Order Into Chaos

The Seven Ways of Creation

1. Genesis 1:1-2:3
2. Genesis 2:4-3:24
3. Job 38-41
4. Psalm 104
5. Proverbs 8:22-31
6. Ecclesiastes 1:2-11, 12:1-7
7. Isaiah 40-55

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day
‍- Genesis 1:1-5

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“Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.”
― Marva J. Dawn, In the Beginning, GOD

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He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.
- Psalm 104:5-9

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So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
- Genesis 1:27

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“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
‍- Psalm 8:3-5

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“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility. The simple fact that we have the intellect and skills to inquire and test and make scientific discoveries is remarkable. But with a rational, all powerful God in whose image we are made, it is no surprise that we are able and eager to make scientific sense of the world around us.”
- Albert Einstein

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness
‍- John 1:1-5

Mixer

What is your summer theme song?

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Neighborly - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In the 7/19/23 entry, Not Yet!, Pastor Harry reminds us that sometimes God answers our prayers with a not yet. Why? When is a time that you knew God was saying not yet? How did you react then, and do you/could you react differently today - have you changed? Pastor Harry said if God gives us a gift we are not ready to handle, the gift becomes a curse. Think through an event you have found this statement to be true in your life - what did you learn through the complications? What advice would you now give your old self?

2.  In the 7/29/23 entry, Letting God In Will Mean Letting You Go, Pastor Heidi reminds us that praising God brings balance to the spinning, out-of-control, often over-scheduled life that we live. Have you tried it? How are you doing with praising God? Perhaps you are adding up the times you praise God in a day and find that number is quite small. But what if you stopped focusing on the number and started developing a heart of praise instead? What does a heart of praise look like? How does it change your day? What walls come down?

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Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-5, 27-28; Psalm 104:5-9; John 1:1-5

1. Pastor Jared shared that the psalms are primarily there to inspire wonder about who God is and what He has done. Share a time when God’s character was revealed in what He’s done in your life.
2. The question is not about the “what” but the “who” in your life.  Considering your current circumstances, are you living with a sense of “who” or a sense of “what?” Why or why not?
3. Pastor Jared shared A.W. Tozer’s quote: “The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” In your most challenging times, what did you think about God? In your most fulfilling times, what did you think about God? Were your thoughts about Him different or the same? How can we work to be consistent about who God is, no matter the circumstance?
4. Read Psalm 104:5-9. Our God is the God who brings order into chaos. How are you living out this truth in your life?
5. Read Genesis 1:27-28. You are made in the image of a God who brings order into chaos. Meaning you, too, are meant to bring order into chaos. How can you reflect to the world who God is in your life and what He has done in the midst of a chaotic world?

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Serve

Have you signed up yet for Good Neighbor Day on Saturday, July 29, 9-11am?

Register here!

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Pray

This week, it is the Middle School’s turn at Forest Home camp! Pray over our 54 Middle School students and 8 staff/volunteers.. This year’s theme is The Pixelated Life: Just as pixels make up a picture, these moments make us who we are in God’s picture for us. Pray for everyone’s safety and health, for meaningful connections to be made, and that each one meets Jesus in a fresh new way and comes down the mountain determined to walk in step with him as they journey through their high school years and beyond.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

- Romans 8:31

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