is doing. I pray that GOD will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make His name great. I pray that when he opens doors, we’ll walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

If you are not a part of a house church and would like to get connected, email Brandon@ethoslove.com.

TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT
Our Sewing Passion House Church meets with the women at Mending Hearts (a recovery house for women) twice a month to sew pursues, scarves, and much more.  They not only teach the women how to sew, but they get to know them, build friendships and simply love them. I love this group because they took their passion (sewing) and figured out how to use it to show other the love of God and serve our city. Its a wonderful picture of the people of GOD using their GOD-given gifts to glorify Him.

This is just one small example of  how GOD is using our House Churches to forcefully advance his Kingdom in Nashville. I don’t share this to brag on us or to boast about how great our people are, I tell this story to show what GOD is doing. I pray that GOD will give us opportunities to serve and that we’ll be passionate about using our lives and gifts to make His name great. I pray that when he opens doors, we’ll walk through them as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

If you are not a part of a house church and would like to get connected, email Brandon@ethoslove.com.

As a church, we are not only called to join together with Christians all over the world to pray for those affected by these disasters, but also help support the physical relief efforts associated with catastrophes like this one. In an effort to help as quickly and effectively as possible, we will be channeling our efforts through the Red Cross.

To make a financial donation through the Red Cross go HERE and click on Japan / Tsunami.

You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and the Tsunami throughout the Pacific.

Thanks for continuously embodying the generosity Christ calls us to. See you tomorrow.

OUR SITUATION
Over the last couple of months we have had exponential growth in nearly every area of church family. Since August, our church has grown by nearly 750 people, our house churches have tripled, and our children under the age of 9 have nearly tripled as well. This has happened for two main reasons.

First, because GOD is doing something great and Secondly, because you are inviting your friends to be a part of what He is doing in Nashville through Ethos Church.

However, this presents a great challenge. Currently we are absolutely out of space at every service. You have probably noticed, but a month ago we changed our set up a bit which has allowed us to add nearly 120 additional people per service. All of those seats have quickly filled praise God, so now we are looking at what’s next.

OUR PLAN
Although our long term plan for accommodating this growth from God is the planting of more churches, we are not quite ready for that on several fronts. In the meantime, we are going to continue to maximize our space, and will add a 4th Service beginning Sunday, February 27th.

Adding another worship gathering will allow us to do several things:
(1) It allows us to open up space for people that don’t know Jesus to hear the Gospel in the context of a loving church environment. As we often say, we’d never invite our neighbors over to eat dinner at our house but not have a place for them to sit — we don’t want to do that at church either.

(2) It allows us to grow as a church without increasing our operating cost by even a single penny.

(3) It opens up more opportunities for our church family to use their gifts to serve each and every Sunday.

OUR NEED
As we make this transition there are several things we need every person, whether you are a family member or a friend at Ethos Church to help us do.

1) We need at least 100 people to commit to helping us launch the 9:15AM Worship Gathering. If you are interested in helping us launch this new worship gathering, please shoot us an email (questions@ethoslove.com) or sign up in the lobby on Sunday.

2) We need volunteers to help us serve at the 9:15AM Worship Gathering.

3) We need you to help us spread the word. Tell everyone you know. Invite your friends. Tweet about it. Change your status on Facebook. Be creative.

4) Pray. Pray that God will use this new worship gathering to change people’s lives. You never know, He might just change the life of someone you’ve been praying for.

NEW WORSHIP GATHERING TIMES (Begins Feb 27th)
9:15 AM – Ethos Kids available
10:45AM – Ethos Kids available
5:00 PM – Ethos Kids Available
7:00 PM

Thank you for continually modeling the heart that Jesus calls us to have as we make more space in our church for people that don’t know Jesus. It is a joy to be a part of this with you guys.

Love – The ETHOS CHURCH LEADERSHIP TEAM

To find out more about our 2011 BLUEPRINT click here.

BLUEPRINT INITIATIVE : MEDICAL RELIEF
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with Health Talents International to supply over the counter medicine, educational support, and physical aid to the people of Guatemala. We will supply finances, resources, and will send teams of people from our church family to assist in the efforts.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
In the months of February and July there will be several very tangible ways you can help bless the lives of thousands of people in the country of Guatemala by providing much needed MEDICAL RELIEF.

MEDICAL SUPPLY DRIVE : Sundays Feb 13, 20, and 27
On the last 3 Sundays of February, we will be collecting supplies at all of our worship  gatherings that we will package and send down with our team and other teams traveling to Guatemala to provide free health care. Please take a minute to write down the supplies that we are collecting, purchase them during the week, and then bring them with you on one or all three Sundays in February.

SUPPLY LIST
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Triple Antibiotic Ointment
Hydro-cortisone cream
Clotrimazole cream

GUATEMALA MISSION TRIP INFO MEETINGS
In July, Ethos will be sending a team down to Guatemala to work with Julie and the team from Health Talents International. Julie will be holding two informational meetings to discuss the details of this trip. If you are interested in joining the team that is going to Guatemala, you MUST attend one of these info sessions. We’ve provided two different options for your convenience. Julie will discuss all information regarding the trip at these meetings (i.e., dates, costs, expectations, detail of work we will be doing, etc).

Sunday, Feb 13th : 12 PM, at Ethos Church in the Booths located behind the Bar
Sunday, Feb 20th : 6:30 PM, at Ethos Church in the Booths located behind the Bar

BLUEPRINT INITIATIVE : ORPHANS
In 2011, Ethos Church will sponsor 200 children through Compassion International and will assist families as they seek to sponsor children in need.

On Sunday, February 6th, you will have a chance to step up to the plate and sponsor a child that is in need. For just a little more than $1 a day, you can change the life of a child forever. Our prayer is that 200 men and women in our church will make the decision to sponsor a child this year.

Jamie Wilkerson will have a table set up in the lobby at all 3 Worship Gatherings providing a tangible opportunity for you to sponsor a child.

It can be argued that there is no book more neglected or misunderstood in all of the Bible than the Book of Revelation. Some have twisted and mistreated the bizarre imagery found in the 22 Chapters of Revelation, while others have stayed away from it all together.

Although the content of Revelation might seem a bit confusing at first, taking the time to dive a bit deeper will reveal this book is as relevant today as it was nearly two thousand years ago. I love the promise found in the first chapter for those that choose to read Revelation and take it’s words seriously. John writes :

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” – Revelation 1:3

Over the next several months, we will dive into this great book together as we gather for worship each Sunday. We will continue our discussion further in smaller groups through our house churches during the week. My prayer is that we will not simply read these words, but that we will hear them and take them to heart as together we receive the blessing of seeing and worshipping more fully Jesus the Lamb, Jesus the Lion, Jesus the Priest, Jesus the Judge, Jesus the Warrior, and Jesus the King.

A Little Perspective
The Book of Revelation was inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by John, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and closest friends. John and his brother James began to follow Jesus when they were young men, and continued to preach his name faithfully until their deaths.

By the time John wrote the Book of Revelation, he was living in exile on a small island called Patmos, located in the Mediterranean Sea. It was during this time, that the Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Domitian reinstated Emperor Worship, which required all citizens of the Roman Empire to declare that he was “Lord and God.” This presented a great problem for people like John, who claimed Jesus alone was Lord and God. It was during this time, that many Christians were persecuted and put to death.

It was under Domitian’s reign that John was thrown into a boiling vat of oil since he refused to denounce Jesus. Despite this horrific act, John lived and was exiled to Patmos. It was here that John the apostle, the missionary, and deep friend of Jesus wrote this incredible letter to encourage Christians to stand strong in the face of opposition.

Context is Everything
As I have discussed in the Introduction to the Old and New Testaments, the Bible is more like a library of 66 Books that compose one giant story, as opposed to just one book. Our Bible is arranged much like a local library in the sense that the books are arranged by Literary Genre.

Understanding the literary genre helps us greatly no matter whether we are reading our local newspaper or the pages of scripture. For example, if you opened up a newspaper and read the headline … “Tigers Maul Indians” … depending upon which section of the paper you were in would greatly alter your understanding of that headline. If you were in the World News Section, you would know something had gone terribly wrong in the country of India, but if you were in the Sports Section, you would know who had won the baseball game the night before. Understanding what section of the Bible you are reading is just as important as understanding what part of the newspaper you are in.

Revelation is often categorized as Apocalyptic Literature. In our day and age, the word apocalypse can be a scary and sometimes confusing word. It often conjures up thoughts of destruction and chaos, but this is not what John’s original readers would have understood this word to mean. In fact, the word apocalypse is a transliteration of a Greek word that simply means “unveiling or disclosure.”

John makes it clear in the opening verses of this Book that Revelation is not about destruction or chaos, but instead it is about the “unveiling of Jesus Christ.” Over the course of 22 chapters, John will often use very figurative language to tell very literal truths of about the nature of Jesus, his sacrificial death, his conquering of the enemy, and his eternal reign. Much like one of my wife’s favorite writers, CS Lewis, who so brilliantly told the story of Jesus through the Chronicles of Narnia, John the Apostle uses all kinds of symbols, animals, numbers, images, and props to engage our hearts and minds as he pulls back the curtain so Jesus the King can step onto the center of the stage and into our lives. 

LISTEN to 2011 BLUEPRINT
2011 Blueprint PDF

One of my favorite stories in all of Scripture is the story of Nehemiah. After seeing the plight of God’s people, in faith,  Nehemiah set out to make a difference. With a broken heart, a little faith, and a courageous Spirit, one man put together a BLUEPRINT for rebuilding the walls, and restoring the faith of God’s people.

Most people have great ideas, but few people see those ideas through to completion.

As a church family, there are many injustices in our world, our country, and our city that break our hearts. Yet we believe that much like Nehemiah, with broken hearts, a little faith, and a courageous Spirit we too can put together a BLUEPRINT for rebuilding the walls, and restoring the faith of the people in Nashville and beyond.

On Sunday, January 16th we discussed our spiritual goals for Ethos Church in 2011. If you missed the message you can listen to it HERE. Our spiritual goals are focused in three areas : The work God will do in ME, The work God will do through us out THERE in the world, and the work God will do through us right HERE in our city.

Here are our goals for 2011.

ME | Personally
1) GO DEEPER WITH GOD
First, our prayer is that every person at Ethos Church will make the decision to take the next step in their spiritual journey, whether it’s being baptized, being more disciplined in your life, walking away from sin, or being led by the Holy Spirit we pray that this will be the year you choose to take the next step in going deeper with God.

2) GO DEEPER WITH ETHOS
Second, our prayer is that every person will make the decision to go deeper with the church family at Ethos. For some this will mean becoming a family member, or joining a House Church, for others it will mean joining a volunteer team, and yet for others it will mean growing in your financial generosity as you commit to Biblical Tithing. Wherever you are in that journey, our prayer is that you will take the next step in going deeper with Ethos Church.

3) GO DEEPER WITH YOUR FRIENDS THAT DON’T KNOW JESUS
Third, our prayer is that every person will commit to praying for and pursuing one friend that does not know the love and grace of Jesus. We believe the easiest way to change the world is one life at a time. So we are praying that every person at Ethos Church will consistently invest in and invite one friend to join what God is doing at Ethos.

* UPDATED November 1st, 2011

THERE | Globally and Nationally
1) CHURCH PLANTING
In 2011, Ethos Church will assist in the start up of 20 Church Plants across the globe and throughout the country. We will do this by investing our finances, our resources, and by sending our people to help the work of God in other cities.
* In 2011, we have planted & assisted in the planting of 18 churches and 1 Christian School.
* We have partnered with Kairos Church planting to assist in planting and supporting 15 churches (13 in the US and 2 Internationally) in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,  Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, British Columbia, and Australia.
* We launched 2 Ethos Churches in India (Basirhat & Gabadora) on April 24th.
* We launched a Christian School in India (April 25th)
* We helped fund the building out of the Axis Church Kids Space

2) ORPHANS
In 2011, Ethos Church will sponsor 200 children through Compassion International and will assist families as they seek to adopt children living without parents.
* As of October 2nd,2011  we have sponsored 155 children through Compassion International.
* On April 25, 2011, we launched the first Christian school in Basirhat, India that is currently blessing 60 children and their families.

3) CLEAN WATER
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with several organizations to help provide clean drinking water to thousands of people in Ethiopia.

4) FOOD RELIEF
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with GLOBAL SAMARITAN,  MANA and KIDS AGAINST HUNGER to provide food for families that do not have enough food to survive the week.
* As of April 24, 2011, we have provided 2.2 million meals for those suffering from extreme malnutrition.

5) MEDICAL
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with Health Talents International to supply over the counter medicine, educational support, and physical aid to the people of Guatemala. We will supply finances, resources, and will send teams of people from our church family to assist in the efforts.
* In the month of February, we collected and purchased more than 6,000 medical supplies to fully meet the annual needs of the clinic we are working with in Guatemala.
* In July of 2011, we sent  a team to work with the clinic in Guatemala to assist with eye surgeries and host a Vacation Bible School for the children of those being helped by doctors. 

6) HUMAN TRAFFICKING
In, 2011, Ethos Church will partner with several organizations including IJM to help in the recovery and rehabilitation of women and children impacted by Sex Slavery, and will work alongside organizations positioned to prosecute those involved in this crime against humanity.
* In May, we sent a team of women to Moldova to work with several transitional houses equipped to serve, bless, and help rehabilitate women and children sold into sex slavery. 

HERE | Locally
1) CHURCH PLANTING
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with others to assist in the planting of 5 New Churches in the city of Nashville, TN. We will give our time, our resources, and our people to see this dream come to life.

2) KIDS OF EAST PARK
In 2011, Ethos Church will work to bless the lives of the Kids in the East Park Neighborhood by investing our time, ideas, talents, and resources in an effort to bless the lives of the children and the families in that neighborhood.
+ In April, we provided funds for 300 children to participate in a field trip thru Warner Elementary.
+ In August, we hosted our Annual Kids Day in the Park, where we gave away 700 Back Packs full of school supplies to children in need.  

3) HOMELESS FRIENDS
In 2011, Ethos Church will partner with the Hobson House, the Nashville Rescue Mission, and the Campus for Human Development in a effort to care for our homeless friends and assist them in their journey towards getting off of the streets.
+ VOLUNTEER at the HOBSON HOUSE
+ VOLUNTEER at the CAMPUS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

ONE : BIBLE READING PLANS
Here you will find a wide variety of reading plans. Whether you have been reading the Bible for a long time, or have never read it at all, there is a plan here for you. Check back frequently for new reading plans.
>> Bible Reading Plans

TWO : INTRODUCTIONS and OVERVIEWS
Here you will find a variety of resources that will help you get a better grasp on how the Bible was written, how it is organized, the general overview of the individual books it contains, and much more. Check back frequently for new resources.
>> Introductions and Overviews

THREE : DAILY DEVOTIONAL TOOLS
Here you will find a variety of tools designed to help you develop a daily rhythm  for connecting with God. It doesn’t matter if you been a follower of Christ for years, or just getting started in your spiritual journey, we pray these tools will help you grow in your relationship with Christ.
>> Daily Devotional Tools

They are serving lunch on Friday, December 24th at 11:30 AM. Their address is 1721 N. Observatory Dr, 37215. If you need a ride, email Burton (saunderscb@mail.lipscomb.edu).

Spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

You can use some of this, or all of this. You can use it in a home or a coffee shop, with a small group or a large group. As believers in Christ, we make up the church, most weeks we get to gather as a large body, this week we will gather in smaller groups all over the world, as we celebrate Jesus together. Be creative, have fun, but most importantly … worship Jesus.

WATCH : The Digital Nativity

SING : Here are a few classic Christmas Hymns for you and your family.

READ : Luke 1:26-38 & Luke 2

SHARE : In a time of communion together. You can find our recipe for communion bread here.

REFLECT : Spend some time just reflecting on what the Birth of Jesus means for your life today. Take as long as you need.

PRAY : Spend some time thanking God for the gift of his Son, and for loving us enough to humbly come to earth for us.

It made me think about this past year. Here are some of my favorite moments from 2010:

+ An impromptu offering in January that provided food for 1,000 families in East Africa
+ The first weekend in early February where more than 100 people publicly confessed and repented of sin
+ The thousands of dollars raised, and the trips many of our people took to serve the people of Haiti
+ Watching the way our church celebrated Popcorn’s Life
+ Watching as you stepped up to serve during the May Flood
+ The way hundreds of you stepped up to serve on one of our volunteer teams
+ The way you prayed for,  pursued, invited, and baptized your friends that didn’t know Jesus
+ The way you grew in your love for one another.
+ The number of leaders that stepped up to start new House Churches (we went from 19 house churches to nearly 50)
+ Starting a 3rd Worship Gathering, and watching it fill to capacity in only a few short weeks
+ Trunk or Treat at East Park
+  Watching the way you guys served during 40 Days in the City
+ Watching the way you gave financially (week in and week out)
+ Celebrating our 2 year anniversary by building 4 wells through Charity Water
+ Helping support new church plants in Los Angeles, Portland, Montana, Vancouver, Nashville, and more.
+ The way you consistently helped the poorest of the poor in our city with your love, finances, and time
+ Watching more than a dozen people in our church bring a stranger in off the street to live in their home
+ Watching as we supported our family members that did mission work in China, India, Honduras, Spain, Italy, Mexico, California, Africa, Haiti, and Scotland
+ Watching families in our church give away 3 cars to bless someone in need
+ Watching more than 150 of you commit to be on a mission by making Ethos your church family
+ Watching you throw baby showers for single moms that were down on their luck
+ and the list could go on and on.

I have never been so proud to be a part of this church. Although the last two years have been absolutely incredible, I have never been more excited about where we are going. 2011 is going to be a year in which I firmly believe we will see God change lives, our city, our world, and us individually as he continues to work through Ethos.

I love you guys. Thank you for joining in on this journey. Enjoy the Holidays. Enjoy time with Family. Rest up. And let’s get’s 2011 started in a big way. I have some huge news I can’t wait to share at the first of the year. I can’t wait to see you guys January 2nd.

Love,

Dave
Leader of Vision and Teaching

+ Spending time with our guests during the day
+ Staying overnight and helping bring other people in
+ Transporting people back into town or their camps on Tuesday Morning
+ Helping clean up the church Tuesday Morning

If you would like to help with any or all of these opportunities, Call or text Jeannie at 946-7750, Ingrid at 584-7958, Brett at 336-7764 or Doug at 479-4116. If all else fails, you can also just show up at Hobson’s Fellowship Hall.

The address is : 1700 Greenwood Ave. 37206

If you have a truck, or would be willing to help her move please email questions@ethoslove.com. Thanks.

If you need some help getting started, here are some great readings for the next 25 Days of December.

Christmas Reading Plan*
Dec 1: Luke 2:21-40

Dec 2: Matthew 1

Dec 3: Luke 2:1-20

Dec 4: Mark 9:33-37

Dec 5: Matthew 4:12-17,  Isaiah 9:1-3, Matt 5:14-16

Dec 6: Acts 20:35, 1 John 4:10

Dec 7: Exodus 25

Dec 8: Matthew 25:31-46

Dec 9: Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 19:1-16, 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Dec 10: Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 7:10-15, John 1:14

Dec 11: Genesis 1, Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51:1-10

Dec 12: Revelation 2:1-5, 1 John 3:1-3

Dec 13: Psalm 150

Dec 14: Acts 15:22-31

Dec 15: Luke 1, Jeremiah 32:17

Dec 16: Matthew 2:1-12

Dec 17: Galatians 4:1-7

Dec 18:Isaiah 58, Matthew 6:16-18

Dec 19: Luke 11:1-13

Dec 20: John 1

Dec 21: John 21:25

Dec 22: Psalm 100

Dec 23: Matthew 25

Dec 24: John 3:16

Dec 25: Luke 1:26-56, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-40

* This Christmas Reading Plan is courtesy of YouVersion.

CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
Over the next 4 weeks, we have several incredible opportunities to serve our city in a variety of meaningful ways. Please plan on joining us to serve in one or all of the opportunities below.

SERVING THE WOMEN’S MISSION | Saturday, December 4th
Help-Portrait is a community of photographers, coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community.

On December 4th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered.

While this event is open to the public, Help-Portrait has extended a special invitation to the Nashville Rescue Mission’s program women to participate. This is where the ladies of Ethos Church come in.

Needs:
what : 50 drivers.
when : Dec. 4. Sat. 9-12.
where : Pick up location / 1716 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208
Drop off location / 201 Woodland St. 37213 (Limelight)

To sign up, email Lee Ann (ldichtel@nashvillerescuemission.org)

SERVING THE MEN AT ROOM IN THE INN | Monday, December 6th
On the first Monday of every month, a group from Ethos heads across the street to the Campus for Human Development to prepare and serve a homemade meal for the men in the Odyssey Recovery Program.

This is an incredible time of fellowship, sharing, and connection with some great men. If you are interested in making one of the dishes, or simply showing up to help serve email Lauren Moore (lauren.moore@vanderbilt.edu).

PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT | Wednesday, December 8th
In December 2009, a collaboration of more than 60 service providers and 700 volunteers provided 9,500 services to at least 1,558 homeless individuals and families. PHC makes a powerful impact on homeless people’s lives by providing a wide range of assistance in one location, and by the outpouring of respect and hospitality from service providers and volunteers.

This year’s PHC is scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.  We hope you will be a part of this great event.  Please visit Hands on Nashville to sign up to be a volunteer.

Project Homeless Connect is listed on the Project Calendar for December.  Please contact Mary Beth Ritchie at mritchie@nashville-mdha.org with any questions or to learn how to get involved in other ways.

SECOND HARVEST FOOD DRIVE | Sunday, December 12th
Due to the great need caused by the Nashville Flood, the Second Harvest Food Bank has been running severely low on canned goods. Due to the cold weather and holiday season, the Second Harvest Food Bank is gearing up for their busiest time of the year. So on Sunday, December 12th and Sunday, December 19th, we will be collecting canned goods at all 3 Worship Gatherings.

Please take some time during the week to stop by your nearest grocery store and fill up a bag or two of groceries and drop them off at the Food Truck located in front of the Cannery on December 12th and December 19th.

WARM COAT GIVEAWAY FOR KIDS | Wednesday, December 15th
On Wednesday, December 15th, we will meet at the East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206) at 3 PM to hand out warm winter coats to the kids in the neighborhood that do not have anything to keep them warm. We will hand out coats from 3PM – 4:30PM. If you are interested in helping, send an email to (questions@ethoslove.com) with the phrase “WARM COATS” in the subject line.

YES CHRISTMAS STORE | Saturday, December 18th
Each Christmas we partner with the folks at Youth Encouragement Service to help them bless the families with children in the surrounding neighborhoods. This year, we are partnering to serve in the YES Christmas Store. The Christmas Store provides a great way for families with little income to provide their kids with much needed items during the Christmas Holidays.

Volunteers serve as personal helpers for each family that comes through to pick out clothes, school items, and toys for their children. You can choose to volunteer for the entire day, or just a portion of the day.

To volunteer, simply send an email to (info@youthencouragement.org) or call 615 315 5333.

SECOND HARVEST FOOD DRIVE | Sunday, December 19th
Due to the great need caused by the Nashville Flood, the Second Harvest Food Bank has been running severely low on canned goods. Due to the cold weather and holiday season, the Second Harvest Food Bank is gearing up for their busiest time of the year. So on Sunday, December 12th and Sunday, December 19th, we will be collecting canned goods at all 3 Worship Gatherings.

Please take some time during the week to stop by your nearest grocery store and fill up a bag or two of groceries and drop them off at the Food Truck located in front of the Cannery on December 12th and December 19th.

Garrett McKnight
Molly Newman
Cristen Wasmer
Andy Brooks
John Elder
Sarah Owens
Zach Shunk
Steven Graham
Sam McBride
Nate Zuercher
Aaron Spragg

Several times each month, men and women from Ethos Church partner with the Campus for Human Development / Room in the Inn to serve those living on the streets of Nashville. This is a wonderful opportunity to continue that work while enjoying good entertainment and fellowship in the process.

Join Tokens at the Ryman, Sunday evening, November 21, 2010, at the historic Ryman Auditorium for a benefit for Room in the Inn.  “The Welcome Table” features Shane Claiborne, Keb’ Mo’, Cherryholmes, the Nashville Choir, Buddy Greene and Odessa Settles.

Tickets available at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Ryman Box Office (615.889.3060) and the Allen Arena Box Office at Lipscomb University (615.966.7075). Students, and groups of 15 or more, can receive a discounted rate of $24.75 per ticket with no additional fees through the Allen Arena Box Office or the Ryman Box Office. For more information, please visit www.TokensShow.com.

Ethos Holiday Schedule
Sunday, November 21st : (10:30AM & 5PM only)
Sunday, December 19th : (10:30AM & 5PM only)
Sunday, December 26th : (No Sunday Worship Gatherings at the Cannery)
Sunday, January 2nd : (10:30AM & 5PM only)

All 3 Worship Gatherings (10:30AM, 5PM, and 7PM) will be meeting at East Park to serve the children of our city by hosting Trunk or Treat. This is a great way for us to be the church in action. For more info on Trunk or Treat and how you can get involved, follow the links below.

TRUNK OR TREAT INFO
VOLUNTEER INFO

Coat Details
All coats need to be clean, with working closures (i.e. zippers, snaps, velcro, etc). You can also donate scarves or warm hats.

Coat Drop Collection
You can bring your coats to Trunk or Treat this Sunday to give to Lauren Moore, or you can email her at : la_unc2006@alumni.unc.edu.  The deadline for donating your coats, scarves or hats is next Wednesday, November 3rd, so please make plans to contact Lauren quickly.

Thank you so much!

ONE : Bring a Large Bag of Assorted Candy
TWO : Help Set Up at 1 PM
THREE : Come spend time with the Kids that have come to Trunk or Treat

Want to find out more? Click here.

PROMOTING ON SATURDAY
when : Arrive at 2PM to start handing out fliers. We will be finished by 4 pm.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : We will be walking through the neighborhoods around East Park, knocking on doors, meeting families, and inviting their kids to Trunk or Treat. Wear good walking shoes and appropriate attire. The more people that help the better, so please spread the word. We will meet at the Community Center, so look for Dave Clayton when you arrive.

DECORATING YOUR CAR
when : Arrive at 1PM to set up. Event from 2-4 pm.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : Decorate your car. The more creative you are the better. Dress up in a costume to match your car’s theme. Fill your trunk up with candy to hand out to kids that come “trunk or treating” from 2-4. Please plan on staying the whole time. When you arrive, you will check in with Dave Clayton and he will direct you where to park.

BAKING COOKIES
when : Arrive at 1PM to set up. Event from 2-4 pm.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : When you arrive there will be a table for you to drop your cookies off. Will Shinnick will be your contact person when you arrive. Please bring your cookies on a disposable plate, wrapped tightly in Saran Wrap. We will not hold on to any plates that are left at the park. Once you have dropped your cookies off, spend time walking with kids through the parking lot as they trunk or treat at the various cars. Most of these kids will come without parents, and you will play a vital role in blessing their lives that day.

ARTS AND CRAFTS
when : Arrive at 1PM to set up. Event from 2-4 pm.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : A family from our church has generously donated one pumpkin for every kid we expect to be attending on Sunday. We will have a station set up where kids can paint a pumpkin. One of our house churches will also be running a face painting station. When you arrive, check in with Caity Shinnick and she will give you further directions. Please plan on helping for the entirety of the event.

GAME STATIONS
when : Arrive at 1PM to set up. Event from 2-4 pm.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : When you arrive, Luke Flener will direct you which game station you will be working with. Please plan on arriving at 1 and staying until 4 pm. This is going to be a great way to connect with the kids of our city.

CLEAN UP CREW
when : The event is from 2-4PM. As soon as it is finished, meet Brandon in front of the Community Center.
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
what : Brandon will give you trash bags and directions for making sure the park is left better than we found it. We should be finished in less than an hour. The more people we have to help the better so feel free to invite others to help.

Context
In Galatians 5, Paul begins to give us some tangible examples of how a person can readily identify whether or not they are living under the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit. He does this by addressing two different ways in which we choose to deal with our sinful nature (1) By Gratifying our Sinful Nature … verse 17 or by (2) Crucifying our sinful nature through the power of the Holy Spirit … verse 24.

Gratification
As we discussed on Sunday, the person who is not living under the authority or control of the Holy Spirit is the person that gratifies, or quite literally makes peace with their sinful desires. Paul goes on to list several very raw examples of this in verses 19-21, when he says that the person who chooses to make peace with the sinful nature consistently make choices that don’t honor God. It becomes the rhythm of their life and existence. In fact, Paul says its obvious whether or not the Holy Spirit is driving your actions and decisions.

Crucifixion
He goes on to say, beginning in verse 22, that when the Holy Spirit is driving your life, the things that flow out of you are just as obvious to everyone as your sin once was. In other words, when the Spirit is controlling your actions, the things of God will naturally flow out of your lives.

He continues in verse 24, to make it clear that just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean that you never sin or never make a mistake. He says that those who belong to Christ have crucified their sinful nature, with its passions and desires. As we discussed on Sunday, crucifixion is often a very slow and painful process. Many times it takes years for the Spirit to fully crucify the things that once held us captive.

Does this mean that if you struggle with sin you do not have the Holy Spirit?
No not at all. In fact, in Romans 7, Paul paints a picture of his own struggle in dealing with Life in the Spirit and the tug of the sinful nature. In Galatians 5, Paul practically guarantees that there will always been a struggle because there are two sides going to war for your heart. He is merely addressing how the Christian is called to respond in the midst of that struggle by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How do I know I have the Holy Spirit?
Jesus is always good for keeping his word. If he says it — it will happen. Jesus promises on several occasions that he will send the Holy Spirit to live inside of Christians forever. This was not just a promise for the people of scripture, but a promise for us as well (Acts 2:38-39). So if you have turned from your old way of life (repented), if you have been baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins–then you have received the Holy Spirit. It’s a promise (John 14).

But what if the Holy Spirit doesn’t seem to be working in my life?
It is quite possible you have simply ignored his voice or his promptings. This is what 1 Thessalonians 5:19 is talking about when it says … “Do not quench the Spirit’s fire.” In other words, don’t stop the Holy Spirit’s work of refining your life. When we ignore the voice of the Spirit, it get’s harder for us to hear and see where and how he is working in our lives (Heb 3 and 4). When we do this, we do what Paul discusses in Galatians 5 … we gratify our sinful nature and in the end produce bad fruit.

What should I do if I’ve been ignoring the Holy Spirit?
There is great news for you. Simply apologize to God. Ask for forgiveness. Ask him to help you put to death your sinful nature, and begin to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit through your time in the Word, through prayer, through his inner promptings and so forth. It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always be obvious, but when we ask God with a humble heart to lead us … He always does.

Conclusion
Chances are this blog has not cleared up all of your questions. Christians for thousands of years have been wrestling with how this plays out in the every day arena of life. Don’t be discouraged. Be encouraged that God has given you a hunger to understand his ways deeper. That in and of itself is evidence that the Spirit of God is working in your life.

If you have more questions, send an email to Questions@ethoslove.com .

We used Acts 1:1-8 as a jumping off point for our time together, and then explored 5 dominant themes throughout the Book of Acts as Jesus empowered his disciples through the strength of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to His Glory in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth. Since I alluded to many scriptures on Sunday, I wanted to post them here so you could search the WORD for yourself.

Although this list is not exhaustive, it is all we had time to explore in our time together Sunday.

Background Verses Alluded to:
John 14 : The Promise of the Holy Spirit (listen in to our discussion of this chapter here)
John 16 : The Promise of the Holy Spirit’s work in the world (listen in to our discussion of this chapter here)
Luke 24 : Jesus’ pleading with his disciples to wait to be clothed with power from on High
1 Cor 15:3-8 :  Convincing Proof of the Resurrection

First Theme : Power to Witnesses Through Our Words
1 Cor 2:4
Acts 2 : Peter’s Sermon
Acts 4: 1-22 : Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin
Acts 7 : Stephen’s Speech in the Sanhedrin
Acts 8:4 : Scattered Believers
Acts 8:26-40 : Philip and the Ethiopian
Acts 14: 8-20 : Paul in Lystra and Derbe
* We could keep going because this takes place all throughout Acts, but we stopped here.

Second Theme : Power to Witness in Weakness
2 Cor 12:9 – Power made perfect in weakness
Acts 8 and 12 – Wrestling with death and loss
Acts 20-28 – When things end poorly for you

Third Theme : Power to be Witnesses of a Different Reality
Acts 3: Beggar at the Temple Courts
Acts 5 : Peter’s Shadow
Acts 19 : Paul’s Handkerchief and Casting Out Demons
Acts 20 : Defeating Death

Fourth Theme : Power to be Witnesses of Hope in a Hopeless World
Acts 8
Acts 12
Acts 20 and 21
Romans 15:13

Fifth Theme : Power to be Witnesses in Your Death
Acts 1:8
Philippians 3:10

In case you missed this prayer request last week you can find it by clicking here.

Prayer for 40 Days of Life
Every now and then there are great movements of prayer that sweep across our country. Movements where Christians of all shapes and sizes join in and pray that God will deliver people from pain and bondage. One of these prayer movements is 40 Days for Life. This is a great movement of prayer that I encourage you to take some time to pray for.

Other Prayer Requests
If you have things you would like our church family to be praying about, simply send an email to questions@ethoslove.com with the word “prayer” in the subject line. We will post them here each Monday so hundreds of people around Nashville and all across the country can join in to pray on your behalf.

PRAYER REQUEST
I’ve just received this email about Roberto Alvarez, who is evidently fighting hemorrhaging dengue fever right now in a Guatemala City hospital.  This is a life threatening condition and very serious. Roberto worked as Health Talent’s International (Christian Mission Organization) country director for a time several years back.  He is the minister of the Zone 18 church and a wonderful Christian man with a great family.  Please join me in praying for him at this time.

ABOUT US : Greetings to all of our brothers and  sisters in Christ at Ethos!  David (or Dave as I think you  all call him) is always sharing with me about the  wonderful things that God is doing among you there in  Nashville.  Amy and I are thrilled to know that you are  thinking of us and partnering with us in prayer in our  church planting work here in Vancouver, British  Columbia.  So let me share with you some about who we  are, and what we’re up to in Canada.

Amy grew up in the opposite corner of North America in  Port Charlotte, a town on the gulf coast of southern  Florida.  I was a Navy brat, and my family moved  wherever the Navy sent my dad.  My last two years of  high school landed me in Summerville, South Carolina  (where I met this nerdy little 9^th grader named David Clayton).  Amy and I met at Harding University where Amy was working towards a degree in education and I a Bible degree.  We started dating while I was working on a Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, and we got married the day after I graduated in 2005.  Amy also earned a Master’s in Education from Harding.

Our relationship began as each of us was meeting with a group that had a dream of planting a church in the Pacific Northwest.  Before we knew it, we fell in love, and we’ve been on an adventure together ever since.  After we married we lived in Searcy, Arkansas for a couple of years where Amy worked as a teacher and I worked as a therapist, and our walk with God was nurtured in our life with the Downtown Church of Christ.

In July of 2007 we quit our jobs, packed up our lives and moved to Eugene, Oregon.  Our plan was to live there for around 6 months while we waded through the process of getting our visas for Canada.  We ended up being in Eugene for 18 months!  While living there we worked in campus ministry at the University of Oregon and with a homeless drop in shelter for youth. These experiences were not only life changing but were also good training grounds for our work here in Canada.  During this phase of our marriage our faith was continually strengthened as we watched God provide for us month after month.

Finally, on December 15, 2008 we made the move across the border and started our new lives in Vancouver.  Since then we have been working with our partnering couple, Paul & Julie McMullen, at planting a new church; Amy obtained a degree from Vancouver Community College for teaching ESL; I’ve been working at starting a part time therapy private practice; and we had our first son, Elijah Hawk Etheridge.

About The Vine : The vision for The Vine, a church of Christ, started over 6 years ago amongst of group of Harding University students and graduates.  That group of students was whittled down eventually to two couples (us [the Etheridges] and Paul & Julie McMullen) with a vision for planting a multiplication based network of simple and organic churches in Vancouver, British Columbia.  We envision a large network of weekly intimate house church gatherings that all come together once per month for a time of celebration.  In February, 2009, the four of us gathered together and asked God for that to be the last time that it was just us four.  To this date, He has granted that request.

For the first half of 2009 we met together with another new church plant with a similar vision, LifeHouse Christian Church.  In August of 2009 we experienced our first multiplication and LifeHouse and The Vine began meeting separately.  We still gather with LifeHouse once per month for our celebration services.

Currently, The Vine consists corporately of one house church usually consisting of 8-12 people.  We gather weekly on Sunday evenings at Paul and Julie’s apartment.  Since one of our core values is multiplication we try to keep things simple so as to promote reproducibility.  Our gatherings are simple and casual.  From Sunday to Sunday the flow and order of our time together can look very different.  However, every Sunday includes a meal, time spent together in the Bible, singing praise to God, prayer, and communion.  Midweek, we gather in small groups of 2-4 which we call Life Groups.  Life Groups provide a safe place to explore God’s word together, confess sin, and pray for one another and for friends who do not yet know Jesus.

From a corporate standpoint (meaning if you look at our times together on Sundays and mid-week) The Vine is still very much a small baby church.  However, we are still in the gathering phase as a young church, and it becomes very difficult to measure The Vine when you start looking at neighborhood connections.  Much of our work here in the first year and a half has been simply adjusting to a new country, city, and culture, and trying to network in our neighborhood.  If you were to measure community at The Vine by counting all the people in our neighborhood who have visited, served in service projects, or engaged in vision type discussions about The Vine the number would probably reach upwards of 100.  So we view ourselves as missionaries in our neighborhood whose job is to network, connect, volunteer, and vision cast in each pocket of people that we come in contact with.  In everything we do we are asking for God’s favor and looking for opportunities to plant seeds for His Kingdom.  At the same time we are trying to disciple the group of people that has committed to The Vine already.  This group consists of some mature Christians, some brand new Christians, and some who have not yet made faith commitments to Christ.

Here are a few practical ways you can spread the word.
1.) Tell everyone you know personally.
2.) Post it on Twitter and Facebook.
3.) Send a smoke signal.
4.) Text your friends that have been out of town the last few weeks to let them know.
5.) Write a note and tie it to a real live pigeon.
6.) Invite someone by talking to them face to face.
7.) Knit a Scarf with the new Gathering Times in bright colors.
8.) Ask someone personally.
9.) Tell Everyone You Know
10.) Spread the word any way possible.

How will you spread the word?

Well, I’ve been spending a lot of days lately working  at Al-Basma with my new mentally handicapped  friends. I’ve especially been helping make the  recycled paper from which they make notebooks and  Christmas cards. I also helped put up some curtains  in their guest house over the last week. Sharing in  the joy and the smiles has been incredible. I wish I  knew how to adequately put into words what it is  like to see music speak to them in such a powerful  way, or to explain how intensely the presence and  grace of Jesus is revealed here through these people.

I have also been working at the Paidia climbing  wall on the weekends. Many nights we go to the  park and watch the World Cup game that they  project onto a big screen each evening. It seems weird to think that something that is such a big deal here is hardly cared about in the US. It is a beautiful thing that this place, which was once a Jordanian military base and then an Israeli military base, is now such a nice park and a place where the community gathers to celebrate the excitement and participate in the atmosphere of the World Cup.

Last night I walked halfway down the valley that sits behind our apartment. Even after 4 weeks here, the view still takes my breath away. I haven’t yet gotten used to it or begun taking it for granted. The night before that, Paul and I walked down into the valley. We saw a shepherd leading his sheep in front of us. I told Paul I wondered how different this place looked in the time of Jesus. It is easy to imagine that it looked then quite similar to how it looks now. Perhaps the shepherds were here in this valley when they heard the announcement that Jesus had been born. It seems likely that 1000 years before that David may have brought his flock here, right outside of his hometown of Bethlehem. Maybe he sat on this very rock and wrote a psalm here, long before he ever became king.

I walk back there today. I enjoy the stillness and the quiet. Everything seems so peaceful. I look around and I can see so much of this great world. I see the houses up on the hilltops, the fields down in the valley. There are some children at the bottom, playing under some olive trees. I see a shepherd with his flock over on the side of the mountain. I close my eyes. And I simply listen.

What strikes me first is what I do not hear. I hear no cars, no traffic. Back home, when I try this exercise, even out in the midst of cornfields, it seems I can almost always here traffic in the distance. But here, it is different. I hear children laughing. I can’t even see them, but their voices carry from the hilltop on the other side. I hear a soccer ball being kicked. I listen to the sound of sheep and a dog is barking somewhere in the distance. Now I hear a bee buzzing around my head and music, coming from somewhere far off, reaches my ears. The sun sets. The moon is almost full. I see the Big Dipper and the North Star. The same moon and the same stars and constellations that I look at back home. I look toward Bethlehem and I see a particularly bright planet or star that seems to be resting right above it.

A few minutes later I stop at the store to buy some water. Right as I leave a shepherd brings his flock across the street and steps into the store to buy some things. As I make the short walk back to my apartment from the store, the shepherd’s dog walks beside me and about 60 sheep and goats follow us. The shepherd catches up in a few minutes, but apparently the sheep dog knows where to guide the animals entrusted to his care. I walk down the dusty road, carrying my groceries, I hear the evening call to prayer in the distance, the fifth and final call of the day, I exchange glances with the dog walking at my side, and look back at our unusual entourage. And we walk on together, under the bright moonlight, down the streets of Palestine.

Back in June I spent a two week period in Cap-Haitien, a  city on the northern coast of Haiti. After the earthquake  many of the victims were sent to hospitals in Cap-  Haitien to receive wound treatment as the Port-Au-  Prince area was basically reduced to rubble. While in  Cap, I worked in a Catholic Hospital and another small  clinic in the area. Dave asked me to do a small write up  on what I saw God doing in Haiti. The truth is it was  very difficult for me to decide what to write about. I saw  desperate people everywhere I looked, but finding God in  that place was not easy. The people of Haiti are  outwardly desperate for food, jobs, and clean water, but  most of them don’t even realize what they are truly  desperate for. They are desperate for Jesus Christ. While  there are many Haitians they do know Jesus, the  majority are engaged in the Voodoo culture, and this group includes the 80 % of Haitians that are professing Catholics. It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around, but while they attend mass almost every morning and proclaim Jesus, their ultimate authority is almost always a Voodoo priest or priestess.

I quickly realized that Satan’s stronghold over Haiti is greed and a lust for money. The few Haitians that truly know Jesus are free of this greed, but most Haitians are consumed by it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet but a few Haitians that aren’t driven by greed, and for this reason I had a lot of difficulty trying to see God’s work. But the more I think about it, the more God reveals to me that He is at work in that place just as He is anywhere else in this world, though it may be a little more tainted in Haiti. I felt God pushing me to write about Shada, the other clinic that I worked at while in Cap-Haitien, so here it is.

On the first Wednesday that I was in Haiti, we gathered some supplies from the Hospital and made our way to Shada. Right in the heart of the city, Shada is more or less a picture perfect description of the meaning of the word “slum.” We stopped on the side of the road, grabbed our bags, and a young boy met us and walked us through a maze of cramped alleys back to the clinic. Many of the alleys were smaller than shoulder width, and we had to turn sideways in order to get through. We also had to be mindful not to step in the water that was flowing through every alley. This water, in which children with swollen bellies and reddened hair due to malnutrition walk barefoot through every day, is actually the sewage system for the community. The backside of the community runs into an inlet from the sea, and the shore is darkened muck literally covered in trash. The water directly off of the shore is black, and it’s not uncommon to see people bathing in it.

Madam Bwa, the overseer of the community, runs the clinic. Madam Bwa is a midwife who has delivered probably every baby in that community. She’s pretty much in charge of that area, and I heard from many people that we would not have been welcome in Shada without her permission. Currently, this clinic is funded by a group in Florida. They provide enough money to the clinic for one Doctor to come to the clinic one day each week. If someone is sick on a day other than when the doctor is in, they’ll have to wait another week for her to come back. It’s really a terrible situation, especially considering some of the patients that we saw. Tuberculosis is rampant in this area, and due to the close living quarters, more and more people are getting it all the time. Though we could write prescriptions for TB medication, we couldn’t actually give it to them and knew that they would never be able to afford it. That was a tough situation to get past considering we saw at least 3 children under the age of 2 that probably had TB. Since being back, I’ve gotten word that a few children that we saw have died because they couldn’t afford to go anywhere else and because it wasn’t the day that the doctor was in. Again, it’s a truly awful situation. I know this all seems very much like a downer, but like I said before I am now seeing how God is working in this area.

I went to Haiti with Randy Moore, an RN from Atlanta. He’s been back and forth ever since the earthquake, working mostly out of the Catholic Hospital. Randy felt God’s call to go to Haiti, quit his job, and went with it, and I can see now that God is using people like him to bring the message of Hope to the Haitians. The greatest thing that God has revealed to Randy about why he should be in Haiti is not to just help people, but rather to teach them how to help each other. Most importantly, Randy is loving these people. He is kind and generous to them and actually tries to invest himself in their lives. That is something that shocks most Haitians, and it really only causes them to ask questions about why Randy is the way he is. The only answer Randy can give, the only answer any of us can give when good comes from us, is that it is from Jesus and not ourselves. And that is what God is doing in Haiti.

I do not believe that God caused an earthquake in Haiti. I do not believe that God was punishing the Haitians for their enslavement to Voodoo. I do believe that God allowed the earthquake to happen and is now using it to awaken His people to a part of the world that we have seemingly forgotten. He is using people like Randy. He is using people from all over the world to lift up these broken people. However, we can send food, clothes, water, and anything, but like I said before, the Haitians are desperate for Jesus Christ. They are desperate for His Spirit to flow through them and give them the peace, hope, and love that is Jesus. I have read articles talking about the “Hope of Haiti” being their resilient nature and drive to get back on the feet. In reality the Hope of Haiti is the Hope of all people and all nations. Their Hope is Jesus Christ. God is using His people in that place, and He is moving in ways that I couldn’t see until He opened my eyes to it. He is using ordinary people like you and me, just like He always has, to bring the Glory of Jesus to the Haitians and all peoples of the world. It’s really a beautiful thing. I am thankful to be a part of it.

God bless you all,

Burton Wood

Randy is heading back to Haiti in September, and he’s going to be working more closely with the clinic in Shada. He’s raising money so that they can expand their clinic and have doctors for several days each week rather than just on Wednesday. If you have any interest in helping out financially or even going down to be a loving presence to these people you can contact Randy at ramoo76@gmail.com. And if you have any questions about anything else feel free to contact me at woodcb@mail.lipscomb.edu or come find me at the 5:00 pm service!

Although it does not take many people to make each service happen, we believe it is vital to involve as many people as possible so our Volunteers do not get burned out, and so more people can experience the joy of serving in Jesus’ church.

So this fall, we are asking that every person in our church commits to serving on 1 volunteer team at 1 of our Worship Gatherings only once a month. So in one calendar year, you will only serve on Sunday 12 times. In a calendar year, we have 156 Sunday Worship Gatherings … we are asking you to help in a small fraction of them.

Our next Volunteer Training Day is Sunday, August 22nd at 1 PM (more details coming soon). If you are interested in signing up for one of our Volunteer teams you can do so at church this Sunday in the lobby.

Will you be a Volunteer? We cannot do it without you!

Despite many of our University students being gone for the summer, and other Ethos regulars being gone due to busy summer schedules — we saw hundreds of new people find their place with us at Ethos Church.

As we look to the end of summer, we eagerly anticipate the return of our University students, those that have been displaced by hectic schedules, and all those that will be joining us for the first time.

As we have often said, we would never throw a dinner party at our house and not have enough seats for our dinner guests, and so we refuse to invite our friends to church if we don’t plan on making room for them around the table.

So beginning Sunday, August 29th, we will be adding a third service. Just like our current two service format, all three services will be the same.

Ethos Church Fall Schedule (Starting 8.29.10)
Worship Gathering Times : (10:30 AM, 5 PM, and 7 PM)

We pray adding a third service will provide another opportunity for your friends and family to come to know Jesus and grow in their faith with our family at Ethos. Spread the word and we will see you Sunday.

To find out why we are not gathering at the Cannery this week click here.

To find out what we are doing instead and how you and your friends can be the church together click here.

If you would like the recipe for our communion bread to make and take in your homes click here.

Although this week will be different than normal, I pray it is a blessing to you and those that are gathering in your home. Pray for all of the believers that will be gathering all over the city, and then enjoy connecting with your friends and family as you eat good barbecue and watch fireworks later that night. Love you guys and we will see on July 11th at 5 PM and 7 PM.

ONE : PRAY

Spend some time just asking God to open up your heart and mind to his word. Ask him to reveal to you exactly what he wants to reveal.

TWO : Read Isaiah 45:5-8

Read Isaiah 45:5-8 aloud. Read it slowly. Imagine God sitting across the table from you, speaking these words directly to you:

(5) I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (6) so that from the rising of the sun, to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. (7) I form the light and create the darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. (8) You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.

THREE : Reflect

a.) What word or phrase jumps out at you?

b.) When you hear God speaking these words to you, what do you imagine?

c.) Read verse 8 again slowly. What do you imagine?

FOUR : Commune

With those that are present, take the bread and the wine. Now allow each person to share with the group how they have seen this passage from Isaiah fulfilled in the life of Jesus. How is Jesus making this text true today?

FIVE : Read Isaiah 45:5-8 again

Read it slowly. Read it once or read it several times.

SIX : Reflect in Silence

Chew on the words of this passage silently. Let them soak in deeply. Let them stir your heart.

SEVEN : Pray

The scriptures tell us that the Word of the Lord never returns void. In other words, when God’s Word goes it, it always accomplishes what he desires. Spend some time praying that God will use His Word from Isaiah 45 to accomplish in you today what he desires.

ONE : It’s Not All About Sundays
Although our Sunday Worship Gatherings play a vital role in the life of our church family, there is much more to being a church than simply gathering on Sundays. We gather each Sunday to celebrate, remember, and refuel for the mission God is calling us to. It is a time of encouragement, a time when we are challenged to live out our relationship with Jesus. It is really important, but it is not everything. In fact we believe what happens Monday thru Saturday is just as important. The early church understood this — we are seeking to understand this as well. So when we have to change our times and locations last minute from time to time we try to keep that in mind.

TWO : Being a Blessing
Sometimes we move our times and locations as a way of simply blessing the guys that own the Cannery and the Mercy Lounge. The truth is, they cut us a great deal to gather there for worship. Occasionally, it would serve them better to use the venue on a Sunday Night for another event. After all, this is the way they make a living. So occasionally, we move our times and locations simply as a way of blessing their lives and their business. I believe that partnering with Jesus followers should be the easiest and most rewarding way to do business. Hopefully the guys at the Cannery feel that way, and hopefully your flexibility plays a vital role in demonstrating that.

THREE : We Adapt for Things We  Care About
Although it is a bit inconvenient to change things up, the truth is we all adapt for the things we care about. If you are a football fan and they change the kickoff time, you adapt. If you go to a movie and the showing you were interested in is sold out, you go to the later show. You get the point. We adapt for the things we care about.

In 2009, we had to move our worship time or location 12 times. In 2010, we have only had to do this 4 times. Thanks for being so flexible when this does happen — especially when it happens 3 times in one month. Thank you for your commitment to Jesus and the church he is building in downtown Nashville. I’m so glad to call you guys my church family.

See you guys Sunday at 10:30 am!

If you’re looking for great Nashville live music, then you’ll not want to miss the next episode of Tokens on June 4, 2010. Tokens presents its tenth installment, “Deluge, Hope, and Patience.” Lee C. Camp, The Most Outstanding Horeb Mountain Boys, and The Tokens Radio Players will be joined by Over the Rhine, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, and Buddy Greene.

For Nashville Flood Victims and Flood Relief Workers: complimentary tickets available to you for the June 4 show. Call the Allen Arena Box office at 615 966 7075 for more information.

when: Wed, June 2nd / 6:30 pm – stay as long as you’d like
where: Sevier Park (1000 Clayton Ave, Nashville 37204). This is the park on 12th South near Las Paletas. *what to bring?:* $5 for your food (the sign up sheet got lost on Sunday Night), your friends, and anything you might want to play with in the park (frisbee, softball, etc). Feel free to get there early or come late, but we will be eating around 6:30 pm.

ETHOS NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT
Thanks for being so flexible with the venue change last night. We will be back in the Cannery next week at our normal times 5PM and 7PM. We will be starting a new series so bring a Bible, and your friends. See you next week.

EPHESIANS THURS NIGHT SMALL GROUP
Another part of this summer’s Mid Week Schedule will be an intense study through the Book of Ephesians. This will be a great opportunity to go deeper in the Word in an intimate setting. Space is limited to 20 people and only 10 spots are left. If you are interested email Chad Harrington (robertchadharrington@gmail.com). This group begins Thurs June 10th and lasts 6 weeks.

Can you help? If so, please shoot an email to ethoschurch@gmail.com. Thanks!

The Guards Mock Jesus
(63) The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. (64) They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” (65) And they said many other insulting things to him.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
(66) At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. (67) “If you are the Christ,^[d^]” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, (68) and if I asked you, you would not answer. (69) But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” (70) They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”  He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” (71) Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

Luke 23
(1) Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. (2) And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,^[a^] a king.” (3) So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  ”Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. (4) Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” (5) But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea^[b^]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” (6) On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. (7) When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

(8) When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. (9) He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. (10) The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. (11) Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. (12) That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

(13) Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, (14) and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. (15) Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. (16) Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.”^[c^{] (18) With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (19) (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) (20) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. (21) But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (22) For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (23) But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. (24) So Pilate decided to grant their demand. (25) He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.}

The Crucifixion
(26) As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (27) A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. (28) Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. (29) For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ (30) Then ” ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”  and to the hills, “Cover us!” ‘^[d^] (31) For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (32) Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. (33) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. (34) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[e^] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (35) The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (36) The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar (37) and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” (38) There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (39) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (40) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? (41) We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (42) Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[f^]“ (43) Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus’ Death
(44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, (45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. (46) Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (47) The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” (48) When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. (49) But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Other Passages
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Cor 1:18

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. – Gal 6:14

By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. – Ephesians 2:15-17

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! – Phil 2:8

For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. – Phil 3:18

And through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. – Col 1:20

Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. – Col 2:14 – 15

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— Romans 3:25

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. – Romans 4:7

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” – Romans 4:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:19

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. — For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.– The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. –In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:5-11

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Cor 5:18-21

This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. – Acts 2:23

ETHOS KIDS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
In case you have not noticed, we recently began Ethos Kids, a ministry dedicated to serving families with children ages (0-9 years old). Ethos Kids meets during the 5 PM Worship Gathering every Sunday Night. Currently, we are in need of more volunteers to serve in this wonderful ministry. All volunteers will be required to get a background check through Ethos Church before serving in this capacity. If you are interested in ministering to Kids and their families, simply shoot us an email at questions@ethoslove.com. Thanks.

This morning, several of us were able to make it over to visit our friends that live in Tent City. Due to their location next to the river, the water level was between 2 and 4 ft deep throughout most of the camp. The families that are living there have lost everything. With the help of Doug Sanders and the OC Family, and the folks at Church on Church St., we were able to evacuate approx. 50 people from Tent City this morning and relocate them to the Red Cross Shelter at Lipscomb University.

Over the next several days there are going to be lots of opportunities to help those directly affected by the flooding. Please check back frequently to see how you can help.

Love you guys. Thanks for being the church.

+ We added a 3rd Service for Easter Sunday at 11 AM. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but you guys stepped up in a huge way and invited a lot of your friends. We had over 200 people at our first ever morning service.
+ Ethos Kids was in full swing for its second week, and all of the Ethos Kids Volunteers did a great job providing a clean, safe place for Kids to learn about Jesus at the 11 AM and 5 PM.
+ For those of you at the 5 PM, Chris Ferguson’s words at the end reminded me just how thankful I am for our church family.
+ We saw people recommit their lives at every service to Jesus, and people begin a relationship with him for the first time at every Service as well.
+ We had more than 100 Volunteers serve on Easter Sunday. You guys are incredible.
+ We had more than 700 people attend our 3 Worship Gatherings. It was amazing to see so many new faces.
+ Will and the worship band led us in a big way in all three services.
+ We kicked off 40 Days in the City by having lots of people sign up to serve our city as a way of simply living out the resurrection
+ Brooke and Courtney, and the rest of the volunteers did a great job serving 3 meals to hundreds of people
+ And of course major props to our Set Up, Tear Down, Welcome, Connect, and AV Teams. You guys were awesome.
+ I could go on and on, but that is all for now.

It is such an honor to lead this church, and I love you guys very much. Easter is just a reminder that God has a lot left to do in our city … I’m glad we get to be a small part of that.

We are in need of some extra volunteer help for Easter Sunday. Below are several opportunities that need a few extra sets of hands. These opportunities are one week commitments for Easter Sunday only.To sign up, simply email (ethoschurch@gmail.com) with the Volunteer opportunity in the subject line. The coordinator of each team will contact you in the next few days regarding next steps.

Saturday Afternoon Set Up Team
We need 5-6 people that can help us on Saturday, April 3rd from 4-6 pm as we set up for Easter Sunday.

Easter Lunch Set Up Crew
We need roughly 10 people that can help set up the Mercy Lounge for our Easter Meals. You would need to get to the Cannery at 10 am and you would be finished at 1 pm.

11 AM Welcome Team
We need 10 people that can help create a welcoming environment for our 11 AM Worship Gathering.

Easter Dinner Clean Up Crew
We need 10 people that can help with serving dinner and cleaning up from 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm. This would be an ideal opportunity for someone planning to attend the 11 am Worship Gathering.

Clean Up Crew
We need 10 people that can help us get the Cannery and the Mercy Lounge back in order after a long day. These volunteers will serve from 8:15 pm – 9:30 pm as we sweep up, take out the trash, and pack up all of our equipment.

FOUR THINGS WE ARE ASKING FOR EASTER
We are asking that every person in our church do four things as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus not just on Easter Sunday but in the weeks that follow as well.

ONE : Sign Up for a Worship Gathering
As a church our desire is to provide a place where every person in our church can invite their friends every week. Since many of you have friends that only think about Jesus around Christmas and Easter we want to create extra space on these days. With that being said, we will be adding a special 11 am Worship Gathering on Easter Sunday.

Regardless of which Worship Gathering you are planning to attend, can you email (questions@ethoslove.com) letting us know if you and your guest will be attending (11 am, 5 pm, or 7 pm Worship Gathering)? This will help us as we plan for food and seating.

TWO : Invite your Friends
This is really self explanatory. Will you commit to inviting your friends that don’t know Jesus to celebrate with us? One of the reasons Ethos Church exists is to share the love of Jesus with those that do not yet know him. So who are you bringing with you on Easter Sunday and beyond?

THREE : Eat a Meal
We don’t simply want our friends to attend a Worship Gathering, we want our friends to experience the joy of Christian Community. So on Easter Sunday, there will be a free meal for you and your guests to share in at each worship experience .

FOUR : Serve our City
Finally, we are asking that you and your friends join us in serving our city. Beginning with Easter, we are going to spend the next 40 Days Blessing our city through service. There will be service opportunities to sign up for every Sunday Night from Easter through the end of May. This will be a great way to celebrate the reality that Jesus is alive and well in our city and beyond.

So what do you need to do?

ONE : Choose a Worship Gathering
TWO : Bring your friends
THREE : Eat a Meal
FOUR : Serve Our City

Be praying that God moves in big ways not simply on Easter, but each and everyday. See you Sunday Night!

• Romans 8:14,15
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 3:26
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

• .
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

• Galatians 3:26,28
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

• Galatians 4:6.7
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, ” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Romans 8:17
Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

• 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

• Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

• Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

• 1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

• 1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

• John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

• Romans 6:18
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God

• Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

• Colossians 3:3
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

• Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness,how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything,except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

• Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

• 2 Peter 1:4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

• Colossians 3:4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

• Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience 1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you

• 1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

• Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

• 1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

• 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priest hood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

• 1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

• John 3:3-6
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

• 1 Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

• 2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

• Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

• Revelations 5:9
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

• Revelations 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

In particular, the roads in and around the Cannery have not been cleared by Snow Plows, and the Parking Lot and drive into the Cannery (which is a hill) are still solid ice. With temperatures scheduled to dip into the low 20′s later this afternoon, getting in and out of the Cannery will be nearly impossible if you don’t have four-wheel drive on your vehicle.

That being said, here are a couple of things :

1.) We challenge you to spend some time in prayer, scripture reading, and communion with your friends, family, roommates or neighbors. Just because we aren’t meeting as an entire church does not mean we aren’t meeting.
2.) House Churches WILL MEET this week at 7 PM
3.) Check back here tomorrow for details regarding Superbowl Sunday.

It’s going to be a great week. Enjoy this beautiful day, and spend some time worshipping Jesus.

Ethos this Sun (5 PM and 7 PM)
Last week was an incredible week at Ethos. This week we will be back to our regular schedule with worship gatherings at 5 PM and 7 PM. We are asking that you help us out with a couple of things :

1.) Invite someone new to Ethos this week
2.) Spend some time praying for our time together and for our city
3.) Bring a Bible if you have one and come ready to worship
4.) We will be in Luke 3 this week. Read ahead.

Popcorn’s Funeral Arrangements (Friday, 6 PM)
Just a reminder that the Memorial Service for Popcorn will be held at 6 PM tonight. You can find out more specifics and get directions here. We believe the place is going to be packed tonight so if you can carpool please do so. Immediately following the Memorial Service, there will be a dinner at Matt Preston’s home. If you plan on coming to eat, please bring one food dish to share with a few others.

Relief for Haiti (this Sun)
By now I’m sure you have all heard about the tragedy in Haiti. This Sunday Night you are going to have an incredible opportunity to make an impact. Bring cash / check book, and come with a willing heart. It will be great getting to make a difference together.

House Churches
House Churches get started next Wednesday, January 20th at 7 PM. You will have an opportunity to sign up for a house church this Sunday Night at both the 5 PM and the 7 PM. If you would like to find out more about house churches click here. Our prayer is that every person in the Ethos Community will be connected in a House Church this spring.

Below I have included the details for the Memorial Service, and how you can help if interested.

Memorial Service
when : Friday, January 15th at 6 pm
where : Holmes Funeral Home Chapel / 1408 Jo Johnson Ave / Nashville, TN
details : Immediately following the memorial service there will be a dinner at the home of Matt Preston (2004 Heiman St, Nashville, TN 37208)

Financial Assistance
If you or anyone you know is interested in helping cover the costs of Popcorn’s funeral, make checks payable to Ethos Church at 3 Cannery Row / Suite 101 / Nashville, TN 37203. Specify “Popcorn” in the subject line.

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.

+ 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.

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.

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).

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.

Have fun.

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

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.

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).

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.

As you think about your plans for tonight, ask yourself one simple question — “Who do I need to include?”

Now before you fill in the blank, don’t take the easy way out. It would be easy to think of one of your closest friends. Let’s stretch ourselves a bit. Who do you know that won’t have any plans tonight? Who do you know that may be eating dinner alone tonight?

You don’t have to commit your entire evening. Maybe you just decide to share a meal. Look for an intentional opportunity to include someone tonight who is not typically included by you or others. As we celebrate the Christmas Season today, give the gift of inclusion.

Who will be your third wheel tonight?

Day Three : Buy Coffee for a Stranger
This one is pretty self explanatory. Sometime today buy a complete stranger a cup of coffee. Trust me, this won’t be as weird as it seems. When you are standing in line behind someone, simply hand the cashier your money and place your order as you pay for both of your orders. At first they will be stunned, maybe they will try to refuse…but stay strong. Just smile, and say “Merry Christmas.” Encourage them to spread the holiday cheer.

This one is so much fun you may even try this more than once. Have fun living generously.

Day 2 : Write a Letter
Okay we are going to start small. Yesterday you made a list of people you want to bless this Christmas Season. Today you are going to pick one person off of that list. Maybe you choose a parent, or a sibling, maybe a friend from college that you haven’t spoken to in awhile….I could go on, but you get the point.

Now today’s challenge is simple. Get out a piece of paper, or a card, or a piece of that monogrammed stationary you never use and write them a letter. Don’t send an email, don’t write them a message through facebook. Write them a good old fashioned letter. In a day and age where everything is so instant, getting a thoughtful letter can really go a long way.

Take some time to think about what you want to say, and then say it. This Christmas Gift will cost you less than fifty cents but I guarantee you it will have a big impact on the person you mail it to. Who knows, it may even be the most meaningful gift they receive this year.

So I know this is tough. You are going to have to buy a stamp, walk to the mailbox, and even worse learn how to write again, but I think it will be worth it. Alright, let’s do this. See you tomorrow.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite aspects of Christmas was making a list to give to Santa. I remember in great detail asking for a Nintendo, Lego sets, footballs, bicycles, and everything else under the sun. I never understood how Santa could make a Nintendo that looked just like the one in the stores without infringing on copyright laws, but he always managed to pull it off. Year after year I would make my list, put it in a sealed envelope and mail it to Santa.

Over the years this hasn’t changed all that much. Of course I don’t write lists to Santa, but now I tell my wife, friends, and family what it is I want each year. If there is ever any confusion over what I am asking for I send them an email, or point it out in the store … that way they can get it just right.

Without climbing onto my soapbox, I want this year to be different. Instead of making a list of all the things I want people to give me, I want to make a list of the things I can give to others.

Can you imagine how powerful it would be if every person in our church made a new kind of list this Christmas? What if 500 something people committed to GIVE THEIR LIVES AWAY for the sake of those around them. What if you decided to consistently bless those around you? What if they did the same? What if this little idea spread, and one by one thousands of people came to experience the tangible presence of Jesus through small actions each day? I don’t know about you, but I think it would be incredible.

Are you in?

Each day there will be a new challenge posted on this blog for us to try together. Here is your first challenge.

Give Your Life Away
Day 1 : Make a New Kind of List
Alright, pretend you are a kid. Get out a piece of paper, or pull up a new doc on your computer and start typing out the names of people you want to bless this Christmas season. There are no limitations. Write down the names of your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Get creative. Make your list. Check it twice. Let’s get ready to make the lives of those around us better. We will use this list as a starting point for Giving Away Our Lives this Christmas.

This should be fun. Let’s go.

This Sunday Night we will be back to two services (5 PM and 7 PM) at the Cannery Ballroom. If you need directions click here. Also, every Wednesday Night, our church family gathers in homes all across the city from 7 pm – 8:15 pm for a time of prayer, fellowship and Bible Study. If you are looking to get connected, house churches are a great place start. If you are interested in getting connected with a house church, simply email Brandon Steele (steelebn@lipscomb.edu).

Who are you inviting?

Since we believe Jesus is the giver of life and hope, we believe inviting people to connect with our church family is an important way to display our love for God and for people. So with that being said, who are you inviting to Ethos each week? Our prayer is that this will be a consistent element of our church family every single week.

Volunteer at Ethos

Currently we need some volunteers to help in three areas. First we need several committed folks to help set up the Cannery each Sunday Night. The set up team arrives at 2:45 pm each Sunday to unload the trailer and set up the chairs. Second, we need several committed folks from the 7 PM Worship Gathering to serve on our Welcome Team. The Welcome Team arrives 30 minutes before the 7 PM service to help welcome first time guest. Finally, we need several committed folks to serve on our A/V Team. Our AV team is in charge of setting up our PA, running sound, and breaking down the equipment each week.

Serve Our City

It has been an exciting month at Ethos. Each Sunday Night we have been collecting can goods to feed hungry families in Nashville. We will continue to collect cans throughout the month of November. Thank you for bringing cans each Sunday.

On Sunday Night, our church family embraced the difficult news that Popcorn is fighting the AIDs virus. Thanks to your generosity, we have gotten Popcorn off of the street and currently moved he and Jim into the Casablanca Apartments off of Murfreesboro Rd. We also helped Brian and Anna get into housing in the Casey Homes over in East Nashville. Their baby is due in the next couple of weeks so this comes at a great time. Both of these families need food, toiletry items, and basic hygiene products. If you can help, simply bring these products with you on Sunday Night and drop them off at the “SERVE” banner in the lobby. More importantly, we need some folks from Ethos to really roll up their sleeves to walk along side of these families. We need folks to share meals with them, study the Bible, set up movie nights … quite simply be family during this transitional period. If you can help, please email Ilex at (Serve@ethoslove.com)

Ethos Photography Class

Justin Wright is beginning a free photography class before Ethos beginning this Sunday. This class is free and open to everyone. In fact, it is a great opportunity to connect with others at Ethos, and also a great opportunity to invite a friend that might not be connected to church. This class will meet at the Cannery Ballroom. For more info visit Ethos Artists.

Young Marrieds / Couples Group

Two Sunday Mornings a month, Jon and Pam Shoulders lead a discussion looking at what it means to have a Christ Centered relationship. If you don’t know Jon and Pam, they are a dynamic couple that have a deep desire to see young couples find a deeper relationship with Jesus. This group meets from 10-11:15 am. If you are interested in participating, email Jon at (jshoulders@friendshipchristian.org).

God cares about us so much that He wants to know every little thing that we desire. Lean on God and talk to Him all day long. He is there for you and is always there to listen. So I challenge you this week to simply speak to Him, ask Him for help, send Him the praise He deserves and ask for His grace and forgiveness. Gods unending love will be there to guide you throughout all of your days. When you wake, talk to Him. When your working, talk to Him. When your driving, talk to Him. When your watching TV, turn it off, and talk to Him. He is there to listen to you, whenever you are ready to talk. If you learn to live a disciplined Prayer life your life will change in ways that you could have never imagined. God will become the center of your life and not just a part of your life. My prayer for you this week is that God may work in your heart and you will be transformed by His love and His ever-listening ear. Amen.

—————– (Message from Paul) —————————————

To my Brothers and Sisters, I moved here in May after graduating from college and since then I have struggled to find my faith, to find what God wants for me in this life. Since attending Ethos, I have been challenged to allow Him to take control. I especially appreciate finding brothers and sisters here I can relate to. I attend the house church that Daniel Hudgins and Josh Martin head up and I feel I have found a place to contribute, to serve my Lord. I rejoice for these blessings, but still need prayers. I had a seasonal job for a couple of months, but have been unemployed since August. So here I am, humbly asking my family for advice about finding a job here in Nashville. I know the Lord has called me to paint, to create, to bring beauty to mankind, but I need to find a more consistent form of income. I have been looking for sometime by myself. Now I know I don’t have to do this alone. I would appreciate any help that can be extended. In Love, Paul Shoulders

—————- (Julie’s Message) —————————————————–

Each morning on my way to work, I like to take the first few minutes of my drive to talk to God.  It started a couple of years ago, because I needed to ask him for something, but as I continued to do it each day I began to realize spending each day by starting it off in prayer effected how my day turned out.  I found this time with God to be more and more enjoyable each day.  Often times when prayer becomes a daily, hourly (or however often) routine….it becomes exactly as worded – a routine.  Routine is something that I never want if it means that I am going to be stagnant in my prayer time with God.  I’m personally looking forward to this month’s challenge, because it helps me to ask deeper questions and refocus my thought and to make sure I am being purposeful in my prayer.

I love this verse, I think it sums up prayer perfectly:

Phillipians 4:6 – Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.  With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am coming before you to pray for our church.  I pray that we are loving our city the way you would love our city, that we are seeking to spread your word uncontrollably, and that we are glorifying your Name in all that we do.  We love you and thank you for your sacrifice that you made and I pray that we honor your name.  In Jesus’ Name Amen!

After all, moving locations every so often serves as a great reminder that church has NOTHING to do with where we meet.  Our only purpose is giving our hearts to Jesus. I can’t wait to gather together tomorrow night.

Bring a friend and a Bible.

We are thankful that Rocketown has graciously allowed us to use their venue. Although it is a hassle to move locations, this is literally the best case scenario. What more can you ask for when you are trying to relocate nearly 600 people with just a few days notice? God is good. Thanks to Rocketown and the Cannery for allowing us to partner with them.

Directions to Rocketown
(click here)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1.) Tell everyone you know that Ethos will meet at Rocketown this Sunday (1 week only) @ 5 pm
2.) Post it on facebook, twitter, write blogs, send emails, texts, or just tell someone
3.) Carpool
4.) Bring a friend with you that doesn’t go to church, and Bring a Bible
5.) Pray for God to do something huge among us this Sunday Night

I don’t know about all of you, but the 30 Days of Red Letters has made such an impact on how much time I’ve spent in the Word these past 27 days. To have a certain verse that I can concentrate on or look back on throughout the day has been so helpful in bringing me back to what is most important in each day. There have been so many times when I have felt rushed, stressed, and tired–but looking at the red letters for that day put everything in perspective and brought me back to why we are given a chance to start over each day.

As we venture out of the discipline of study and move into the discipline of prayer during October, I encourage you to find a way to hold onto a certain verse each day of the month of October, and make scripture something that you can hold onto each day of the year, instead of just diving into the word on Sunday and Wednesday nights.

One of my favorite verses was the red letter verse of the day for September 22nd, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent,” John 6:29.

If we are going to believe in the one that He has sent, I want to be able to know and take cover in the words that He spoke while walking on this earth, and I think one of the best ways to really know the word of God and His Son is to be in it each and every day of the year.

Here are the readings for this week.

Sunday, September 27th
If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. – Matthew 19:39b-41

Wednesday, September 30th
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – John 3:16-18

I’ve thought really hard about what it means to me to “study”.  There’s definitely more to it than just reading.  One thing that’s really fun about studying is how you can read something one time and it means nothing. Then, when you read it again, it means something so powerful it moves you.  I often try to interpret what the Bible says and apply it to my life before I even understand it.  So my first mission while reading ought to be determining what it actually says.  Only after I understand what it’s trying to say should I even attempt to ask what it means to me. I had heard of people going on personal spiritual retreats, but had never done one myself.  Preface to this story: I am in no way a Bible scholar or a mountain of spiritual knowledge.

This past weekend I spent two days at a monastery called the Abbey of Gethsemani.  By myself. No phone. No iPod. I had only my journal and the books Crazy Love, Fathered by God, and the Bible.  Over the course of a normal business day I probably send and receive over 100 emails, 100 texts, and spend upwards of 6 hours on the phone.  This Abbey was quite the contrast to my life. I was silent for two days.  I read intently, took notes, and prayed.

It’s so tough getting past your own sin to concentrate on the word of God when you’re in that intimate of a setting. I prayed and confessed to God on the drive there, and it was pretty relieving to feel that slide away as I read scripture. I wanted to give Him my time, not Satan. To combat the tendency to wander I had a separate sheet just to jot down stray thoughts and get them off my mind. While I read, I wrote down explanations of verses and thoughts of what they might mean.

It was a great experience, and I can’t wait to do it again.  Getting away from my apartment and Nashville was definitely instrumental in the whole process.  It was, however, difficult to commit and say I wasn’t going to all the happenings in town. Study has a whole new meaning to me now, and I’m so happy I was able to leave normal life, if only for a brief moment, to hear some of what the Word is trying to say to us today.

Here are the readings for this week.

Sunday, September 21st
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers. – Matthew 7:21-23

Monday, September 21st
I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. – John 3

Tuesday, September 22nd
The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. – John 6:29

Wednesday, September 23rd
Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them to do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets. – Matthew 6:7-12

Thursday, September 24th
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms: if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place I am going. – John 14:1-4

Friday, September 25th 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled … blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. – Matthew 5:6

Saturday, September 26th
When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. – John 12:44-46

As we continue to put these teams into place we still have several major needs for volunteers.

Technology Team
Our technology team is responsible for everything connected with our Audio and Visual needs at Ethos Church. We still need 4-6 good volunteers that can commit to serving at either the 5 PM or the 7 PM Worship Gatherings. If you are interested in serving on the technology team please email us at (ethoschurch@gmail.com) with the word “tech” in the subject line.

Set Up Team
Our set up team is responsible for setting everything up each week before the 5 PM Worship Gathering. The set up includes: unloading the trailer, setting up the chairs, setting up the tables and communion, and setting up the welcome stations and ethos kids area. We still need 6-8 committed volunteers to help us with the set up team. The set up team arrives at the Cannery at 2:45 pm each Sunday. If you are interested in helping or would like more information please email us at (ethoschurch@gmail.com) with the word “setup” in the subject line.

Finally, beginning in two weeks you will have the opportunity to sign up for any of our volunteer teams on a weekly basis. Thanks for choosing to be a participant in what God is doing, and not simply a spectator. It is an honor to serve with you. See you Sunday.

You guys stepped up big time though. We had more than 200 volunteers sign up on Sunday, August 30th. That was huge. Then you guys spent two weeks spreading the word through facebook, email, twitter, and word of mouth. Finally, countless volunteers showed up in droves to help us make the transition this past week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Most importantly, you invited your friends, and your willingness to make the move to two services has opened up a few seats for your friends who are not connected with a church family. We are still working towards freeing up more space. Thank you for your patience on this.

If you were at our 5 PM service, you know there were about 100 people without seats standing in the back. We still have some room at the 7 PM. It would be great if 50 of you would commit to joining us at 7 PM to help with some of these space issues. 

Once again, I can’t thank you enough for your help through all of these transitions. Most importantly, I can’t thank you enough for being on mission with us at Ethos Church. I love that we get to serve alongside one another. love – Dave

If you want to learn more about our transition to two services follow the links below.

Why Two Services (click here)

Here are the readings for this week.

Monday, September 14th
If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. – Mark 9:35

Tuesday, September 15th
The most important commandment is this, Hear or Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. – Mark 12:29-31

Wednesday, September 16th
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies: and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. – John 11:25-26

Thursday, September 17th
I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the ate, but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger: in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. – John 10:1-5

Friday, September 18th
I am the good shepherd: I know my sheep and my sheep know me–just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. – John 10:14-18

Saturday, September 19th
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:31-32

Why read scripture and study? It’s funny how much of a ‘coincidence’ it is when I don’t spend time in God’s word one week and I encounter great doubt, lack of faith, and discouragement. But when I do spend regular time in God’s word for some strange reason I’m able to face each day with purpose and ambition. I know, crazy right? Romans 12:2 states, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” The bible isn’t a 2000 year old outdated document that dinosaurs read because they’re out of touch with reality. Rather we out of touch with God if we don’t spend time in his word because the bible is the LIVING, BREATHING word of God.

The other day I was talking to Dave about struggles of mine and spirituality in general and as we were talking I had this thought. So often I see “spiritual giants”, so to speak, that seem to have it all figured out. They’re in tune with God’s purpose. They derive exponential amounts of joy through doing God’s will. Everything they do produces fruit 10 fold what they have sewn. I see these people and think, “why can’t I have what they have?! This isn’t fair!” But then I realize that they have spent years, even decades, devoting countless time in prayer, studying, meditation, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines to get to where they are in their relationship with God.

If you’ve never worked hard or applied yourself in any way, would you take a drive down Tyne Boulevard and say, “that’s not fair that they have those nice houses and I don’t”. No. That would be childish. The truth is those people have worked very hard to provide nice homes for their families. The same is true with our spirituality. We have to spend time with God in prayer, meditation, and in his word. In doing so we are building our house upon a rock!

I would like to leave you with this thought. So often I get discoursed when things don’t go my way or I don’t feel God working in my life like I’d like him to. But then I remember that we were made to serve God, not the other way around, and I will serve him no matter what the outcome! I hope you guys have a great week!  God Bless!

See you Sunday. We look forward to meeting your friend.

Each House Church consists of 8-12 people. It doesn’t matter if you are white, black, young, old, Christian, or not — you are invited to be a part of a House Church. It is through our House Churches that we eat meals together, pray for one another, spend time in conversation, and serve our city.

Frequently Asked Questions
How can I become a part of a House Church?
It is simple. You can sign up for a House Church at our Connections Table on any Sunday Night. Email ethoschurch@gmail.com for more information regarding locations.

What can I expect at a typical House Church?
All of our House Churches meet on Wednesday Nights @ 7 pm and are finished by 8:15 pm every week. Every week we read the Bible, pray, and discuss issues in our spiritual journey. Some weeks we share a meal together, and one week out of each month we don’t meet in a home…instead we go out into the city and serve people that aren’t apart of our church.

If I go to a House Church, do I have to participate in the conversation?
No, in fact, lots of people show up for weeks and even months before they feel comfortable talking. House Churches are a place where you can be totally comfortable just being you…if that means you come and go without saying a word, then great. We are glad to have you here.

What parts of Nashville do the House Churches meet?
Hillsboro Village, Green Hills, Crieve Hall, Nipper’s Corner, Hermitage, Cool Springs, Oak Hill, Antioch, Brentwood

How many weeks do House Churches meet?
14 weeks. Then we take a break for the holidays before starting up again in January. 

More questions?

Email us at ethoschurch@gmail.com

What are you waiting for? Make the decision. You don’t have to tell anyone. No need to sign up. Just show up at 5 pm and bring your friends with you. See you Sunday Night at 5 pm.

1.) Tell people. Novel approach I know. Simply open your mouth, string words together forming a sentence, and speak these words in the direction of another human’s ears. If you need help on forming the above mentioned sentence try something like this : “Have you heard Ethos is having a 5pm and a 7pm worship gathering this week? Want to ride with me to the ____pm?”  

2.) Facebook. Update your facebook status. Send out messages. Post on your friend’s walls. Be creative.

3.) Twitter. Tweet about the time change like crazy. The more the better. 

4.) Personal Text. If you know people that are regulars at Ethos who have not been during the last 3 weeks, or if you know folks that have not been in a while, make sure they get the message. Give them a call, or shoot them a text. Just don’t be the guy that sends out a bunch of mass texts. Everyone hates that. 

5.) Be Creative. You are smart and creative. Use that for something good.

What I didn’t realize is how having the scripture memorized by heart would affect my daily interactions with people and my thoughts throughout the day.  I would find myself saying it in my head without thinking about it.  This week I have really enjoyed reading small bits of scripture and just focusing on that thought throughout the day.  It seems much less daunting to tackle a verse or two rather than stay on track reading multiple chapters.  If I am in a group bible study I feel guilty if I get behind even by a day and then I dread reading for an hour to catch up.  I think I miss the point of the Bible study when that happens!  The brief snip-its of scripture allow me to memorize them and dwell on them during the day, both consciously and subconsciously.

The 30 days of scripture has reminded me of one of my favorite verses.  “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be”.  Matt 6:21
It is true.  Whatever you value or treasure, you usually spend time pouring over it.  If it is family that you treasure, then you spend time with them.   You think about them even when you are not with them.  I hope that scripture can become a treasure to me.  Something I think about even when I am not right there reading it.

Below I have addressed some commonly asked questions.

Why has our attendance nearly doubled in the last 3 weeks?
This is a wonderful issue, that has several obvious reasons. First, you guys did a great job of inviting your friends to church this summer. You may not have realized, but our church nearly doubled between the middle of May and the end of July. Second, college students are back. College students are a huge part of our church family, and since the college years are some of the most important years in a person’s spiritual formation, I pray we reach more college students this year than ever before. Third, summer schedules are crazy which means it is rare that our entire church family is ever together in the summer. Now that vacation schedules are slowing down, we will find that our church is a little larger than most of us realized.

Why does this matter?
Most Christians would consider a crowded room a wonderful thing. However, for those who have not been to church in a long time, or who have never been to church it can be quite intimidating. The last thing we want is for someone to show up and struggle trying to find a place to sit. Since Ethos longs to be a place where non-Christians can explore questions about God in a safe environment, we want to make sure we remove any unnecessary barriers between people and Jesus. We would never think of inviting someone over to our home for dinner if we didn’t have a place for them to sit at our table. Since we expect you to invite your friends each week, we are doing our best to make sure they have a place at the table beside you.

What is the plan?
Beginning, Sunday September 13th we will offer two Sunday Night Worship Gatherings (5 pm and 7 pm). Both worship gatherings will be identical. Our goal will be to create a sense of community and belonging among the people at each worship gathering. For example, our hope is that those who attend the 5 pm worship gathering will serve, participate in House Churches, and build deep friendships with the other people at the 5 pm Service. This will allow us to build deeper friendships while reaching more people for Christ. As our church grows, our prayer is that our relationships will grow in depth as well.

This will be temporary.
Even as I write this blog outlining this plan, I am confident that it is only a temporary solution. I am convinced that when Jesus is drawing people to himself, and when the Spirit of God is pursuing hearts … the Kingdom of God will expand. Who knows what that timing will be, but we must be willing to adapt. If you want to get a great picture of a church that was willing to adapt just read the first few chapters of Acts. Don’t you know the people freaking out as the kingdom grew from 12 to 120 to 3,000, to 10,000 in a few short years. Who knows what God is planning to do with our meager efforts, but I know we must be flexible.

I invite you to read along with us. The readings for each day are short. The idea is to really soak in these words. I encourage you to ask God each day to help you very practically understand what these words mean for your life.

How will you respond to the words of Jesus?

I have included this week’s readings below.

Sept 7th : Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3

Sept 8th : You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16

Sept 9th : Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. – Matthew 7:1-2

Sept 10th : Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

Sept 11th : Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

Sept 12th : Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5

Tonight will also be your opportunity to sign up for House Churches. Our House Churches begin this Wednesday, September 9th at 7 pm. This is a great way to connect with other people in our church family. I highly encourage you to become a part of a house church. 

Finally, thanks to everyone that signed up to become a volunteer last week. More than 200 of you committed to volunteering at Ethos! That is huge, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. For those of you that volunteered, you will be receiving an email this week regarding everything you will need to know in order to serve. Thanks again. 

I look forward to seeing you tonight.

One : All Scripture Points to Jesus
For the majority of my life, I struggled understanding the stories of the Old Testament. They seemed weird, irrelevant, and completely disconnected from the story of Jesus in the New Testament. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I really started to understand that all scripture (Old and New Testament) is ultimately about the work of God through the life of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit. If you have ever taken a graduate Bible course, or read scholarly work on the Old Testament you know this is not a popular view. In fact, many Bible Scholars believe it is absurd to think the Old Testament is about Jesus at all.

Jesus however makes it clear all throughout the Gospel Accounts that the stories in the Old Testament only find their fulfillment in him (i.e. Luke 24:27). So you and I are left with a question : Do we believe Jesus is a better Bible scholar than some professor that teaches Bible at a state school? I don’t know about you, but I tend to side with Jesus. 

That being said, I think the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 points us towards Jesus in a powerful way.

Two : The Connections

1.) Genesis 22 echoes the sentiment and tone of John 3:16

2.) Isaac was escorted to Mount Moriah by two servants, Jesus was escorted to calvary by two thieves.

3.) Isaac carried the wood on his back to Moriah, Jesus carried the wooden cross on his back to calvary.

4.) Isaac knew there needed to be a lamb to offer in worship, Jesus was the lamb offered in worship

5.) Isaac submitted to the will of his father Abraham and allowed his father to tie him up and lay him on an altar. Jesus submitted to the will of his father and was arrested, beaten, and nailed to a cross.

6.) Abraham named the future site of the temple “On the Mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Centuries later, Jesus was the culmination of that promise.  

7.) God spared Abraham the pain of sacrificing his only Son. Thank God he chose to endure the pain of sacrificing his only son. 

I pray that we will come to see the story of Jesus in absolutely everything. Have a great night.

I invite you to read along with us. The readings for each day are short. The idea is to really soak in these words. I encourage you to ask God each day to help you very practically understand what these words mean for your life.

How will you respond to the words of Jesus?

I have included this week’s readings below.

Sept 1 : Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. – Luke 14:27

Sept 2 : I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. – John 14:6-7

Sept 3 : Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life. – Matthew 6:25-27

Sept 4 : For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. – Mark 8:35

Sept 5 : You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-48

Sept 6 : I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Fact # 1
On a cold night, next to a blazing fire, with a hint of Barry Manilow in the air, Bob Dylan conceived a son.

Fact # 2
This son was named Jacob.

Fact # 3
Since Jacob has the same DNA as one of the most influential musicians of all time, Jacob learned how to play guitar and thus started a band called the Wallflowers.

Fact # 4
In 1996, The Wallflowers hit it big with songs like “One Headlight” and “3 Marlenas”

Fact # 5
Due to their popularity, The Wallflowers have a sold out show at the Cannery this Sunday (Aug 30th)

Fact # 6
Ethos Church will be meeting at Rocketown this week because of the sold out show at The Cannery.

Conclusion
(Bob Dylan + A Blazing Fire + a Woman + Barry Manilow’s Greatest Hits) = Jacob Dylan
(Jacob Dylan + Guitar + a band + the Cannery) = Ethos Church meeting at Rocketown this week

It’s science. Bob Dylan hates Ethos Church. If the facts don’t convince you … I’m afraid nothing will.

For those of you that need a more formal explanation of why we are meeting in a different location this week (click here). See you Sunday Night @ 6 pm.

This Sunday (Aug 30th), The Wallflowers will be playing a sold out show at The Cannery. Typically when there is a conflict on the schedule, Ethos moves upstairs to the Mercy Lounge. The truth is, we have quite simply outgrown the Mercy Lounge and cannot get everyone through the doors.

Rocketown has graciously allowed us to use their venue this week. This will only be a one time deal. Rocketown is just a few blocks away from the Cannery, and they have even worked out a deal for free parking. What more can you ask for when you are trying to relocate 500+ people with just a few days notice? God is good. Thanks to Rocketown and the Cannery for allowing us to partner with them. 

Directions to Rocketown
(click here)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1.) Tell everyone you know that Ethos will meet at Rocketown this Sunday (1 week only) @ 6 pm
2.) Post it on facebook, twitter, write blogs, send emails, texts, or just tell someone
3.) Carpool
4.) Bring a friend with you that doesn’t go to church, and Bring a Bible
5.) Pray for God to do something huge among us this Sunday Night

This is where you come in. Can you please help us tonight? Please don’t assume that someone else will do it. If you don’t have plans already, please commit to helping out. It will make a really big difference in the life of one of our sisters at Ethos.

If you can help, please email ILEX POUNDERS (ilexpounders@gmail.com).

We will meet at 6 pm sharp at Lipscomb University (One University Park Dr / Nashville, TN 37204) in the parking lot in front of the Ezell Building. If we have enough folks we should be done no later than 8 pm.

Thanks and please help us spread the word.

A few things I think we can learn from this video.

1. One man can start a movement.
2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.
3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.
4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.
5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.
6. When your movement takes a life of it’s own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.
7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you move alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the end.

In fact, it seems the Church in the Book of Acts expected people to give their lives to Jesus every day of the week because the Church was continually in the process of sharing Jesus as they went about their daily lives. These early Christians knew that Jesus was the giver of life, and when you share life with hurting people, lives are changed. Period.

That is so convicting.

I pray we will never be a church that limits the power of God to a one hour time slot on Sundays. I pray we continually expect him to change lives throughout the week. Let’s celebrate with Chelsea, and continue to pray that God will do huge things.

After our time of worship, a woman from our church named Ellie, stopped me and said “tonight was just incredible … and I can’t even tell you why, it just was.” I agreed. I feel pretty confident that it had everything to do with the movement of God. He is always present, but sometimes I think we do a better job of stopping to acknowledge that reality.

After our worship gathering on Sunday Night, Sarah Brummett decided to give her life to Jesus. About 30 of us made our way over to our friend’s hot tub to watch Sarah give her life to Jesus in baptism.

What a great way to end the night. I’m so glad I have the privilege of being church with each of you. Take time to celebrate the way God is changing lives. I hope you have a wonderful night.

This has been one of those verses.

“Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” - Psalm 55:22

and then keep reading because the end of verse 23 will really get you:

“But as for me, I will trust in you.”

I’ve been asking myself one simple question all week. Why is it so hard for me to give all my cares to the Lord?

I think the only honest answer is painful, but true — I just don’t trust him enough.

I want to challenge you today to do one of the hardest things in the world. Give every single care, burden, worry, stress, fear, feeling of inadequacy, etc. over to the Lord. He will sustain you. He will not let you fall. Put your trust in Him alone.

He is a big God. He can handle it. You cannot.

A few highlights from the evening:
+ Watching cars pour into the Cannery before both services
+ Seeing the way our church family really stepped up to the plate by bringing their friends, and bringing boat loads of socks for us to distribute in the community
+ Worship was absolutely amazing last night
+ Seeing hundreds of people circled around tables sharing the bread and the wine was powerful
+ The Resurrection of Jesus changes everything, and our ability to understand the resurrection has little to do with our circumstances and everything to do with our hearts. I pray that our church will never live another day as though the tomb is still occupied. 

I will post a few pics from our Easter Services later today. Have a great Monday.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is greater than that fear. While it is true that the brave won’t live forever — it is also true that the cautious will never live.”

I don’t know about you, but that really stirred up something deep inside of me.

Is your life marked by courage?

Or has your life been dominated by fear and caution?

Let’s start living.

After all, isn’t that how you came to know Jesus? Someone invited you — maybe it was a parent, maybe it was a friend, maybe it was a poster tacked on a bulletin board.

Don’t simply take the easy way out. The good news of Jesus is for everyone, even the folks you don’t feel comfortable around. 

Let’s pray hard. Let’s pray for a gigantic movement of God. Let’s trust that Jesus is risen.

So, who are you inviting?  

* Have you signed up for an Easter Service yet? To find out more click here.

Why are we doing something different for Easter? 
For whatever reason, there are certain times each year where people (including those that don’t go to church) stop to reflect on Jesus. Easter is one of those times. Our prayer is that Ethos can play a role in sharing the Good News of Jesus with people that typically wouldn’t think twice about church. 

What You Need to Do
In order to reach as many people as possible, we really need everyone in our church to help us with a couple of things. 

One: 4 pm and 6 pm
If you have been at church during the last 6 weeks then you know we are out of room. We have added 150 more chairs, we added more chairs tonight, and we are still out of room. Since we believe we will have a record crowd at Easter we are going to host two Sunday Night Worship Gatherings.  

For those of you that are a part of the Ethos Family, we need you to sign up for the 4 pm or the 6 pm Service. You can sign up through email (ethoschurch@gmail.com). Just include your name, and time (4 pm or 6 pm) in the subject line. We need at least 200 of you to sign up for the 4 pm and 200 people to sign up for the 6 pm.  This will greatly help us as we try to make sure we have enough seats for everyone. 

Two: Bring a Friend
This is the most important aspect of Easter. We are asking that every single person bring at least one friend to our Easter Service that does not know Jesus, or does not go to church. Please spend time praying, and thinking about who you will invite, and go ahead and invite them. If we really believe Jesus is the author of life, then lets make sure we don’t show up to church alone (this doesn’t just apply to Easter). 

Alright, that is all for now. If you want to print up fliers to hand out, you can get them here. Spread the word any way you can (i.e. email, facebook, twitter, personal invite, pigeon with a letter, etc).  

It was a great night at Ethos. Here are just a few thoughts from the evening…

+ It was wonderful seeing so many new faces. For those of you that are regulars at Ethos, please make sure you follow up with those that are new. Remember what it was like to be new?

+ When the Created loses sight of the Creator, there is no purpose, where there is no purpose there is no hope, where there is no hope, there is no life.

+ If we aren’t choosing Jesus, we are choosing hell.

+ Communion was powerful tonight.

+ We talked through our plans for Easter as a church. This blog will be dedicated to our Easter Service between now and April 12th.

+ Sin begins the moment we take our focus off of Jesus.

+ God created us for so much more, why am I so comfortable settling for so much less?

I hope it never gets old gathering with friends, and strangers in a bar to worship Jesus. Have a great night. Love you guys.

Are you truly seeking the heart of God?

Not yesterday, last week, or over the course of this month — I mean right now. At work, driving in your car, wherever it is that you are reading this blog…today, are you truly seeking the heart of God?

If you said yes…

Why did you say that? Is it a feeling? Is it because of something you’ve done today? I’m not trying to talk you out of your answer, in fact I hope that is true. I just want you to think about it. What does a typical Wednesday look like when you are seeking the heart of God?

If you said no…

What is going to change, and when is that going to change? Don’t wait until after your meeting. Come on, we both know that meeting doesn’t have eternal significance. Don’t wait until after lunch, your appointment, or making the next phone call. Take some time to do the things that matter.

At the most basic level of your life, right now, how are you and God doing?

In this passage, God is upset because the leaders of Israel have failed to be good leaders. He is using the analogy of a shepherd, and basically God paints the picture of a bunch of lazy shepherds who are so consumed with taking care of themselves that that they fail to care for the ones who have been entrusted to them. 

“So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” – Ezekial 34:5-6

1.) When leaders fail to be leaders, no matter what the reason is, the people find themselves drifting spiritually.
2.) When people find themselves drifting spiritually, they become easy prey for the enemy.
3.) When we notice that our people have wandered away and fallen prey to the enemy will we go and rescue them?

Will you Lead? Will search? Will you love?

Who are the people in your life that you have failed to lead? Who is wandering? Who do you need to go searching for this week? 

I don’t know about you, but I want to spend more time taking my cues from the Good Shepherd, and less time falling into the trappings of the shepherds in Ezekial. Love you guys.

 As we were leaving, a student who I didn’t really know, stopped us to talk for a moment. Even though we were in a hurry, we realized that our ultimate responsibility is with the students, so we stopped to answer a few of his questions. After about ten minutes of talking with him, and answering his questions, he ended the conversation by insulting Brandon and I. 

Brandon handled it like a champ. I did not. It crawled all over me. Brandon even laughed at me a little for allowing this guy to get under my skin. I stumbled across this post earlier in the week and it caused me to reflect on the “conflict” from Tuesday night.

Read 2 Samuel 16:5-14 sometime.  It’s entertaining and enlightening.
The recap:
-Someone curses King David
-One of David’s men volunteers to cut off the guy’s head
-David replies (in effect): “Let him curse me, God’s got my back.”

I long to have that kind of restraint and perspective.
I’m not there, but this is where I want to get as a leader.

After all, how will it hurt me if someone doesn’t agree with my theology?
Let them disagree…maybe I can even learn something from their disagreement.

Why get so emotionally revved when someone makes a false accusation about me?
Let them accuse…no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

I’d be a whole lot happier and exponentially more effective if I could learn to let things go, bolstered by the confidence that God has got my back. Those who are spiritually secure are able to hear the critical voice, filter and digest what’s helpful, process out the rest, and stay in the zone.

As I read this verse out loud, I can’t imagine what I would go through internally if God was calling me to do what Abraham did. 

” Take your son, your only son–yes, Isaac, whom you love so much–and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2

I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that God was calling you to do something so crazy. Don’t you know Abraham wanted to spend time rationalizing all of the reasons why God couldn’t be serious? You know he was tempted to figure out what kind of “metaphor” God was using when he talked about sacrificing his son. But instead of doing all of things I typically do when God calls me to something hard, Abraham did something really radical…he obeyed. 

If you read the next verse in that story, it paints a picture of Abraham’s relationship with God. He didn’t wait until a week or a month. He didn’t put together a six month strategic plan. He didn’t seek counsel from Godly men. He listened to the one true God and the story says, the next morning he set off towards Moriah in obedience. 

How many times have you found yourself challenged to step out in faith, but instead of responding like Abraham, you found yourself waiting to see what God would do next, searching for more proof, bartering with the creator of the universe? 

I have been there so often, and I confess that my hesitance to obey God shows how short sighted, and faithless I can be so many times. I confess that I often take instructions from my boss, my wife, or even close friends more seriously — treat them with more urgency, than things handed down from God. 

God is calling us to be obedient with our families, our lives, our church, our careers, and everything in between, whether or not his instructions make sense to us.

Are there any commands that God has been placing on your heart recently?

How will you respond today? 

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me. He delivered me, from all of my fears.” – Psalm 34:4

Over the last year I have really digested this verse, torn it apart, questioned it, believed it, and even recently experienced it.

I found myself about a year ago asking the question, “if I really seek God with the deepest questions of my heart, will he answer me?”

This was tough for me. From a cognitive standpoint, I could answer the question easily, “well of course God answers us.” But I started thinking “if this is something I really believe, how come I so rarely take the deepest questions of my heart to God?” I realized that my actions were uncovering what I really believed. Our beliefs always directly affect our actions. For example, I believe that when our stove is turned on…it is hot, so therefore I don’t touch it. Ever. Because I truly believe it will cause me great pain, I am never tempted to place my hand on the glowing red eye.

I know that sounds simplistic, but when we start honestly looking at the things we do, we begin the process of truly discovering the things we believe.

So my question for you is do you believe this verse?

Do you believe God will answer the deepest questions of your heart if you ask him? Do you believe that He alone will deliver you from your deepest fears?

Over the last year God has taught me a lot through this simple line of poetry in the Psalms. I pray that you will wrestle with this verse in ways that matter, and that in a few hours, days, weeks, months, or maybe even years you will come to believe that God not only cares about the deepest questions of your heart but that will answer them, and in the process He will help you overcome your deepest fears. Have a great Saturday.

I love Beer Commercials. As far as I’m concerned, beer commercials are always the best. In recent years, ESPN and Sonic have gained some serious credibility in the funny commercial department, but I would still argue that they are playing for second place. Beer commercials are always the best.

All beer commercials seem to have the same basic elements. 

First, every commercial involves some lame guy “stuck in an unfortunate situation.”

Second, every commercial involves the point of decision (i.e., the guy from the above mentioned “uncomfortable situation” choosing to get beer)

Third, after the point of decision is reached…the unfortunate situation mentioned earlier is corrected (i.e., Thousands of Hot Chicks wearing bikinis madly in ove with the lame guy enter the room, etc)

Four, the same general message is sold…”If you drink this beer then your life won’t suck and you will get the hottest chicks on the face of the planet. 

If you think I’m wrong, just use this little mental formula next time you watch a beer commercial. 

During our last series at church we studied the Book of Acts. One of the most challenging chapters is Acts 12 where James is killed and where Peter is released from Prison. I found myself longing to be like Peter — mainly because his story turns out much better than Jame’s.

Every time I read this chapter, It reminds me of how tempting and easy it can be to preach a beer commercial gospel. 

Sometimes in our effort to share the love of Christ with people that don’t know him…we can easily find ourselves preaching a false gospel that sounds a lot like a beer commercial.

The problem is that this just isn’t the gospel. So when people come to know Jesus under false pretenses they blame Jesus for letting them down. Jesus calls us to obedience–not a better social outcome. So what gospel are we preaching? I pray that we will have the courage to share the truth about Jesus. I think the truth is pretty simple. Jesus has come to give us life to the fullest–despite the situation of our lives.

Lay aside the Beer Commercial Gospel, and make the most of your opportunities today to share the gospel story that Jesus wrote and purchased with his life. Love you guys.

The problem is, as Christians, we don’t live in Babylon. We live in Samaria. 

Babylon is far from Jerusalem and it doesn’t know much about its religion. What you believe or how you worship is of little significance to Babylon, so long as you keep the peace and contribute to civic life. This was the case with Daniel and the other Jewish exiles. They only got in trouble when the undermined the government or got caught up in petty politics. Babylon could have cared less about their religion.

But Samaria is different. The people in Samaria know plenty about Jerusalem’s religion (though some of the information may be distorted). And unlike Babylon where the people are indifferent to Jerusalem’s religion, Samaria holds a grudge against it.

If you read the story of Jesus sitting around the well with a Samaritan woman (John 4), you will remember that Jews and Samaritans had a long history of not getting along. They were like estranged relatives. They had a partly shared worldview (both studied the first 5 books of the Bible), they had a shared point of origin (both came from the line of Jacob), and they had well defined points of contention (where do we go to worship and be forgiven?). 

They knew each other…or at least they thought they did, so therefore they didn’t associate with one another. Their familiarity with one another led to suspicion and hostility. 

This often rings true for life in America. The problem is not that my religion is strange. The problem is that my religion in familiar. Like Samaritans and Jews, Christians and Non-Christians have a partly shared world view (Our Western Traditions, Our Southern Values, even the Bible and Prayer), we have a shared point of origin (after all America was born out of Christendom), and well defined points of contention (the exclusivity of Jesus). 

We are familiar with what one another believes. Or at least we think we are. This often leads to hostility, and at the very least…deep seeded grudges.

For us to move past this, we must respond the way Jesus did. Jesus sidestepped all of the classic arguments, using creative language (i.e. “living water”) to provoke curiosity. He pointed ahead to times when Samaritans and Jews would drown their differences in a newer, and deeper reality. 

It is more than refining our conversation though, living in Samaria requires patience and love for the long haul. No one can change a grudge by direct assault. Instead we have to outlive it, and look for fresh opportunities to begin anew. We have to love the people on the other side of our grudges and presuppositions. 

After all, Jesus clearly did. He honored Samaria when he chose a Samaritan for his parable of being a good neighbor (who do we choose for our illustrations of virtue?). He sent his disciples to Samaria to announce his resurrection (Acts 1:8). If you remember the rest of the story, Phillip took Jesus seriously and amazing things happened.

What does it look like for you and I to follow Jesus in a place like Samaria? Do we have the patience and the love to outlive our country’s presuppositions about our faith in Christ? Do we have the ability to view Samaria the way Jesus did…not as our enemy, but as our neighbor?

Or maybe it is when we go to college, leave our parents’ homes, get jobs, find spouses, or any of the other things that seem to be the proverbial exit ramps of childhood. However, all of us know plenty of people that have conquered any or all of the above milestones, yet adulthood has still alluded them.

I think this is a huge issue in church. I have so many friends, most of them in their mid twenties, who are just floating through life. They are great people, who are making good choices, working good jobs, going to good churches, but no one has ever given them permission to grow up…so when it comes to church they are still waiting for everyone else to call the shots, take the lead, make a difference. 

I wonder why so many of us will spend our 20’s pouring our time, energy, passions, and talents into our careers, yet when it comes to church we are spectators at best? What would happen if we quit waiting for permission, quit complaining about the way things are, and quit offering our critiques? What would happen if we simply grew up, and allowed our lives to do the preaching?

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” – 1 Tim. 4:12

Is our generation leading the charge by setting an example for the believers in the way we talk, the way we live, the way we love, and the way we pursue purity? If not, what are we waiting for?

As ridiculous as this seems, people like my friend from college and millions of others blow countless amounts of cash on workout gimmicks because they buy the lie the ad is selling…”You can have a better body without much effort.”

That basic desire seems to be one of my biggest challenges. I want always want the payoff, but I don’t always want to put in the effort to get there. That is why most of us hit the gym hard in January, but are back to our old ways before Groundhog Day.

This afternoon, as I was reading through 1 Timothy, one tiny verse really captured me:

“…train yourself to be godly.” – 1 Tim. 4:7b

It made me ask the question, “How am I training myself to be godly?”

It struck me that if physical training typically takes a lot of time and effort over a long period of time, then is spiritual training any different? I often find myself longing to deepen my relationship with God, but am I willing to put in the time–day in and day out to get there?

How are you training today to become the man or woman of God you want to be tomorrow? Don’t waste your time on shortcuts.

I really meditated on this verse yesterday, and it hit me that the reason we so often fail to join God in his mission is because of our failure to truly embody this verse. The times that I give up on people, get discouraged, or feel hopeless are the times when I have forgotten that I alone was reason enough for Jesus to come to this earth.  Jesus’ sole reason for becoming human was to save people like us. 

That is amazing. Have you lost sight of that? I know I often do.

I was also really challenged by the second half of that verse were Paul says that our new lives now serve as an example of Jesus’ unlimited patience to those who still don’t believe. As you go through your day today…getting ready for the weekend, ask yourself this question:

Is my life displaying the unlimited patience of Jesus to those that don’t know him?

God I pray that our lives will display your mercy and unlimited patience to those we come in contact with today. I pray that your word will transform our hearts, and renew our minds. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Anyways, I want to share a short verse that has been challenging me all week. The verse is simple, yet unbelievably challenging. It is the type of verse some guy would get tattooed between his shoulder blades because he likes the way it sounds–but when push comes to shove it is a tough verse to live out.

“Therefore dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

I love the war language.

Stand firm. No matter what the enemy is throwing your way, how tough life has been, the temptations that are knocking on your door, old habits seeping back in, etc…stand firm.

Let nothing move you. Does this define the way you respond to sin, fear, doubt, or temptation? 

Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. I am great at giving part of my life, my work, my thoughts, and my dreams to God, but it is so difficult to give myself fully to his work. 

I love that verse. So challenging. Good night.

To be honest, I wasn’t too excited about last night. I had been sick all day, and Will Shinnick (our worship leader) had been sick all week, and to be completely honest I was just exhausted. In fact, last night would have been one of those nights where I would have stayed home if I had the option.

But I am so glad that I was there. William Rowell made the decision to give his life to Jesus last night. After church, about 30 or so people made the drive over to the Mark and Martha’s house where we baptized William. I don’t know if I have ever seen anyone as full of joy as William was when he came up out of the water.

It never gets old seeing someone give their life to Jesus. For those of you at Ethos, now we have the responsibility of praying for, encouraging, and supporting William on his journey. I love you guys and I hope you were living for Christ and his Kingdom today.

Let’s make sure we cover these guys in prayer as they take the next step in life.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34

I wonder how different my life would look if I took these words of Jesus seriously? What if we didn’t worry about tomorrow because we knew that…

1.) We aren’t even guaranteed there will be a tomorrow
2.) Jesus says when tomorrow gets here we will find things to worry about then as well
3.) And God simply tells us he will give us strength to get through each day

As I read this verse, it seemed as though God was saying “Just live in the present David. You do such a good job dwelling on the past, and worrying about the future, but I want you to live in the moment I have given you — not with reckless abandon, but with purpose.”

I am going to try to take Jesus really seriously today. I challenge you to do that as well. Have a great Thursday.

I hate when I do that.  

I was thinking about this today, and started thinking about James 1:19 where James says: 

“My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to get angry.” 

I can think of dozens, maybe even hundreds of situations that would have turned out differently had a paused for a moment and taken a minute to listen instead of opening my big mouth. I have often spoken during the heat of the moment, and then spent the next several days cleaning up the mess my mouth had made.

I was thinking about this today as I was wrestling with a couple of frustrating situations. I really just wanted to call someone and talk about it immediately, but decided it would be wise to simply pray, think, and listen to the opinion of others.

I’m glad I did. The situation was not nearly as bad as I had once thought it was. The thing that had caused me to become so frustrated was little more than an inconvenience.

Next time you are frustrated by something you hear. Next time you are caught up in a difficult situation. Next time you are ready to give somebody a piece of your mind…pause for a moment, reflect on the words of James, and allow God to speak through your silence.

After all, we just might be the ones that need to listen.

Good. That is the point. 

As Jason, Brandon, and I were laying out the plans for this series we decided to come up with a title that would help convey the heart of this letter from Paul while simultaneously creating a sense of curiosity in people. 

Still confused? Still curious? 

Good. I hope you can be with us tomorrow night as Brandon kicks this series off. I really think this book has the ability to change our lives if we will let it. Invite your friends. See you tomorrow.

Also, if you would be interested in helping volunteer for this event please email Bethany Haley (bethanyphaley@gmail.com). They especially need people to help the bands load in. Have a great day!

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” – Jeremiah 29:5-7

I can’t imagine how disheartening it would be to have God answer your prayer for freedom the way in which he answered the people through Jeremiah. Not only did God say no to their request for instant freedom, he said settle down, meet a girl, get married, have kids, and grandkids. 

In other words, God said…”You will live the rest of your life in this city — whether that was in your plans or not.”

It made me think, how do I respond when God answers my requests by saying no?  When he says no, do I still trust and believe that He is good and in control? 

I love the last part of verse 7. Right after God has given the unpopular news, right after he has made it clear that the people will spend the rest of their lives in this foreign city — God says pray for the city. Pray that it prospers.

Isn’t this the essence of our lives? We know this is not our permanent home. Life here is not always a walk in the park. Our surroundings don’t always match up with the life we have begged God to give us.

So how will we respond? Will we complain or will we settle down, build houses, and pray for our city?

I thought it would be good to share a few of the things you guys did. After all, if you are involved in a house church, you are probably only aware of the way your house church served. Here are just a few of the ways you guys served:

* Made a meal and ate dinner with the men in a Half Way House
* Set up and played cards with the shut ins at Carestone Retirement Home
* Wrote encouragement cards to your friends and family members that don’t know Jesus
* Passed out blankets, hand warmers, and coffee to the Homeless Community
* Gave manicures and pedicures to the women living at Mending Hearts
* Made soup and visited elderly shut-ins
* Spent a week helping serve the needs of one of our Ethos Family Members who has been down on his luck
* and much more…

Proud of you guys. Keep being the church.

If you have been around Ethos for any time at all then you have probably met Katie Stevens, Lindsay Preston, and Matt Preston (note they are brother and sister not married). If you don’t know them, you can usually find them somewhere around the welcome table greeting visitors as people arrive, or during worship standing towards the back, playing with kids that aren’t theirs. If you haven’t gotten the picture, they are amazing people. This week, they really taught me a lot about what it means to just be the visible presence of Jesus right here in Nashville. I asked Katie to send me an email describing their day on Wednesday and asked her if I could post it here. I have changed some of the names involved, but I still think you will be challenged to live out the gospel after reading this:

——— (Katie’s Email)————————-

Today was an incredibly overwhelming day for Carol and her family.  Lindsay, Matt, and I went with Carol and her two sisters to court to possibly testify to the fact that Carol is a fit mother and is making every effort to provide a safe home for her children.  I completely underestimated the importance of our presence.

We were immediately introduced to her lawyer, a case worker, and the director of DCS (child services).  They talked to us privately about what we thought about Carol and what we felt like the best situation was for the boys. The Director of DCS said that he believed we were good people and that he could trust us.  It was really neat.  Carol’s court date got postponed until May, but we were all asked to meet in a conference room with Carol’s family, her lawyer, the folks from child services, DCS, and the children’s lawyer. 

God was so apparent in that room.  We were such a large part of the discussion, as was Ethos.  The Director of DCS kept asking us questions about why we were supporting Carol and her children — giving us a great opportunity to explain that we love her and we help her because of our faith. 

Everyone seemed shocked. (It was so unusual that the children’s lawyer said that she was suspicious of good people and that they usually want to kidnap the children that they get close to!!)  The Director of DCS said that it was very rare for a church do something like that and that as long as he’s worked for DCS he’s seen very little support for stuggling mothers and families.  He told us that he wanted to call us and to give us more people to support — an absolute unexpected blessing.

We were given an opportunity to share God’s love today in a completely unforseen way.  I am so encouraged by his great power and hopeful that through all of this, God will show Ethos many more people to support and to love.

But I read a verse this afternoon that gives pretty amazing insight into the type of guy John the Baptist was.  The verse is simple, yet extraordinarily difficult to live out.

“He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30

Let that verse resonate for a moment. I love that verse because it gives us such insight into the type of man John was. Even when given the perfect opportunity (large crowds, devoted followers, long lines at the book signings) John the Baptist always shunned self advancement. Instead of pointing to himself, he pointed to Jesus.

For John, it was all about Jesus. He avoided the trap of self glorification. He knew that he was simply God’s messenger, and robbing God of his glory was something that John was not interested in. In fact, when the crowds wanted to worship John, questioning whether or not he was the Messiah he said, “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much so that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals.”

For those of you that are in positions of leadership, when the crowds swell, when your resume grows, when people suddenly are interested in your opinion — how do you respond?

As I was reflecting on this verse I just started praying that God would help us to be like John. I pray that God will help us be people that give all the glory to God — not simply with our lips, but with our lives.

Is it truly your desire to become less, so that Jesus can become greater in your life?

Just a couple of house keeping items:

1.) Remember this week Worship at 4 pm and Superbowl Party at 5 pm. We will be showing the game on a 10 foot screen and several large tvs. If you have not signed up to bring food email Brooke (brookeakin@friendshipchristian.org).

2.) House Churches meet Wed. Night at 7 pm. If you are not apart of one yet, it is not too late. Just look on the House Church page and find one near you.

3.) Finally, keep praying. Pray for each other. Pray for our church. Pray for our city. Pray for your friends that don’t know Christ.

Have a great day tomorrow. Live with purpose.

I’m excited. For the next 5 days we will spend 15 hours a day praying, talking, praying, and talking some more. Pray that God shows Ethos exactly what he needs to us. Pray for the other 10 churches represented as well. The kingdom of God is expanding. You are apart of that. Take wonder in what God is doing.

I love you guys. So glad you are my brothers and sisters.

In this passage, God is upset because the leaders of Israel have failed to be good leaders. He is using the analogy of a shepherd, and basically God paints the picture of a bunch of lazy shepherds who are so consumed with taking care of themselves that that they fail to care for the ones who have been entrusted to them. 

“So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” – Ezekial 34:5-6

1.) When leaders fail to be leaders, no matter what the reason is, the people find themselves drifting spiritually.
2.) When people find themselves drifting spiritually, they become easy prey for the enemy.
3.) When we notice that our people have wandered away and fallen prey to the enemy will we go and rescue them?

Will you Lead? Will search? Will you love?

Who are the people in your life that you have failed to lead? Who is wandering? Who do you need to go searching for this week? 

I don’t know about you, but I want to spend more time taking my cues from the Good Shepherd, and less time falling into the trappings of the shepherds in Ezekial. Love you guys.

 As we were leaving, a student who I didn’t really know, stopped us to talk for a moment. Even though we were in a hurry, we realized that our ultimate responsibility is with the students, so we stopped to answer a few of his questions. After about ten minutes of talking with him, and answering his questions, he ended the conversation by insulting Brandon and I. 

Brandon handled it like a champ. I did not. It crawled all over me. Brandon even laughed at me a little for allowing this guy to get under my skin. I stumbled across this post earlier in the week and it caused me to reflect on the “conflict” from Tuesday night.

Read 2 Samuel 16:5-14 sometime.  It’s entertaining and enlightening.
The recap:
-Someone curses King David
-One of David’s men volunteers to cut off the guy’s head
-David replies (in effect): “Let him curse me, God’s got my back.”

I long to have that kind of restraint and perspective.
I’m not there, but this is where I want to get as a leader.

After all, how will it hurt me if someone doesn’t agree with my theology?
Let them disagree…maybe I can even learn something from their disagreement.

Why get so emotionally revved when someone makes a false accusation about me?
Let them accuse…no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

I’d be a whole lot happier and exponentially more effective if I could learn to let things go, bolstered by the confidence that God has got my back. Those who are spiritually secure are able to hear the critical voice, filter and digest what’s helpful, process out the rest, and stay in the zone.

One of the guys that was converted in Ephesus, is a guy named Epaphras, who end up moving to Colosse and starting a church. So at the end of Acts, as Paul is imprisoned, he writes this letter to Epaphras.

Anyways, the verse that really hit me this morning was Colossians 2:15 where it says…

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” 

That verse just gave me chills.

The powers and authorities that Paul is referring to are spiritual beings — demons and demonic angels. These beings that spend their entire existence seeking to destroy the lives of God’s people. I like this verse because it says that Jesus stripped them of their real power when he publicly died on the cross. The power that the enemy once held over our sinful lives looses all of its power when we are reminded of the fact that Christ broke those chains for us.

That is a truth that we need to be sharing with people every single day. When life seems unbearable, when the enemy seems to have us against the wall — we need to remind ourselves and those around us that Jesus put an end to that when he stretched out his arms and died on our behalf.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

•  There was such an energy in the room. It really felt like people were connecting with God and one another tonight. 
• People are inviting their friends. It is so great to see so many faces each week that I have never seen before. 
• A huge group of folks stuck around to find out what it means to commit to our church family
• If only one heart is changed, all of this work has been worth it. 

Love you guys, and have a great week.

Love you guys, Dave

(Jason’s Blog)

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.—Acts 16:6-15 (NIV)

First let me begin by apologizing to everyone for not being there to teach on Sunday night, December 28…long story short, choosing to fly stand-by during the Christmas holidays doesn’t always mean that you’ll get home on time.  But I missed you all and hope that everyone had a great Christmas break!  Now moving into the serious segment of our time together (I’m sorry, I’m not the greatest at transitions)….

I’ll admit that this passage was not the easiest to draw points out of.  This section of verses doesn’t hit us immediately with “feel good thoughts” or seemingly deep insights; and after reading this section of Acts we tend to walk away with more questions than we do answers.  My goal here is not to answer every question that we might have about this story, but it is to focus on something that I believe God allowed me to see when studying this passage.  Before diving into this story, let me begin this way:

I am currently 26-years-old, was born in Pensacola Florida (or as Times Magazine calls “The most blindingly radiant city ever created”) and have grown up in the church.  One of my first words was bible.  I spent 11 years at a Christian school.  I confessed that Jesus was my Lord, Savior, and King at age 10.  All of my friends were Christian.  All of my family members were Christian.  My baby-sitter was Christian.  Even the carpenter, who repaired half of my roof and then stole thousands of dollars from my dad, was a Christian.  I spent 6 years in a youth group at church; worked for 4 churches; and will soon finish an 8 year run gaining an undergraduate & graduate degree from a Christian university in the capital of the bible-belt.  Yet in all that time, I don’t think that I have felt closer to God than right now.  It was one year ago that I started asking questions—Is God real?  Does He truly exist?  Is He alive today?  Is He active in this world, in my life?  Does He actually want to be involved in my life?  Does He have real plans for me, or does He just want me to stay out of trouble?

Although I had spent over 25 years of my life attending church services, memorizing bible trivia, attending Christian schools, and having religious based conversations, God just seemed to (on most days) be a characteristic that I would include in a description about me.  God was my hobby.  He was something to include on my Facebook page; something to mention on a first date.  His message was plastered on my t-shirts, his slogans on my bumper stickers, his cross—miniaturized and hanging on my refrigerator, his radio stations programmed into my 94 Chevrolet, and his inspirational books in my bathroom.  There were many moments in my life where I truly had sincere conversations with God, where I had honest dialogue with Him, where I wanted Him to be a part of my life, where I wanted to feel love for Him, where I wanted to be a better person, and where I tried to love others the way that He loves me.  Yet there were many moments where my life showed no transformation, where I didn’t care what God had to say to me, where I had no desire to share my life with Him, where I cared more about being good than about being holy, and God was clearly no more important in my life than my nightly jogs.

What does it mean to truly believe in God, to believe that He is as alive as you and me, to firmly believe that He is active in our world—in your life, that He cares for those of this world, that He passionately cares for you, and that He wants you to join in the work He is doing?  What would happen to our lives if we whole-heartedly believed in a God who was alive, active, close to us, caring, loving, forgiving, & merciful?  Would our lives be any different if we believed in a God who guides, protects, sacrifices for us, cherishes us, calls us, chooses us, and calls us special, wonderful, beautiful, & important?  And would our lives be any different if we believed that God has a purpose & plan for our lives?  Take some time and just read through the book of Acts.  I believe that one of the things you will find are stories of men crystallizing the belief that God was not finished with the story…Jesus did not pack it all up and call it quits when he ascended into the heavens but continued to act, continued to work, and continued to save.  He was not dead but was alive!  And if Jesus was truly their Lord, their Savior, their King, and their Creator, perhaps he had hopes and plans for lives.  One of the things that I have grown to love about the early Christians is that they craved, above all else, to live lives directed by God.  Think about how different that is.  In Acts 16:6-10 Paul and his companions have finished phase 1 of their mission (visiting churches he helped start, and encouraging the believers) and ready to move forward with phase 2: taking God’s message to people that don’t know Him.  But after two attempts to move into new territory (the province of Asia and Bithynia) they were stopped by the Holy Spirit.  Paul decides to relocate the group to the seaport of Troas and has a strange dream of a Macedonian man calling out “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” (15:9) Verse 10 says that after waking up, Paul & his group got ready to leave for Macedonia at once concluding that God had called them to preach the gospel to those of that land.  Verses 11-15 tell a beautiful story of Paul and his friends traveling to Philippi, going to a riverside place of prayer, and telling those that were there the message God wanted Paul to deliver—the message of unending love, of truth, and of life.  And 16:14-15 shows how God moved into the life of one of the women listening (Lydia) and transformed not only her life but those of her household.

Again, I’ll be the first to admit that this story from Acts seems to draw out more questions than answers.  We could spend hours diving into the historical background of this text and asking what it must have looked like for the Holy Spirit to block Paul…but I just want, for right now, to focus on this—Is God truly the King of your life?  I’m not asking if you have a closet full of church camp t-shirts, if you have an IPOD full of praise & worship songs, if you have a Jesus fish on the trunk of your car, or if you have perfect Sunday morning attendance records.  I’m asking you, “Does God truly direct your life?”  If not, is that something that you want?  It seems to me that in the midst of Paul’s passionate desire to share the loving message of God with peoples of every land, he didn’t forget that this was the mission & message of God, not of Paul.  And perhaps God had a purpose, a calling, a direction, and a specific plan for Paul’s life.  Do we believe that God equally has one for us?  A purpose, a calling, a direction, a plan, an invitation….Sometimes it’s easier to love, to help, and to serve than it is to allow God to direct the course of our lives.  This week plan to have some conversations with God…don’t use rehearsed speeches or habitual prayers from the past but speak to him from your heart.  Ask Him what it means and what it looks like to live under His guidance.  Ask Him to teach you what that means, for you to hear His words clearly, and for Him to grant you the strength to follow where He leads.  Talk to Him this week; I promise He’s listening.

I love you all and will talk to you soon!

Although it was great seeing old friends, the best part of the morning occurred towards the end of the worship service. After my dad got finished preaching (he really brought it this morning), a guy decided to get baptized. As Mike stood there giving his confession, a handful of men stood there with him…men that have been faithfully investing in his life, studying the word with him, and most importantly men that have consistently displayed the love of Jesus to him through their lives. It was really beautiful. As I looked at these three men (all of whom were very different from Mike), I was struck by the thought “this is church.” 

Here 3 grown men, all very different from Mike, thought the story of Jesus was so important that they were willing to roll up their sleeves, and stick in there with Mike through the long haul. It was so encouraging to see a church, now 40 years old still getting its hands dirty in mission. 4o years after a handful of people met in a living room to unpack a vision God had laid on their hearts, thousands of lives have been changed, and day after day, week after week, men and women are still investing in the lives of people — some of whom look very different than them. 

Who knows where Ethos will be in 40 years, but I really pray that for those of us who got together in our living room a few months ago to unpack a vision God had laid on our hearts — I pray that we will still be rolling up our sleeves and investing in the lives of people, not to grow our church, but to change peoples lives and the world. 

Have a great Sunday.

As I read this verse out loud, I can’t imagine what I would go through internally if God was calling me to do what Abraham did. 

” Take your son, your only son–yes, Isaac, whom you love so much–and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” – Genesis 22:2

I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that God was calling you to do something so crazy. Don’t you know Abraham wanted to spend time rationalizing all of the reasons why God couldn’t be serious? You know he was tempted to figure out what kind of “metaphor” God was using when he talked about sacrificing his son. But instead of doing all of things I typically do when God calls me to something hard, Abraham did something really radical…he obeyed. 

If you read the next verse in that story, it paints a picture of Abraham’s relationship with God. He didn’t wait until a week or a month. He didn’t put together a six month strategic plan. He didn’t seek counsel from Godly men. He listened to the one true God and the story says, the next morning he set off towards Moriah in obedience. 

How many times have you found yourself challenged to step out in faith, but instead of responding like Abraham, you found yourself waiting to see what God would do next, searching for more proof, bartering with the creator of the universe? 

I have been there so often, and I confess that my hesitance to obey God shows how short sighted, and faithless I can be so many times. I confess that I often take instructions from my boss, my wife, or even close friends more seriously — treat them with more urgency, than things handed down from God. 

God is calling us to be obedient with our families, our lives, our church, our careers, and everything in between, whether or not his instructions make sense to us.

Are there any commands that God has been placing on your heart recently?

How will you respond today? 

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom, and revelation, so that you may know him better.” – Ephesians 1:17

I love that, and that is what I am praying. That God will give you His Spirit and that he will reveal himself to you more fully…for no other purpose than you seeing who he is more clearly.

First, get out your cell phone and scroll through the names in your contact list.
Second, who is a person in your contact list that is struggling with loneliness.
Third, call that person right now. Don’t wait until later. Just call them. Let them know you were thinking about them. Maybe you will go out for coffee one day this week.

How would it feel if you went an entire day realizing nobody had called you because they missed you? As people that follow Jesus, let’s make an effort today to let someone in our lives know that they are not alone. Love you guys.