Weekend Review 01.23.11

Set List:

Everlasting God (Brenton Brown)

How He Loves (John Mark McMillan)

Always Forever (Phil Wickham)

Band:

Acoustic & Lead Vocals: (Me), Jason Eaton

BGV's: Sarah Hatfield

This weekend we had a great guest speaker Jodi Hickerson from Plant Ventura. We have been in the UNLEARN series for three weeks now and Jodi spoke about UNLEARN Woman. Our big idea for this message is "In order to be the WOMAN God has created you to be, You have to UNLEARN the WOMAN you have become." Women have to learn to the desire of seduction. Woman have been given the natural gift of seduction, we saw it in the Garden of Eden. Phil 2:3-4 says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (NIV) Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (MSG) This is what our gift either man or woman of influence is to be used for. Not to get our way or get what we want but to lend a helping hand. The other thing Jodi said for women to UNLEARN is striving. Often times after we have faced some sort of rejection, we make a decision that we will do whatever it takes to not feel that way again…and so we strive. It’s almost like we try and make ourselves into some sort of super hero…You know, like “I will never not be good enough, again.” I will achieve perfection. I will out perform everyone around me. I will become invincible to rejection and it will be my goal to always please everyone. Yes, that’s me, I am Mrs. Incredible. These are the things we need to UNLEARN in order to become the Godly person God created us to be.

This is the awesome creative writing (aka Free Style Rap) Jodi did this past Sunday. Read over it! It is a powerful statement:

I spent a large part of my life just wanting to be in,

To be in the “in” crowd,

In the loop, in the know, among the proud,

Not left out, but to be allowed

To be in.

I have wanted to be in.

Wear clothes that are “in” style

A trendsetter and versatile,

Just the right cut, and a perfect smile,

I have wanted to be in.

To be looked at as someone who has much,

All the “in” music on my ipod touch,

Own the latest and greatest stuff and such,

I have wanted to be in.

But, I have felt aggravated,

Frustrated,

Unappreciated.

Slated,

As someone who is underrated,

Unimportant, unknown, unseen,

Average, mediocre, routine,

Beneath, below, beyond a chance,

Inconsequential; Insignificant.

But, Jesus he met people like me,

Took notice of a blind man and made him see,

Saw a locked up kid, and set him free.

Told little Zacheaus to get out of the tree,

Felt it when a desperate woman touched His cloak,

Kneeled beside a dead girl and up she woke,

Hung out with the down and out and broke,

Offered hope to the rejected with just the words He spoke.

Touched a man with leprosy who others would mock,

Touched the mouths of the mute and at once they could talk,

Forgave a woman at a well, who was the laughingstock,

Came to be The Shepherd of a wandering flock.

In the company of sinners, that’s where He would eat,

Defended an adulterer, made her accusers retreat,

Made followers out men who were crooked cheats,

Let the tears of a prostitute anoint His feet,

And suddenly,

dramatically,

miraculously,

undeniably

They were in.

In His story, In His truth, In His grace,

In His purpose, In His eyes someone great,

And I have wanted to be in.

And since the day I met with Him,

He took all that I had been,

All my fear, my shame, my sin,

And changed my life by letting me in.

I am in. And you need to know that He will let you in, too. That’s our Savior.