Matt's Musings

Here's a look at the worksheet for tomorrow's session. Alpha Course, Week 7 How Does God Guide Us? Key Verse: Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Introduction: God promises to guide us (Psalm 32:8, John 10:3-4, 27) God has a good plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 12:2) We need to consult God before making decisions (Isaiah 30:1-2) Jesus is the supreme example (Luke 4:1, John 5:19) Our attitude needs to be one of humility (Psalm 25:9, 14) 1. Commanding Scripture God reveals his general will for our lives (2 Timothy 3:16) God reveals his particular will for our lives (Psalm 119:105, 130-133) 2. Compelling Spirit (Acts 20:22, John 10:3-4, Acts 16:7) God speaks as you pray (Acts 13:1-3) The good thought Strong impressions Feelings God speaks through a strong ...

I remember when I was in college — at BIOLA University — one of the people who was hanging out in our group late at night said he thought Jesus was a communist. Now, when you attend Christian college, these are the kind of nerdy conversations that take place late a night. You expect most people to have similar political views, but on occasion someone says something that you think might be done for shock value. This state brought our conversation to a halt. Many of us were trying to figure out if the guy was being serious or just trying to spur debate. After determining he was serious, most of us dismissed the idea as crazy and un-Biblical (the common retort in Bible college to an idea you can't comprehend). Later, I tried to think about why. It occurred to me that part of it was our notion of communism. When you hear the word, most of the time, in our world we think of the way it's been put into practice. We think of the cold war, the oppression of the Russian people, the Vietn...

Today's message focused on getting Spiritual oxygen into our personal devotions. This has been something that's been on my mind a lot lately, as it dovetails nicely with the emphasis placed by the Alpha program. In fact, last Wednesday's meeting focused on the need to be in the word, and the powerful impact that can have on our lives. Small groups are one way to get that oxygen into our lives, but that, like Sunday services, isn't enough. You have to carve out personal one-on-one time. During the last Alpha message, Nicky shared a story about a time when he felt a little lost and, during his devotions, stumbled upon a verse that was the exact message he needed to hear at the time he needed to hear it. That's one of the ways God speaks to us. This week I started beginning my day with the devotional Our Daily Bread. We got a shipment here at Highlands, and it was something I had never done before, so I decided to give it a try. It is amazing how I saw the fruits of it...

Summer is allegedly upon us (I know it's hard to accept that given it's raining and in the mid-60s today). The summer season at the Box Office has been up-and-down so far (the best release has been "X-Men: First Class," out this weekend), and it looks to stay that way. So this summer I will be counting down my personal favorite films of all time. Films are from 2009 or earlier. I think films have to have been out for at least a year to qualify, otherwise you fall into the trap of being drawn to the hip film of the moment. Many of the films on this list have been in rotation for me for a long time. Finally, I will note these are personal favorites. I'm not endorsing them as the greatest collection of films ever made — though I think some of them certainly qualify — but rather as ones I come back to time and again. I also invite you all to post comments with some of your favorite movies, or your thoughts on the movies that make this list. 25. Twister (1996) Starring...

So, today a new "X-Men" film — "X-Men: First Class" — opens. It is touted as a great reboot to the franchise. That it should be, tough it's not really a reboot or a sequel, more of a prequel. It is possible that "First Class" — which tells the story of a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) during the tumultuous Cuban Missile Crisis — is the best of the "X-Men" franchise. It certainly sets the stage beautifully as a prequel and focuses on the element of the franchise I always liked best, the ideological battle between two old friends. The film, which is probably the best of the summer blockbusters so far, is a beautiful mix of action, drama, special effects, and story. For a full review, check back on Thursday. But for now, I thought I'd chronicle the big screen history of "X-Men." "X-Men" (2000) Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, and...

Here's a look at some new releases I saw this week. The Hangover, Part II Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, and Ken Jeong Synopsis: If you liked the first film, you're probably going to see the sequel. The sequel follows the formula exactly — shifting the action to Stu (Helms) getting married in Thailand. The gang returns and, predictably, Alan (Galifianakis) finds a way to get the core group into a situation where they are totally toasted, leading to a night of debauchery they simply can't remember. I would note that the way the drugging happens, and the drugs used in this one, certainly stretch the suspension of disbelief to an all-time high. Also, as one might expect, the film really ramps up the level of raunchiness in the story. In my opinion there are a few sequences that ride the line between R and NC-17. This is certainly a Hard R film, and it WILL NOT appeal to all audiences. If you're a fan of the genre, and a fan of the fir...

This week is another interesting, challenging lesson as part of our Spiritual formation. It's also another week where I think Nicky uses some powerful illustrations to help drive home the point about what he's teaching us. Last week we introduced the idea of prayer journals, and I hope that is still something that you're taking advantage of. Nicky again references his own personal use of journals during his daily devotional time. I, too, have been working to fill out my journal this past week and I've found it to be a challenging tool to help focus my personal time with God. And that time with God is important. One of the biggest reasons that Nicky hits upon for studying the Scriptures is that it helps us absorb God's will for our lives, it provides guidelines for our conduct, and it furthers out relationship with Him. The theologian D.L. Moody said, "We were not given the Bible to increase our knowledge, we were given it to improve our lives." The Bible p...