Why I Love the Awakening Part 2

Why do I attend The Awakening? Well, I think the writer of part 1, Joy, did a great job summing up my reasons as well. Community - I need friends. Biblical Truth - I need Jesus. Dating - I need a woman. Pretty simple if you ask me, however if you are like me you may be reading this blog wondering if you should even come check out this thing called "The Awakening". I can't answer that for you but what I can do is tell you some other cool things at The Awakening that keep me coming back.

 
Breakfast - Yes, there is coffee and bagels every Sunday morning. I have to have these especially if I am going to be somewhere by 9:30 AM on the weekend.

Phil - Phil is a pretty cool guy. He is passionate about the Lord and growing the community of believers. The stuff he brings on Sunday morning fuels discussions amongst the group and challenges me with stuff I think on all week.

Real People - By real people I am not assuming you think we have robots at The Awakening. I mean we have real, genuine people come through the doors. People that are interested in each other, want to get to know each other and spiritually grow together.

Opportunities - The Awakening is a great information hub for stuff going on that would relate to a young person living in Dallas. Through the Awakening I have found a small group, learned about missions going on in the church, and ways that I can continue to be involved at Fellowship Bible Church Dallas.

Free iPads - Ok, this one is not true but if your heart jumped a little then you got all the way to the bottom of my blog entry and that makes me happy. I hope that you come check us out! From what I have been told, there is a link to my Facebook on this blog so feel free to friend me, message me, or write on my wall, but please don't poke me because I don't get that concept.

- Christopher Thompson

YOUNG ADULTS AT FELLOWSHIP DALLAS

If you haven't heard already, the Awakening has been re-launched this fall and the community is growing. Young Adults are now gathering during the 9:30 service in
room 202 on the second floor. We are in the middle of a great series discussing the
elements of The Church, what it is, who it’s for.

The Awakening has also been highlighting several Young Adult community groups.
Please join us Sunday morning where we can introduce you to the leaders and help
you connect.

Finally, I must take a moment and introduce our new Young Adult Intern.  Kyle Purcell is leading our discipleship efforts for young men and Sunday morning organization.  He lives right down the street in the Village Apartments with his wife.  He moved to Dallas from Arkansas to get a masters degree in counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary.

On Mission,
Phil

THE CHURCH: How Do We Define It?

We had another great discussion today starting our series about the Church.  Today we started with the difficult task of defining it.  Here’s the Definition that I worked from.  It was created by the collaboration of myself, a missionary named Jon Freeman and a DTS professor.  It probably is not the best definition out there, but it suffices for me. 

The Church is the community of Christ followers, empowered by the Holy Spirit and sent by God to participate in His redemptive mission.

The Breakdown:

Community

“But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Cor. 12:21-26). 

           

Community is important when we talk about the Church.  First off, I like to make people aware that without community, we cannot reveal the full nature of God who himself exists in community being Trinity. It is the community of God’s people that work together to reveal Him and participate in his mission.

Christ Followers

“I am the vine, you are the branches, if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)

            The Church is a community of Christ followers.  They are people who have been chosen by God to be saved and reveal who he is.  There may be many you attend church, but only Christ followers are part of The Church – the body of Christ, the Bride of Christ.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”(Acts 1:8)          

The Holy Spirit is the bridge that links both the Community of the Church and the participation of the Church in the mission of God. The Holy Spirit is at work in our communities, placing people in the Church and endowing Christ followers with specific gifts to use within the community.

Sent by God

Christ tells his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”(Matthew 28:19-20)

            From the beginning, God has been a sending God.  From Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Moses and the Israelites into the promise land, to the pinnacle of His sending, His son, the messiah who put on flesh to be the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of the world.  Afterward, Jesus sent his disciples and we too today, are sent into the world to reveal the Glory of God.

Participate in His Redemptive Mission

            We have a specific part in God’s redemptive Mission, just as Christ had his.  We are to reveal God.  This is how he is glorified.  This is how we participate in His Redemptive Mission.  Though we are participants, we are not necessities.  God will accomplish his will. It is by his grace that we can be participants and experience the joy of doing so.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24-25). 

How would you define the Church?  This isn’t a perfect definition, how would change it?  What is missing?  Would you take any of it out?

I hope you can join us this next Sunday as we discuss what makes a local church, really a church.

Blog Post written by Phil Ogilvie, Young Adult pastor at Fellowship Dallas. 

Follow Phil on twitter at @ThePhilO or find him on Facebook 

Smart phones are cool

(image from youversion.com)

The YouVersion Bible app just released a new feature; it will now play audio of Scripture being read by a professional voice talent! I discovered it the other night as I was headed to bed; I was so excited I laid the phone beside me on the bed and clicked play. It seemed like my alarm clock rang instantly and it was time to start the day. Groggily I realized my phone was still reciting Scripture—8 hours worth from where I started—Matthew to John. I was thrilled with the endurance of the app, but convinced I needed a better way to utilize it than letting it tell me bedtime stories while I slept.

So, on my commute to the office I brought along a pair of head phones and contemplated where to start. I picked 1st Samuel. It’s the Old Testament stories of Israel’s first kings—Saul & David. I have heard all the stories before—David and Goliath, David & Jonathan’s friendship, King Saul’s jealousy of David. But being able to listen to the stories connected together as one large narrative brought new richness and meaning I’d never seen before. These were real people who did real things. By the end of the day I had heard every word of 1st Samuel.

One of the strongest themes in 1st Samuel is the contrast between the personality of Saul and of David. Saul is an arrogant, selfish, popularity-driven man. David is “a man after God’s own heart.”

I noticed these contrasts:

David	Saul
Asks God for wisdom before action-every time! (and God answers!) Patiently trusts God’s timing Character-driven leader Honors Saul as “God’s Anointed”	Takes headstrong action and begs for forgiveness Desperately grasps at every “opportunity” Charisma-driven leader Seeks to kill David

These were so clear, but it’s much harder to see them when you just read a single story.

If you have a smart phone, you should download the YouVersion app too. I have already gone through more books of the Bible than I read on paper all last month, and I am seeing it in a whole new light.

[I don’t think just listening to the Bible read is a substitute for studying it, but it offers a great perspective. It’s also a easier way to start if you’re intimidated by the big words and time it takes to read.]

-Michael Degroat

The Three Reasons Why I love The Awakening of Fellowship Dallas!

Connecting to Community 
I don't know about most of you, but I'm not originally from Dallas. Moving somewhere new with no family close by and little resources to connect makes meeting people, especially Christ minded people, increasingly difficult. The Awakening was the social community I needed to make close connections and develop friendships. The Awakening is a wonderful place to meet people AND to chat with someone about finding the right type of group or smaller community to plug yourself into. For me it was a nudge in the right direction to start a small group for young adult women like myself. I have found wonderful ladies in this newly budding community seeing new faces every week!


Spiritual Growth 
This might seem obvious but I have seen significant growth in myself spiritually from the start of The Awakening. The community of people and the young adult pastor Phil, offer loving truth and genuine support to face those tough spots in life. I've grown through the focus on missions work and discussion on how the sermon is applicable in a young adult's life. 


Romance 
Let's face it; most people are excited to see a little romantic plot twist. Well mine started at the Awakening. I went in with some hurt and bitterness from past experiences. I endured unhealthy relationship patterns and they all drew me away from God. I had gotten the idea into my head that what I needed was to call myself to a celibate lifestyle especially after I met Geoff for the first time and noticed my attraction to him. Thinking that nothing good could come of this, God used the community there to help me work through some of the hurt of past failings and be open to God's plan for my life. That is when I saw Geoff again and one thing led to another. God has blessed me with a healthy, loving, Godly relationship with a wonderful man through the community of The Awakening.


-Joy Schrader

DISCUSSION THOUGHTS: Powerlessness

What do you do when you can't DO anything?

This past Sunday we had a great discussion about powerlessness.  We are in the midst of a series talking about the Holy Spirit and how he is active in our lives.  The question we talked about was "How do we see the power of God in our lives?"

We heard great testimonies of God's hand at work. I was struck by the authentic boldness of Joey to share his story of redemption through Christ from his past hurts and hangups. (Thanks for sharing, man.) Kyle talked about an amazing story of God providing $600 for a dental crown given directly to the dentist by an unknown donor, even when they did not make their need known. (Brush your teeth lately?)  I was also moved by Daryl's story of getting into a fender bender this week.  The person she "fender bendered" found out her situation, her ministry at Save The Storks and not only decided to relinquish her from payment, but also told her that he was going to get his Church involved in supporting her ministry financially!


God IS on the move and at work in powerful ways around us.  But, to answer the question we began with, the conclusion we arrived at was, "We must recognize our powerlessness to experience the powerful grace of God." 


The question I left you with as you walked into the worship service was: What powerlessness do you need to own, so that God’s power can be displayed in your life? Any answers?  What did the sermon reveal from our discussion?  How did our discussion prepare you for the sermon?


On Mission,
Phil


Phil Ogilvie is the Young Adult Pastor and the South Area Pastor at Fellowship Dallas.

Special Message from Phil Ogilvie

If you were able to make it out to our last Awakening gathering before summer two things happened, you experienced a pretty stellar tornado/hail and light show, and you also got to hear a quick vision for what this summer is going to look like.  Now I want to share a few more details real quick.

LeverageU @ Epiphany

The Awakening is producing an event tomorrow night, that is Saturday the 11th that is hosted by Epiphany DanceArts and benefits Traffick911.  Use the promo Code "Awakening" to get $10 off your ticket price.  I hope many of you join us as we are blessed by our very own Melissa Nagel who is the leader of this company.  Half of the proceeds go to Traffick911 who seeks to eliminate sex trafficking among children.  For more information and to buy tickets go to the LeverageU website.

The Awakening

The Awakening will continue to meet over the summer by gathering on Sunday's for lunch at Gordon Biersch in the Park Lane shopping center across the street.  Many of you know where it is because we've been there every Tuesday night after the awakening.  IMPORTANT: Come by the Awakening Table on the second floor concourse anytime Sunday morning to get your Coupon for happy hour lunch specials and 10% off the rest of the menu.  This coupon will also include "The Sunday Question" which will provide a starter question so that we can talk about Gary's message.  We will begin gathering at Gordon Biersch at 12:30.

Awakening @ The Park

During the Month of June, The Awakening will be gathering at the Park in the Village Apartments on Tuesday Nights until July 5th to play Volleyball, Hang out, play music and have other great yard games.  This is a great place to meet others and get connected.  After July 5th we will move to Monday nights so that we can start the next initiative.

The Gathering @ Uptown

The Gathering @ Uptown is an opportunity for young adults to gather in a fun, safe, and comfortable environment.  We will be gathering on Tuesday nights at St. John's Wood in uptown. (It's right across the street from Starbucks, next to Rockin' Taco.)  This begins on July 12 with Live bands every Tuesday night for 8 weeks.  This is the place to invite a ton of friends.  They will also have appetizer specials for us as well as a great patio and upstairs lounge.  With the bands we are looking at, you will not want to miss this.  The cover is only that you bring a friend.

There are other great events that we are planning on the side.  To stay connected, you will want to follow us on Facebook, and check out our webpage.

Thanks for being an advocate for what we are doing in Dallas, and being a part of this community.

Please email me personally at PhilO@fellowshipdallas.org for any questions or if you just want to meet up and hear more about our vision for a Dallas wide Young Adult community.

On Mission,

Phil

A Summer of Playing Outside

Fellowship Dallas Young Adult Community is inviting YOU to enjoy a Summer of Playing Outside!

Last night the Awakening met at Gordon Biersch for the last gathering before summer begins. Phil shared with us his vision for the next couple of months and the calendar of activities that have been planned! The Awakening had a wonderful time experiencing authentic, social community outside of the church walls...although the tornado may have scared a few people off. :)

With hopes of good weather for the summer months, below is the calendar of events where you will find the Awakening:

May 31st: Awakening's Memorial Weekend Extension BBQ.

June 7-28th: Awakening @ the Park. Tuesday Night Volleyball!

June 11th: LeverageU @ Epiphany DanceArts Benefit Show. (Produced by the Awakening!)

June 12th: Beginning of Awakening @ Lunch! Every Sunday, 12:30, Gordon Biersch.

July 5th: Awakening's 4th of July Extension BBQ.

July 12th-August 30: Gathering @ Uptown Tour. Tuesday Nights, St. John's Tavern.

There will also be LOTS more events to be apart of! Keep an eye out for guy's night, girl's night, road trips, and local events by staying connected on Facebook, The Awakening at Fellowship Dallas, and our blog!

You know where to find us & we hope to see you there!

Abiding: Part 2

Last week Phil continued with the second part of his series on abiding. At the end of his lesson he interviewed Joy about how she has seen some of these things in her own life. Check out the audio posted below or you can click here to listen on a smart phone or download it.




Nathan

Worship

Last night Cody Kimmel spoke at the Awakening on worship. Audio is posted below, or you can click here to download or listen on your mobile device.




Nathan Totusek

Reversal: Contentment in Christ

Tonight Phil talked about contentment and how our focus on Christ can help us to be content in our current circumstances. As an example he used Paul, who went through many trials while in ministry but was content, no matter what situation he was in he was content through Christ’s strength.

I know for me, I usually try to figure everything out by myself and only turn to Christ when I am in a tough situation. I was really challenged tonight to focus on Christ in ALL circumstances, good or bad. I find that many times I let my blessings like a good job, friends and family be idols in my life and find contentment through those and not Christ. Phil challenged us to think of five things that are really close to us and then take them away and see if we’re still happy. I know I’d have a really hard time if I lost one or two of those things on my list, much less all five. How about you?

Philippians 4:12-13

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Nathan Totusek

Check out the audio below or click here to download.

Peace through prayer

Tonight Jeff spoke on the having true peace through prayer and how we usually deal with stressful situations by trying to please others, withdrawing, controlling others and addictions. He talked about how to achieve true peace we need to pray consistently, specifically, and trustfully.

Check out the audio below, or download it by clicking here.




Nathan Totusek

Awakening Audio for March 29th

Last week Phil spoke on uncovering our craving for Christ. Check out the audio below or you can download it here.

Come back tonight as Jeff speaks on Peace through prayer.

REVERSAL: Giving away what God gave to you.

If Christ is relevant in your life, you should then experience reversal.

This week, Phil Ogilvie taught us how it is better to give away what God gave to you than to keep it yourself: REVERSAL.

God makes a functional faith possible.

He is doing good works within you and it is He who gives you the desire to make a difference in the world and to glorify Him along the way. Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” God has equipped you with everything good, all the tools to act out His will and to fulfill his purpose, but the question remains: Are you allowing God to work through you? Are you listening and fulfilling the yearning desire within you, given to you by Him?

The first step is to live out the Kingdom, His word, within your life. By doing so, you will fulfill that desire within you to make a difference in the world. You will be glorifying Him. This defines a functional faith, made possible by God.

Give away what God gave you.

Be a light.“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless,” Philippians 2:14-16. Listen to God and live out his commands, without complaining or questioning.

Your functional faith will function as a light unto others--they will notice something different within you. In this, you will be giving away what God gave you.  Give out the Kingdom, His word, His promise of life. Be a light.


Phil noted that although Paul was in prison, he still sent the Philippians two of this best men to preach the word of God. What inspired him to be so generous, while he was behind bars? Why do you think he said,“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear,” Philippians 2:12.Paul knew the importance of having a functional faith and giving it away. Regardless of his circumstances, he continued to live out and give out his faith and to obey God.

God sent his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins--to save us. He gave us a special opportunity to live, but only by the grace of God. Don’t harbor this information, this precious gift. Give it away. We were saved, not to make our lives more comfortable, but to live out and give out the word, to pass it on, to serve.

It is not about us. It is about glorifying God and serving others.

Thank you, Phil, for a wonderful message on Reversal. Join us at the Awakening next week @ 7!

In Him, 


Kendall Johnson



To listen to Phil's message in full, click here. Or hit play below! 

"Community Speaks": Danielle Cody

This past weekend we had a blast on the Veritas Retreat!! Danielle Cody shares a little about what she learned…

Truth. 

1 Peter 3:15-16: "But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you..."

Why do we pursue truth? In order to expose the truth to those who oppose it, we must understand truth. Our worship is affected by our knowledge and understanding of who God is and who man is in light of God. As we seek the truth, our worship becomes more meaningful and glorifying to God. 

We first took a look at the characteristics and nature of God. God is three divine persons that make up one divine being. This is also called the Trinity.  Each divine person has unique characteristics and different responsibilities.  Our Father is all-powerful but all good and loving at the same time. Jesus is the perfect example to believers of humility as he became fully man and walked this earth just as we do.  The Holy Spirit convicts, empowers and strengthens believers to live as Jesus did. Each one is God, yet each one plays a specific role. Christians tend to emphasize only one or two forms of God without giving full recognition to all three. It's important for us to recognize each divine being and the role that they play in our lives. 

Next we took a look at who man is in light of who God is. Genesis tells us that man is made in the image of God. What does this mean exactly? Well it can mean a lot of things. Being made in God's image affects our desire for community, our ability to reason and choose good over evil, it causes us to take on the qualities of God. Most importantly, being made in God's image means we were created sinless. Because of the Fall through Adam and Eve, suddenly we were faced with the inability to not sin. We became sinful--in need of a sinless Savior.  Through Jesus Christ (taking on the role of our Savior and Redeemer), we suddenly are given the ability to not sin. You may ask why, since even as Christians we still fall into sin and you're right. Just as we have nothing to do with our salvation, we have no ability to overcome sin--at least on our own. This is where the role of the Holy Spirit comes in. Essentially if we aren't taking full advantage of the Spirit, then we aren't fulfilling our purpose. How do we walk by the Spirit though? 

Our desire and purpose is to live in obedience to God and live a life imitating Jesus. Ultimately we're created to glorify God and enjoy him. This is accomplished by walking by the Spirit, BUT first we must know that we are children of God. How do we know this? 1 John 5 tells us that in order to be born of God, we must believe that Jesus is the Christ. Not only that, we must love his children. How do we grow to love God's children? We already know it can't be done on our own, yet it IS possible. This passage also tells us "by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe his commandments". In order to love the children of God, we must love God first. In order to love God, we must grow in knowledge and understanding of who God is. This brings us full circle. This is why we pursue truth. Not only does knowledge of our Lord make us ready to make a defense and give an account of the hope that is in us, but also it develops a love for God.  As we grow in love for God, we grow in love for his children and observe his commandments by walking in the Spirit. This is how we know we are a child of God. This is how we "overcome the world" (1 John 5:5). Understand your faith. Understand the God you serve. Pursue truth.

By Danielle Cody

"Community Speaks" - Bobby Anderson

Occasionally, we hear stories from within the Awakening that allow us to see God's hand at work within the community.  This is a great opportunity to hear the "Community Speak." This post is told by Bobby Anderson who has been attending the Awakening for a couple months and works in the financial industry.

It was the week after I heard Phil speak about living life with purpose.  What especially hit me was when he was talking about doing your job with purpose even if it is something that you don’t particularly want to do.  Friday that week around 4:30 in the afternoon I was on a conference call with my boss and he told me that I needed to change the format of our internally prepared screening memo that our committees use to make decisions.  The kicker was that I had to completely re-do the entire document by Monday morning. 

What this meant was I was going to have to spend my whole weekend re-doing something that I had already created six months earlier.  Needless to say I was not looking forward to it.   As I started to work on this project I found myself angry with the fact that I was given this task and had to give up my weekend for something I thought was pointless.  Then I looked up and saw the posted note that I had put on my computer screen that read With Purpose.  It hit me that if I was to follow God with purpose I needed to follow through with this project and do the best possible job that I could.  I worked through the entire weekend only breaking for sleeping, eating and going to church.  After I completed the new screening memo I was very proud of what I did and it was honestly some of the best work I have ever done.

The next week I was very excited to show my boss and our committee what I created over the weekend.   To my surprise when we were going through a couple of transactions using the new screening memo our committee and my boss informed me that they were going to scrap my screening memo for another one that our team on the East coast was working on.  Their news completely deflated me and I was very discouraged.  Here I was pouring my heart and soul into my work and truly doing it was purpose just to be told it was for nothing.
At the same time I had been interviewing for a new position outside of my company.  The guy recruiting me asked me to provide two writing samples and a financial analysis document I had built in excel.  I ended up sending him the new screening memo and the two transactions that I had worked so hard on over the weekend and that my company scraped. These documents were exactly what the new company had been trying to develop internally and were one of the main reasons that they offered me the job.

Following God with purpose and applying that to everything we do is done whether or not you know what his plan is for you.  His plan for me in this situation was completely off my radar and unexpected.  Point being that is I am not always know what his plan is for me or why I am put into certain situations.  The only thing I can control is that I continue to do things with purpose and trust the God ultimately has plan for me.     

 By Bobby Anderson  

Reversal: What is Unity?

What does it mean as Christians to be truly unified in Christ?

Get ready to have a complete reversal of what you think the answer be as you listen to Sam Tyson's message from The Awakening this past Tuesday.

Reversal: The Relevant Christ

Last week, a new series kicked off at The Awakening. 

Over the next few weeks, we'll study the book of Philippians to discover what a Christ-centered life is all about. And that life is often the reversal of what the world tells us life should be about. As Christian, a life that pursues Christ should be our first and foremost desire.

Below is the audio for the first installment of this six-week series. Join us at The Awakening for the remaining five weeks to see Christ be made relevant to your daily life, and why a reversal my be exactly what you need. 

Questions on Marriage: Phil & Shannon in the Hot Seat

This past Tuesday night at the Awakening, Pastor Phil and his wife Shannon opened themselves up to be interviewed by the rest of us. During Phil's message we got to write down some questions and then Sam Tyson was a moderator in the interview session.

As you will notice in the audio file below, it got really authentic as they shared the realities and difficulties of their first year of marriage, the challenges and growth that happened while they where missionaries in Costa Rica, and the great joy they have as they've raised their son Matthew, who is two and a half years old. Phil and Shannon have been married for six and a half years and look forward to learning from each other for many more years to come.



To download the clip, please click here.

Investing in Your Marriage

Four weeks ago, The Awakening started a new series called Ruth & Relationships. It began with the subject of singleness, moving on to dating, then engagement, and finally marriage.

Now, I was all pumped during Singleness week. It's the stage I'm at right now, and while I'm pretty content in this stage, I'm always interested in learning how I can best serve God and honor Him in my singleness. The night offered a lot of encouragement, as well as some confirmation that I'm on the right track!

I was equally excited about the Dating lesson. I mean, I want to date someday, you know? And if that someday were to be tomorrow, I wouldn't be turning down the opportunity! Haha. But on a serious note, whenever I do get to that stage, I want to make sure I'm equally serving and honoring God as I did when I was single. And that could get tough when you have another person to worry about. So it was another great night of enlightenment.

The Engagement session... was good. But, my table of single ladies kind of checked out during the discussion aspect of it. For most of us at the table, it was like, we're not even dating why are we worried about engagement? And knowing that marriage was coming up the next week, well... you can just imagine where our minds are.

So, I walked into this week's Awakening with a kind of detached. I actually almost didn't show up (horrible, I know!). But show up I did, and I couldn't have made a better choice!

Phil took a different angle on talking about marriage--one that's rarely looked at. A lot of people see marriage as an adventure. And for singles, a lot of us think, "Once I get married, I won't be lonely, life will be better, etc." But you know what's worse than being single and alone? Being married and numb.

Having a good marriage comes from participating in the bigger story--God's story--as a couple. And as singles we can begin investing in our marriage now, the same way we invest in a retirement fund or something (although, the dividends, I hope will be much more valuable and rewarding). No matter what stage of the relationship spectrum we're in we can begin that investment by actively participating in HIS story. And as we're participating in His story, we'll end up living the greatest adventure. And who doesn't want marriage to be one great adventure?

You can listen to the full message below, or simply click here.

What Does a God-honoring Engagement look like?

You may have already had the chance to read Kendall's blog post  where she re-capped Sam Tyson's message from last week's Awakening. If you haven't, you should. But... I'll go ahead and give you a very brief summary:

Engagement is a time to prepare for marriage. Using the story of Ruth and Boaz, Sam made two main points about preparing for a God-honoring engagement. 1) Lift each other up, and 2) Remove all distractions.

Told you it'd be brief! :) You can listen to (and download) the whole sermon below.

Who Will Pray?

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ... 

(Col 4:2-3).

How do you pray?  Who do you pray for?  When you need prayer, where do you turn?  Do you ever pray for someone, or something, or only for yourself?

I have been thinking a lot about prayer lately, not because I am some prayer powerhouse, quite the opposite actually, I feel I don't pray enough.  It all started with our "Pray on Purpose" campaign where we committed to pray for thirty days.  It rocked me.  I learned a lot about myself, what I value, and honestly, what our community values.  Do we value prayer?

I want to start a prayer team.  I have a few ideas but I'll be honest, I don't want to be the guy leading this.  I want to open it up to our community and see if anyone feels led to lead this team.  In my experience, I've seen prayer teams work in one of two ways.  One way is a team gathers and prays for the ministry that is happening: The upcoming mission trip, the teaching tonight, that God would draw people to Himself.  Another prayer experience I have witnessed was a team of people available to pray for anyone who would come and needed prayer: for healing, for faith, upcoming life transitions, a job.  There are positives and negatives for both types and I've seen both teams work well. 

But, I want to see a third type of Prayer Team: one praying that the Gospel would be seen vividly in our community.  A team that gathers at 6:30 every Tuesday night for 20 minutes and is available to pray for the needs of this community, but is also praying for the Gospel to be vividly seen in our ministry.  Instead of praying blanket prayers, they pray selected portions of scripture to be relevant and active in our lives.  They pray for specific needs in our community and for specific people that aren't. 

What would it look like if the Gospel was more evident at The Awakening?  What if this community  was one that sought the Lord and his will for their lives and the lives around them?  What if the blind did see, and the lame did walk, and those who were hungry were fed.  Can our community accomplish these tasks?  Not without Christ and speaking to him through prayer. 

When the Original CORE team gathered last summer to start this gathering, we prayed.  We prayed a lot.  It is time for us to return to prayer.  In my opinion, this new Prayer Team is the most important team of servants at The Awakening.  So what needs to happen next?

• First, I am looking for one passionate leader to step up to the plate and develop this team.

• Second, I am looking for people to support this leader and gather at 6:30 to pray for 20 minutes every Tuesday night.

Let's start this along with the new series through Philippians on March 8th.  Who's in?  Contact Phil if you would like to lead or join this team. (PhilO@fellowshipdallas.org)

Posted by Phil

Preparing for a God-honoring Marriage...

Last night Sam Tyson spoke about the engagement season of a relationship and how we can prepare ourselves for a God-honoring marriage.


Engagement is a time to prepare for marriage; but how do you do that in a godly manner? Sam shared that man is bent towards selfishness. We all want to be happy, but sometimes we all loose sight of making our significant other happy...or worse, loose sight of making God happy.


As we look at Ruth 3, Ruth became vulnerable due to her given situation. To remind you of what that situation is: Her husband was dead and Naomi, her mother-in-law, was all that she had left. Instead of fleeing back to comfort and returning to her family, she made the decision to honor God and honor Naomi by accompanying Naomi back to her hometown. There, in the land of the Jews, in which Ruth was not, Ruth worked hard in order to provide for Naomi. Boaz, the owner of the land, was very partial to Ruth and recognized her selfless decisions. In turn, Boaz began to pursue and serve Ruth selflessly; he too was honoring God and honoring Ruth.


Sam revealed that as Ruth became vulnerable she started seeing Boaz as the one who could “save” her. Boaz didn’t abuse the situation, exploit her or make her feel embarrassed; instead, he continued to honor her and her integrity, just as he had all along. Boaz never thought about what he wanted, he thought about what Ruth wanted and lifted her up.


So, how do you prepare for a God-honoring marriage? As we can see in these verses, we need to lift each other up.


However, that is not all. We need to remove all distractions. In verse 12, Boaz mentions that there is another man who has first priority with Ruth. Boaz has to “remove” this possibility and explains to Ruth: “Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning” (Ruth 3:12-13).


In today’s world, these distractions could be anything from porn to merely confiding in someone else. These distractions take away from the intimacy and trust that a godly relationship is meant to have.


The most important thing to take away from Ruth & Boaz is that Boaz is not only representing a godly boyfriend or spouse, he is representing Christ and Ruth is representing us. This “redeemer” is pointing to the ultimate Redeemer - Jesus Christ. Jesus removed the obstacle that separated us from Him; He removed all distractions. From dying on the cross, He rid us of all sin and opened the bridge for us to have a relationship with Him and to one day live with Him. He lifted us up because how much he loves an honors us.


We cannot enter a godly marriage until we enter the ultimate relationship with Christ. Furthermore, we will not be prepared for a God-honoring marriage until we:


1) Lift each other up. 
2) Remove all distractions.


Share with us your preparations for a godly marriage!


Forever in Him,


Kendall Johnson

Ruth & Relationships continue...

Tonight, The Awakening's series on Ruth and Relationships continues with the topic of Engagement.

Last week, worship leader Cody Kimmel spoke on Dating. You can read a summary of his message on his personal blog, or read Kendall Johnson's blog here.

Due to technical difficulties, the first 5 minutes are missing. But don't worry! You'll be blessed by the rest!

Are You Selflessly Dating?

Last night Cody Kimmel presented the Awakening with an awesome speech on dating...the Christian way

Cody kicked off the message by defining two words - Love & Dating - two words which are very loosely used and carelessly thrown around in today’s culture.

Love - the commitment of my will to your needs and best interest, regardless of the cost.

Dating - the process of helping one another fall more in love with Christ through intentional service and selfless giving, with the hope that as individuals fall more in love with Christ, God draws the hearts of the two together as well.

Our generation and the culture we live in is obsessed with falling in love. So many of us take part in “Self-centered Dating” with the belief that he or she is there solely to make US happy; in our lives as an added “accessory”.

Cody went on to define “Self-centered Dating”:
1. Building an atmosphere of manipulation.
2. Exchanging the subject with the object in a godly definition of love.
        -Believing it is about being loved, rather than giving love.
3. Reversing the order of operations for how couples grow and develop.
        -Starting with the physical, most immediate gratifying connection...then seeking the emotional connection.

As we can see, these tactics are the exact opposite of living a godly life and pursuing a godly relationship. Sadly enough, our culture has defined this as “the norm”; our culture views dating as a way to fall in love so WE (not they) can be happy.

As we look at Ruth 2:3, we are able to read about and visualize the godly courtship of Ruth and Boaz. Cody noted that Boaz first noticed Ruth’s character (Ruth 2:10-12) and then helped Ruth better serve Naomi (Ruth 2:8-18). In today’s terms, Boaz was “perusing” Ruth; foremost, by honoring God, and then by seeking to serve Ruth selflessly. Ruth and Boaz had nothing to hide, no secrets; there was no atmosphere of manipulation between the two. Boaz knew Ruth had left her family to serve and honor Naomi among the land of the Jews, although Ruth was not a Jew or an Israelite. More importantly, Boaz and Ruth were not actively seeking to be loved, but were actively seeking to glorify God and to love. The two continued to establish this connection, not on a physical level, but on a spiritual and emotional level.

Boaz and Ruth not only demonstrated but are prime examples of “Other-centered Dating”: the process of helping one another fall more in love with Christ through intentional service and selfless giving, with the hope that as individuals fall more in love with Christ, God draws the hearts of the two together as well.

Cool quote: “When you know by the blood of Jesus that you have been admitted to the ultimate inner ring (perfect acceptance with the Father, Son, and Spirit), then it allows you to focus on the needs of others in your relationships.”

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2)

Questions to Ponder: 

How can your relationship with God and His people help you date (or be married) in a way that honors God by serving one another? 

How could you help someone close to you serve God this week?

In Him,
Kendall Johnson

Thinking about Love...

We live in a world awash in love stories. Most of them are lies. They are not love stories at all—they are lust stories, sex-fantasy stories, domination stories. From the cradle we fed lies about love. This would be bad enough if it only messed up human relationships—man and woman, parent and child, friend and friend—but it also messes up God-relationships. ... When our minds and imaginations are crippled with lies about love, we have a hard time understanding this fundamental ingredient of daily living, “love,” either as a noun or a verb. 

— Introduction to the Book of Hosea, from the Message Bible.

I think about love a lot. Maybe it's because I'm a girl. Maybe it's because it's what we all, as humans, what we all crave. Maybe it's because... of other things. But regardless of the reasons, I think about it a lot.

What it means. How it's shown. How it grows. How it is lost. What it is.

The Greeks had four different words for love—the one we mostly talk about as Christians is agape love (brotherly love). And then there is philio (friendship), storge (affection) and ... eros (passionate love)—the most misunderstood, yet the one everyone seems to wants.

When we think about eros—that love between man and woman, the romantic love—I think we leave out a huge component to it, which is why it turns out so disastrous for people. I mean think about it: Why should love ever be lost? Why should we fall “out of love” with a person? The love on which people get married from shouldn't be so easily forgotten ... it should be unconditional, just like agape.

When I think of love, I want to be loved like Rachel. Jacob barely knew the girl, all he did was see her, and he was willing to work seven years for her. No questions asked. And when he was gypped, he willing worked another seven years. Now that's some love. I want someone who will be willing to wait, regardless of the pain and crap they possibly have to go through first. If I'm worth it, it wouldn't be a problem, right? That’s love.

When I think of love, I think of Esther. Out of all the beautiful girls in the kingdom, King Xerses chose her. To him, all others paled in comparison to her beauty. While I'm sure he found the other girls tempting and their beauty alluring, Esther's had his sole attention. No other girl's beauty could every compare to hers. And I can imagine that many of the girls were less modest that her, more brazen. I imagine she stood there, hoping to blend into the background, not be noticed, not be loved. But she was. I'd want no one to be able to compare to me in my man's eyes. That's love.

When I think of love, I think of Bathsheba. David saw her and was instantly smitten. And although it was wrong and definitely not the right move, he was willing to kill for her. While I'm not looking for anyone to commit murder for me, I want a man who is like that—a man who is willing to go above and beyond, go to any lengths to be with me, lay it all down, do whatever it takes ... for me. That's love.

When I think of love, I think of Gomer. Hosea was willing to be ridiculed and embarrassed for her (granted, it was also God's command). He married a nobody and made her a somebody. He went after her at her worst, kept after her until he won her over (she ran away many times), and made a lover out of a woman who knew nothing of real love (she was a prostitute). When no mercy was shown to her, he showed her mercy. I'd want someone to take me at my worst, bear with me through my worst, and see me through to my best. Edify me. Make me their somebody out of the nobody I often feel I am. That's love.

Redeeming Love.

And all that is God's love. All that is agape love. But yet ... it's eros too, right?

What do you think?

-- Bunmi :)

Lindsey Duncan on Singleness

On Tuesday night, The Awakening's young adult pastor Phil Ogilvie interviewed Lindsey Duncan about how she tries to glorify God as a single. You may have already read Brooke's post about how what Lindsey had to say really spoke to her, and here's a chance for you to listen to the interview yourself in case you missed it. (Or if you were there and just want to listen again!)


We truly believe that God really used Lindsey to speak to a lot of people that night, and the message she shares is one that Christian singles everywhere should hear! Check it out below, and feel free to share it with your friends!





And just in case you don't have the time to listen to the whole 15 minutes of complete awesomeness, here are some of the highlights:

• No matter what you do with your time to make it fruitful, God's going to honor that if you're doing it for His glory.
• There's more to life than having lots and lots of fun; our time is worth more. God can use you--He can take your life and use you to love other people if you open yourself up to that possibility. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
• "I chose not to be defined by what I don't have. Singleness is always this term that marks you as a person without a significant other. And that's fine, but that's not who I am. I am a complete, whole Lindsey Duncan, all by myself." 
• Here's the stake of truth to drive through your heart: Everything you can long for in a husband (or wife), you already have in Christ. The cool thing about that is when he or she finally comes along, it's like icing on the cake! 
• Where ever God has put you in your life right now, know that your life has been so specifically designed for you so that we would best seek Him. 

These points don't even come close to doing any real justice to all the truth Lindsey poured out during the interview, so we hope you take the time to listen to it in full! 

We hope you chose to join us this coming Tuesday as The Awakening continues its series on Ruth & Relationship series. Part 2: Dating. 

Ready...Set...Go! "God Set it all Up"

This past Tuesday night at the Awakening, Lindsey Duncan gave a great exhortation to all singles to live a life that honors God by serving others.  One young single, Brooke Ward was inspired to write about it:

READY? uhh.. not really!! SET! oohhh, not so much  GO!  okay, but where?
Running the race of life as a Christian, especially as a young adult, can be confusing and leave you wondering how to do it and who to share the journey with.  I am so thankful for The Awakening and the inspiration it has brought to my life. Last weekend I had an eye awakening experience with God.  Granted... in my life I have probably had more eye awakening experiences, but this is the one God used to really shake me into a new mindset that will allow me to DO something about it.  Super Bowl Sunday was the day God told me I had to die to my selfish desires, and change my life if I wanted to live the life he set out for me.  I didn’t really know how to do that, because I’ve done it completely wrong for as long as I can remember.  I've had the book A Call to Die by: David Nasser for quite some time yet never really devoted myself to that.  I'd read a chapter here and a chapter there, but definitely did not make it the 40 days.  I skipped out on our bible study last year when things got overwhelming, and I chose not to lead my bible study at work because I didn't think I was well equipped.  I've been choosing to live a life of convenience, pleasure, and fun.  Leading this double life of partying on the weekends, scrambling to church on Sundays hung-over, never committing to anyone, and finally (THANKFULLY) God exhausted me of living this way.
 When I came to The Awakening on Tuesday for the second time it was clear that God set it all up, because I had a million things come up and reasons not to go that night.  God put me there to hear the exact message that just blew me away.  Lindsey Duncan spoke about how she uses her singleness to glorify God, and how she lives her life on purpose.  It was so encouraging to hear someone who is living out what my heart is so desperately yearning for.  Every single thing she said I wanted to stand up and shout "Amen!!!"  It's really interesting too, because I have said 100 TIMES! "I'm done dating.  I'm going to be single for God.  I'm going to be single for one year, or 6 months or whatever...”  I've never had the desire to honestly carry this out in my life even though it's something God has been asking me to do for way too long, and when I heard that message I knew that God was telling me I wouldn't have to run this race alone.  He had not only provided a welcoming community with others who believe in Him, but also young adults that are going through the same exact phase of life as me.  Being in the presence of others who believe in God and live their lives on purpose is exactly what my heart was searching for, and God put me here for this reason.  I look around and see others whose hearts are yearning for friendship, compassion, and more God in their lives and it is so refreshing.  I can't wait to go again.....is it Tuesday night yet?

Were you there that night?  
What inspired you that night?