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Six Things to do When God Surprises You

4/17/2019

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Picture
Picture
One of the best things about the account of the resurrection in the Gospels is the various reactions of the disciples and others. Those reactions range from ecstatic fist pumping on the end to consternation and scheming on the other.
But no one shrugged. Because no one, not even Jesus’ disciples saw it coming. 

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”- Mark 16:6

God Is Surprising
The best thing about God is that he loves us.
The second best thing about God is that, loving us, he made a way through his Son, Jesus, to save us.

But somewhere down that list of wonderful things about God we come to the fact that he is surprising. It is delightful to have a surprising God, a God who “upsets the world’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:19.)” It is good to have a surprising God. Don't be surprised if God surprises you. 

As we celebrate Easter again remind yourself of the benefits and responsibilities of following a surprising, confounding, upside-downing sort of Savior.

​
How to Respond to a Surprising God

1. Act surprised
God is surprising you for a reason. He wants to you to experience more of him, a fresh revelation of his nature, and his love for you. Resist the temptation to play it cool. If God goes to the trouble of blowing you away, have the decency to be visibly, demonstrably blown away. And, along the way, enjoy the ways that God surprises you.


2. Don’t give up on certainty
But wear your certainty like a winter coat, something you get the benefit of in the cold, but which you remove the moment you step into a warm foyer. Be really certain about what you’re certain of, right up to the point where God takes your certainty away. Be certain that people who get a diagnosis of terminal illness invariably die of that illness . . . right up to the point where God miraculously heals.


3. Know where the surprise won’t come from
While it’s true that he makes all things new, it’s also true that God himself never changes. He does not break faith, there is no sin in him, and his character is always, invariably, a matter of love.


4. Be God’s co-conspirator
Sometimes in my friendship with a non-believer I imagine that, having been given access to my friend’s life, I have been recruited to be God’s “inside man.” I find a window in the house of my friend’s life and make a point of leaving it unlatched that God might sneak in and surprise my friend someday by jumping out from behind his furniture. I hope that’s less creepy than it sounds.


The point is that, being grateful for the way in which God has surprised me, I want to make it possible for God to surprise my friends in the same way.

5. Add an asterisk to everything else
In humility, be aware that having a surprising God and being a human with limited insight means that the next surprise could come from just about any direction. And that surprise could mean a change in my politics or in my circumstances or in my heart. And while I can’t know ahead of time what shape that surprise will take, I can trust the God who’ll spring it on me.


6. Be the surprising servant of a surprising God
Let your neighbors and friends find you just as delightfully surprising as the God that you serve (1 Peter 4:4.) We are God’s prank on a world that he wants to save. Play your part with mischief and grace.


​7. Know God is never surprised
While God often works in ways we find unconventional, remember he is never surprised. Adam's sin didn't surprise him, and Jesus was ready to die and rise on our behalf. He is never caught off guard, and he knows your yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

Written by Joel Tom Tate

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Welcome to the Brandon Campus!

4/11/2019

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PictureParking proximity to the Brandon Town Hall
​Our Brandon Campus is a ministry of Furnace Brook Wesleyan Church where the mission is to make more and better disciples. The Brandon Campus is a place for the unchurched and the dechurched where faithful informality and an unconventional approach to doing church might open the door through which unlikely people can make their way into the Kingdom.

We do this by:
  • Emphasizing the sacredness of our gathering over the sacredness of our space. (Being more attached to each other and Jesus than we are to our location.)
  • Emphasizing the healing, edifying, and sanctifying work of worship.
  • Being creative, dynamic, and succinct in our ministry of the word.
  • By eating together, both literally and sacramentally.
  • Maintaining a relaxed and informal tone that allows for organic growth up to the point where we would launch another campus.

I would like to report to you that we are making progress on our Brandon campus.  As with
anything new it takes a couple times trying to find the right footing. After five Sundays at the Brandon Town hall, I think, we have hit a good stride.  

 Brandon Campus tutorial:
  •  When you get there. Upon arrival, someone will be standing outside near the “Furnace Brook meeting here” sign to direct you around the construction zone.    
  • Say Hello! There will be someone at the door to open it for you and hand you a bulletin.
  • Continue through the foyer into the main meeting room where you will find coffee and pastries to enjoy prior to the service.
  • Getting Started. The service will begin with a brief explanation of how the service will proceed, announcements and prayer.
  • Worship. We sing an opening song in which we use our voices to sing a prayer to prepare ourselves for communion.
  • Communion. Communion is taken by intinction which means that you’ll take a piece of bread to dip in the cup. And it’s “open” communion, meaning that regardless of what church you attend as long as you have made Jesus the Savior of your life we would love if you partake with us. Depending on how we are doing the service that day we will bring communion to you or you have the opportunity to come up and take it.
  • Message. Biblical teaching is done in tandem by Pastor Joel Tate and intern, Abbey Elliott. We will read the Old Testament, New Testament, and sermon passage together and then Abbey will ask Pastor Tate questions about the texts. We present the content podcast/interview style.  To hear what this sounds like, follow this link: https://www.furnacebrook.org/sermons.html
  • More Worship. Following the teaching session, we will enter into a time of worship. The whole service leads up to this time in the service. During worship we sing 3 songs that reflect what we just discussed. This is also a time for prayer and the giving of our tithe. If you would like to be prayed over there are team members available to pray over you on one of the wings of the room.  
  • Snacks! Following the benediction, we encourage you to stay for coffee and to talk with people.

As someone who has experienced the uncomfortable feeling of attending a new church but not feeling like I fit in,  I have some insight into how to create an environment where people feel welcome but not called out for being the newcomer.  

This past Sunday we had a potluck following the service. The invitation was open to anyone with the intention of having everyone in one place to experience and catch the vision. As stated above, our intention for this service is designed for those who feel uncomfortable in formal church setting, those who have been hurt by the church or those who have never been to church. I have a desire for everyone to love Jesus as much as I do, so we want to make attending church as easy as possible.

If after reading this you are as excited about our vision as we are, please visit our Brandon campus or contact Abbey at abigail@furnacebrook.org.

Best,
Abbey


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    Furnace Brook Wesleyan Church Blog 

    Furnace Brook Wesleyan Church, Pittsford VT


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    Pastor Joel Tom Tate 
    ​Leads Furnace Brook Wesleyan Church and thoroughly enjoys life in the most un-churched state in the Union.

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