Loving God with all of your mind.
That was our topic for week 4 of the 2014 H.U.G.E. Men's Forum, my favorite week yet. The human mind is fascinating, certainly my favorite of The Lord's creations.
Delivering the message
Pastor Nik Baumgart of The Grove Church in Marysville was our teacher for the evening. An excellent choice for the topic at hand. I'd never met Nik before this evening but I have a few friends that attend the church and just love him. He sounded like me, a lot. His mind moving a little too fast for his mouth at times, all the while passion and conviction are flowing from his words.
He's a guy like me in all sorts of ways. He grew up in Marysville, he loves this place and is fully invested in the community around us. He was in desperate need of God at the point in his life where his relationship started with The Holy Spirit, something a lot of believers can relate to. And most of all, he's fascinated with the human mind like I am, he works hard to figure out how to love God with all of his mind and beautifully articulated his process for the masses at the forum.
What God had in store for me this week
"Meditate on scriptures to let the Holy Spirit brand your intellect with His will and His ways."
This quote from Nik's message struck me. Allen Creek Community Church (AC3) core values start at doctrinal purity and cultural relevance, making life application easy. When our "Real Simple" series at church concluded, I was really praying for God to reveal the ways to make my life simpler than it was. Meditation, quiet time and prayer were the first step. I make quiet time for myself when I get to the office each morning, which until this message, felt like idle time.
This idea of letting The Holy Spirit "brand my thoughts" is incredible, it became so clear. This may seem obvious to many people further down the line in their walk with Jesus than I am, but this meditation in the morning must start with The Word of God.
Bible Veggies
Nik said, "how many of you have ever treated the bible like it was a vegetagle that you knew was good for you but you still didn't eat?". I don't think that described me, but I know that I never want it to describe me. I want to be in tune with what God is calling me to do, this forum is helping to shape that relationship and bring my faith to a whole new level.
I've been reading proverbs with friends in our reading circle, and reading Romans over and over again prior to my meditation in the morning. As is always the case when you're in tune with your Bible daily, I'm getting something new everyday. Something that is helping me to see things that need adjustment in my life to let God shine through it every day.
BBQ Time!
The teaching session weeks at the 2014 H.U.G.E. Men's Forum have come to a close, but that doesn't mean we can't have a BBQ before the 2014 H.U.G.E. Men's Advance! Come join us at the Word of Life Church on 51st in Marysville, Tuesday March 4th at 6pm for some good food and good fellowship.
Here's a look at the message from week 4. Join us next week!
