Discipline of Stillness

Life: Connected
The Discipline of Stillness
Speaker – Crispin Schroeder
2.27.10

I. Intro
II. Disciplines of Action and Stillness
A. Action
B. Stillness
C. Charismatics and Contemplatives
D. Both/And Spirituality
• Action without stillness will become little more than empty and lifeless ritual and will lead to burnout
• Stillness without action will fail to connect with the outside world in
III. A World of War and Chaos… Psalm 46
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IV. Be Still and Know That I Am God…
A. Rhythms of Rest and Stillness (Exodus 23:10-12)
B. Stillness Acknowledges God’s Sovereignty
C. Being Still is Not an Escape
V. Conclusion
What is your battle today? What situation demands everything you have?

40 Days of Faith Resources

Just a note that we have 40 Days of Faith resources updated at www.northshorevineyard.org Monday through Friday to aid you on this journey.

Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Listen to the audio by clicking on the title. You can also subscribe to Northshore Vineyard Church Audio Podcast on ITunes.
Life: Connected
Asking, Seeking, Knocking
Speaker – Crispin Schroeder
2.20.10

I. Intro
II. Matthew 7:7-12
A. Dynamic Spiritual Life
B. Barriers to Asking
1. Abuses of Asking
2. Risks of Asking
C. The Importance of “ing”
D. God’s Goodness
III. Conclusion - What if We Took Jesus Seriously?


40 Days of Faith 2010
Northshore Vineyard Church

1. Invite God to address a couple of personal needs.
A. Ask
• What do you want Jesus to do for you?

• What do you really want Jesus to do for you (motivation behind the desire)?

B. Seek
• In what areas do you need God’s guidance and wisdom (be specific)?

C. Knock
• Is there a door you need opened in your life right now?

2. Three is Enough Group - Do this journey with others. Find 1-3 other people that you can meet with for 1 hour a week to process your faith journey together.

3. Follow along with 40 Days of Faith resources which will be updated weekly on our website www.northshorevineyard.org

4. Anyone can participate in this journey. For some, this may be simply trying out faith for 40 days to see if you might want to be a Christian. For others of you this may be a chance to reignite a faith that has not been very dynamic lately.

5. Pray daily (asking, seeking, knocking) for God to meet the needs that you have listed.

Tending the Garden

Listen to the audio by clicking on the title. You can also subscribe to Northshore Vineyard Church Audio Podcast on ITunes.

*Crispin references the following clip during the talk:


Life: Connected
Tending the Garden
Speaker – Crispin Schroeder
2.13.10

I. Intro – The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9)
II. Interpretation of the Parable
A. The Hardened Soil / The Hardened Heart (Matt 13:18-19)
B. Lack of Roots (Matt 13:20-21)
C. Choked by Cares and Anxiety (Matt 13:22)
D. Good Soil (Matt 13:23)
III. Maintaining an Open Heart (Phil. 4:4-9)
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IV. Conclusion

Our Father

To listen to audio click on the title above or subscribe to podcast via ITunes.

Life: Connected
Our Father
Speaker – Crispin Schroeder
2.7.10
I. Intro – Matthew 6:5-14
II. Views of the divine
A. Jewish – The Jewish understanding was that God was holy, righteous, and just but also distant.
B. Roman/Greek – The Romans and Greeks understood there to be numerous gods that needed to be placated to gain favor, but there was no sense of being in any kind of meaningful relationship with the gods.
C. Jesus – The revolutionary understanding of God as father (abba father, implying relationship and affection).
D. Paul – expands on the relationship with our heavenly Father in Romans 8:15-17 by using the term adoption or sonship to refer to our relationship with God.
III. Two Kinds of Lost - Luke 15:1-3,11-31(Parable of the Prodigal Son)
A. The Younger Brother – Self Discovery
B. The Older Brother – Moralism
IV. Conclusion - The Father’s Love

The companion spiritual exercise for this week can be found on the post prior to this one or at www.northshorevineyard.org

NSV Spiritual Formation Exercise 2.7.10-2.13.10

This exercise is to help you connect with God through prayer, specifically the Lord’s Prayer. Do this exercise at both the beginning and ending of your day. You may want to keep a journal of what you feel like God is speaking to you through this.

Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message)
When you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.

Jesus teaches us in these verses that our prayer needs not be showy or boisterous but can be very simple and natural.
• Have you ever seen people making a big production out of their prayers?
• Have you ever felt intimidated that you couldn’t pray that way?
• Have you ever made a production of your own prayers before God, pretending to be something that you are not?

Find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted for a few minutes and pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 10:9-13) slowly thinking through what each verse means…
• What does it mean that God is your father in heaven?
• What would it look like for his kingdom to come in certain areas of your life on earth as it is in heaven?
• What are the needs in your life this day that you need God to provide for?
• For what do you need forgiveness? Who do you need to forgive?

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen