Archive for February, 2008
February 28, 2008 at 5:05 pm · Filed under David, Josiah
Pastor Matt Stroia and I are heading down to one of our “related” churches – Church of the Highlands -Â this weekend, where we will be attending a great small conference with the leadership of Church of the Highlands. We are very excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to be back to DC for Sunday!
Prayer Request: Please lift up our little man, Josiah, he is still dealing with acid reflux. We believe that God is going to heal him! We also believe in the power of agreement, please agree with us for his healing.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
February 27, 2008 at 5:22 pm · Filed under DC
NEW Series starting this week!
Paparazzi: Snapshots of a Miracle Working God.
I am really pumped about this one… I have been wanting to do this series for some time now, and I felt like ramping up into the Easter Season was the best time to do it (Ok – the academy awards got me thinking too…)
We focus so much on Celebrity in our culture… Are we really that different from the life and times of Agrarian Jewish Culture of 2000 years ago? I think not – people don’t change a whole lot…
Jesus was the celebrity on the scene of His day – and the paparazzi was the crowd that wondered in amazement at His counter cultural teachings, but also marveled at His Miracles that are still evident and happening today.
As we go though this new series we are going to look a little deeper at some of these miracles to find that there is much more to the Snapshot that just one miracle – yet he was always doing much more through these amazing exploits – He was touching hearts and changing lives under the surface!
Get ready for God to do the same in our lives, as we jump into part one of: Paparazzi – Snapshots of a Miracle Working God. Starting this weekend!
Go God and See You There!
Pastor D.
February 26, 2008 at 5:41 pm · Filed under David
Well we wrapped up Simplify Your Life this weekend and I could not be more challenged personally regarding it…
The process of Simplification is never a “Simple” process – It has required me to revisit my schedule, things I say yes to, and even some relationships that I need to prioritize over busyness… Ouch!
All and I have felt great growth in the one relaitonship that God tells us to focus on FIRST, the relationship with Jesus…
From this relationship being consistently put FIRST, I have found an easier way – to simplify – me. Instead of me simplifying me, I give God the ability to Simplify my life…
Mt. 6:33 “Seek First the Kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you.”
PS – If you did not get a chance to catch Simplify Your Life, check out the messages online and simplify with us…
Have a great week!
February 21, 2008 at 11:32 am · Filed under DC, David
Today is Trash Day…
I love trash day! I get excited about trash day… I go through the house and find all the trash and begin to bag it up, we have about fifteen different trash cans in our home and I love dumping each and everyone of them out into a trash bag and then taking them to the dumpster and then dragging the dumpster to the curb. I know what you are thinking, are you crazy? There is just something about it, and yes, I really do enjoy it…
Let me explain:
I have come to enjoy getting rid of things, and getting them out of my world. Some would call this reducing your load, I call it simplifying my life… I love the thought of getting the trash out of my life. There is nothing really clean about it, but after I take out the trash I get this clean feeling all over… (Yes I still wash my hands) I think it has something to do with the fact that I only have so much space and when I throw old things away, I can make room for new things, or just make room…
As I was pondering this today (Trash Day) I feel like there is a parallel for our lives in Jesus. (Symbolism from Trash?)
We all have “Stuff” in our lives that could be defined as “Trash…” It could be in the form of Unconfessed Sin, Unforgivness towards another person, or just habits that you know are holding you back from all that God has for your life, even junk that is in our house/apt./flat/garage/storage unit (help me jesus!)/townhouse/mansion/etc. that needs to be tossed (This one is for all you pack-rats out there – Jesus Loves Pack Rats too!)…
I have a scripture that speaks real well to this, it is in Hebrews 12:1. It states, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us…”
“Take out the Trash!” Hebrews 12:1 (DST) David’s Standard Translation (Emphasis added)
If there some trash that needs to be taken out in your life?
You’re in Luck, It’s Trash Day!
GO GOD!
Pastor D…
February 15, 2008 at 2:54 pm · Filed under DC
Are you tired?
Are you worn out?
Is your life complicated and busy?
Jesus: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.â€Matthew 11:28-30 (Msg)
I am not saying, I am just saying…
See you Sunday as we all continue to learn from Jesus, on how to Simplify our lives.
Part II of Simplify Your Life this weekend!
See You There…
Pastor D.
February 14, 2008 at 4:06 pm · Filed under David, Isaac, Josiah, Taryn
I thought it might be good to catch up on some “behind the scenes” family photos & happenings from the last month or so…
With that said, here are a few photos that are sure to give you a Real, Relevant, and I hope Enjoyable snapshot into our “little” world:
Our Little All-Star:
A Little Group Of Friends:
A Little Welcome Home Kiss: (Manly Kiss!)
A Little Super Bowl Action:
A Little Coffee With The Crew:
A Little ICY Weather:
A Little Hair Cut:
A Little Brotherly Cuddlin’:
A Little Cowboy!:
A Little Valentine:
Hope you are having a Great – AND SIMPLE - Week…
See You This Weekend!
Go God!
David
February 12, 2008 at 3:19 pm · Filed under DC
Thought it might be nice for all to see our monthly e-newsletter for DC Metro…
If you are interested in signing up to receive this on a monthly basis to hear about all the great stuff going on at DC Metro, just click here to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter…
AND NOW FOR THIS MONTH’S DC METRO E-NEWSLETTER:
First Thursdays
You are invited to First Thursdays! What is First Thursdays? It is a Real, Relevant, and Enjoyable prayer service the first Thursday of every month. It will is a time to worship (unplugged), hear an inspiring “nuggetâ€, and pray for each other. It is an opportunity for us to meet as a DC Metro Family during the week and enjoy God together! God has been incredibly faithful to us, and we are excited to get together and celebrate His goodness. Join us tonight (Thursday, February 7th) from 7- 8:30pm at First Christian Church (2373 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302). Activities for children, ages 6 weeks to 5th grade.
Metro Groups
We are so excited that Metro Groups started this week, but it is not too late to join a group. We will have the sign up sheets at the Groups Table on Sunday or you can look under the “Groups†tab on the website to find out about the several Metro Groups meeting at various locations around the DC Metro area. Each of the groups will meet on Wednesday night’s from 7-9pm and will be discussing the Sunday morning message on a deeper level. The purpose of Metro Groups is to grow closer to God with each other. We believe that transformation occurs best in the context of Authentic Community! We are also very excited to be launching a Runner’s Group (for all levels from beginners to hard core) that will meet on Saturday mornings. We highly encourage everyone to be a part of a Metro Group because they are a great way to get connected and they are so much fun. If you have any questions about Metro Groups, email jreams@dcmetrochurch.org.
Starting Point
Starting Point is designed for new believers or anyone wanting to go deeper in the foundational truths of Christianity. We will explore the Bible together to find out how each of our stories is meant to be a part of God’s bigger story that He has been writing throughout history. Starting Point will be meeting on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm. If you have any questions, email jreams@dcmetrochurch.org.
Simplify Your Life
Simplify Life—for most, this phrase is an oxymoron. Can life really be made simple? In spite of the seemingly innate complexities of life, we believe that God has laid out several principles in His Word that, if applied, will unscramble the convoluted areas of life. In this next series, starting this Sunday, February 10th, we will examine these principles and learn about the amazing freedom that comes from simplifying our lives.
Don’t Just Live…Thrive
This past weekend we ended our first series of the year called “Don’t Just Live…Thriveâ€Â For the previous five weeks we have been talking about believing God for something big in our lives in 2008. Pastor David talked about 2008 being a year of “new beginnings†in our lives. However, let us not forget that it is God who gives us new beginnings and it is really His new beginning—we are just seeing where He’s moving and getting on board!
Last weekend, Pastor David spoke on Persisting in Faith which is a huge part of our faith in Christ. Most of the time our lives will not be remembered by how we started but instead by how well we finished the race. Therefore, let us persist and finish the race well that is set before us!
Galatians 6:9 states, “Do not weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you do not give up!” Keep moving forward, and if you need a pep talk or two, check out our THRIVE series by clicking here to listen the podcast from our website (to accompany you in your distance study, we now have message notes and small group notes available online).
Coming Soon
Essentials - This Sunday, February 10th, right after service, join us for the first installment of Essentials! Essentials is a three part class (over the next three Sundays) facilitated by our Associate Pastor, Matthew Stroia, to explore three essentials of DC Metro Church – The Church Life, The Fulfilled Life and The God Life. Come learn more about the abundant life God is offering to you this Sunday in Theater One.
Valentine’s Day Parent’s Night Out – The Children’s Ministry will watch your children (ages 6 weeks to 5th grade) so you and your spouse can go paint the town red! Let us watch your children from 6:30-9:00pm on February 14th, at First Christian Church. If you are interested in bringing your children or having fun hanging out with the children with us, please email julee@dcmetrochurch.org.
Metro Card Pass Out - We would love for you to join us on February 16th at 1pm to help us pass out DC Metro cards at various Metro stations. We are excited for this outreach opportunity to invite hundreds of people to church! Email smobely@dcmetrochurch.org if you are interested in joining us.
Children’s Ministry Expansion - The children’s ministry is growing! Plans are being made to expand the layout of the children’s ministry because of all the new children coming to church. Continue to pray for our incredible Children’s Ministry Directors, as they direct this growing area of DC Metro Church.
Mini-Choir – Not only is the Children’s Ministry growing, the DC Metro Band is growing as well. The church is getting really excited about the addition of the DC Metro Mini-Choir! In the coming weeks, we will be expanding our stage in order to accommodate the Mini-Choir. We are calling all people who have a heart for worship—if you want to be a part of the Sunday Morning Mini-Choir, email ahess@dcmetrochurch.org.
Note from Pastor David
Taryn and I want to thank you for your incredible support during the birth of Josiah. We appreciate all the delicious meals that were brought and want to thank all of you again for praying for our family during this time of transition. Isaac is adjusting well to being a big brother to “Baby Jo-Jo.†Please continue to pray for DC Metro Church that we would be given the grace and wisdom to “Build a God-First Culture in the DC Metro Area”. We are thrilled to be pursuing God’s dream for the DC Metro Area with you! Go God!
Bless You,
Pastors David & Taryn Stine
Lead Pastors of DC Metro Church
February 11, 2008 at 3:21 pm · Filed under DC, Podcast
We kicked off a new series this weekend entitled: Simplify Your Life!
This is something that God has been dealing with me about for some time as I have been preparing!
In our fast-paced DC Culture, it is easy for us to allow our character to become affected and even infected with Busyness!
It is for me anyway, how about you? So we are taking time to re-focus on the pace at which God has designed us to live – so that we can be all that He wants and Desires Us To Be…
Check this out: The bible says, “May he keep us centered and devoted to Him, following the life path He has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms He laid down for our ancestors. 1 Kings 8:58 (Mes.- The Message Bible)
In this passage the great and wise King Solomon reveals to us that there is a pace and a rhythm that God has designed us to live… He also desires us to follow Him to walk at the predetermined pace that He has laid out even for our ancestors…
Feeling Tired Yet? We all are… And in this series we are going to talk about the pace in which God desires us to live – the Good Way – and Yes The Simple Way – which includes making time for Him (Prayer, Church, Group, Relationships) over some other things that take up our time throughout the week… Ouch! (Don’t worry I felt it too…)
If you missed this weekend’s message – be sure and catch it online by checking our podcast or by clicking here to get the notes and listen online… or even for further and deeper study check out one of our Metro Groups which meet in and around the DC Metro Area. For a map to find the metro group that meets closest to you, click here for an interactive map…
See Ya Next Weekend For Part II of the Series as we all Simplify and RECHARGE our Lives Together!!!
Quick Family Prayer Request:
Hey all our Great Prayer Partners out there – Please continue to lift up our son Josiah – He has had some difficulty with infant acid reflux (very painful). We have been praying for him around the clock for about a week and the little guy just needs a break – please keep him in your prayers as we are believing for total healing in his little body… - Thanks from the Stines…
GO GOD!
February 7, 2008 at 5:02 pm · Filed under DC
Looking forward to our first official “First Thursday” at DC Metro, Starting Tonite!
I really felt strongly at the beginning of the year that God really wanted us, as a church, to build prayer heavily into our culture and DNA.
Prayer has been such a huge part of Taryn and I’s lives – God has given us so many reasons to continue to return to HIM due to all the times that He has met us in the past and present – we belive that He is going to do even greater things in the future…
The bible tells us that “You have not, because you ask not.” Therefore we need to continually be asking Him to continue to move in our lives, our families, our finances, our jobs, our church, and especially our culture… As we continue to ask God to “Build a God-First Culture throughout the DC Metro Area” we have to remember that it is God that is going to build it, our job is to ask Him to do so, and be willing and open to be used for helping Him build it…
The bible tells us that: “Unless the Lord builds the house, then the Laborers labor in vain.” I sure don’t want to labor in my own efforts, rather we are committed to laboring in His…
If you get a chance – be sure and make it out tonite as we are going to be meeting at a church on King Street called First Christian Church – They have been so gracious to let us use their sanctuary for our First Thursdays (7pm – 8:30pm)
Also, The childrens ministry will be in full swing tonite – so bring the kids!
Go God!
Pastor D.
If you are far off from DC, please pray for our service tonite!
“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations!” – Jesus…
February 6, 2008 at 2:13 pm · Filed under DC
Metro Groups Start Today!
I am so fired up about all the groups that are starting tonite…
It looks like we are going to have groups meeting all over the DC Metro Area! Go God!
To check out all the groups and our new interactive groups map (Sounds cool right?) click here. (You may have to zoon out twice to see all the groups and the full Metro Area…) I figure this would be a great tool for all of our prayer partners all over the country/world who are praying for DC Metro Church as well…
Prayer Request: Please pray for Metro Groups and maybe even check out this map to lift up our individual groups meeting this Semester. (WE LOVE OUR PRAYER PARTNERS! Please Keep Praying for us to “Build a God-First Culture Throughout the DC Metropolitan Area! Go God!)
Also, If you are not in a group at DC Metro, I want to encourage you to get into a group in your home church. I have found that transformation in our lives always happens best in the context of relationships – and groups are a great way to connect with others who are putting God First in their lives. Not to mention – groups in your home church are safely “under cover” (Spiritually Protected) by the pastors of your church. Side Note: A great book on this biblical truth written by John Bevere called “Under Cover“
If you are interested in being a part of Metro Groups at DC Metro Church simply drop a quick email to our Metro Groups Director Dr. Julie Reams @ jreams@dcmetrochurch.org
Here is her photo if you want to find her on Sunday Mornings…
Go God and Go Metro Groups!
Pastor D.
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