Articles Blog A blog from Deer Creek Church http://deercreekchurch.com/ The "With God" Way of Life Discussion Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://deercreekchurch.com/the-with-god-way-of-life-discussion http://deercreekchurch.com/the-with-god-way-of-life-discussion “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jesus)


Our greatest and most important challenge isn’t to “succeed at something,” it’s to find a way of life that let’s us live with a conscious awareness of and surrender to God.  Our goal must be to "abide in Christ.”  The truth is... all of us want this more in life than anything... we just don't know it.  Our souls long to experience deep abundant life that is only found in doing life “with God”!  As we try to connect with God ask yourself:

  • What helped you connect with God this week?
     
  • What kept you from connecting with God this week?
     
  • Did having a greater awareness of God’s presence help you in any way?  If so how?
     
  • What does “abiding in Christ” look like in your life?
     

Share your thoughts to any or all of these questions using the "Comments" section below, and let them be a source of encouragement to others. 

 

]]> Business and Spiritual Impact Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/business-and-spiritual-impact http://deercreekchurch.com/business-and-spiritual-impact I received the following article from Transformational Ventures, the "Business as Mission" (BAM) arm of World Venture.  It's a great introduction to the vision behind the BAM concept.  Check it out.

]]> Following Jesus at Work Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/following-jesus-at-work http://deercreekchurch.com/following-jesus-at-work Our upcoming Men's Breakfast is all about integrating our faith and our work.  Significant pressures in our culture work together to encourage us to relegate our faith to the private and personal aspects of our lives, while making it a taboo subject for polite, public conversation.  This is all the more complicated in our places of work, where discrimination issues are in play, and we legitimately want to avoid offending anyone that we have to work with on a daily basis.  One effect of this pressure is for us to compartmentalize our lives into separate "religious" (or "sacred") and "secular" segments. Some things-- like Bible study, prayer, evangelism, and worship-- are sacred; other things-- like work, gardening, household maintenance, and recreation-- are secular.  Our faith has little to do with them... or so we think.
 

Yet many Christians are trying to resist the pressure to force life into "sacred" and "secular" compartments, who see even the tiniest activities as inherently spiritual because, "whether they eat or drink or whatever they do, they want to do it for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).  For people like this, what difference does is actually make that they are Christians at work?  How can they do their work "Christianly" in a way that is distinct from a purely "secular" point of view?  How can work itself-- whether balancing books, building walls, representing a client, or washing dishes-- be "ministry"?  How can the kingdom of God be increasingly manifested in the culture of our offices, departments, and companies as it is in heaven?  How do we do all of that without being the annoying "proselytizer" in our places of work?
 

These are the types of issues we want to explore through the "Faith & Work Initiative," the new ministry we are working on launching in cooperation with other churches and ministries in Denver.  Our Men's Breakfast on Saturday the 14th will introduce this ministry and the kinds of issues it seeks to address.  You'll be introduced to a kingdom vision for Denver through the presence of Christians in their workplaces throughout the city; a biblical framework for work/vocation; and the purpose, vision, and activities of the Faith & Work Initiative.  You'll hear testimonies of a few people, some from DCC and some from other churches, who have participated in the early prototype discipleship groups of the Faith & Work Initiative, and you'll be challenged to think through your next steps for what it looks like to follow Jesus at work.
 

tony_200Tony Blake, a DCC deacon, will be one of individuals who will share.  Tony is Vice-President for Recruiting at DaVita, a Fortune 500 company providing kidney care services through dialysis treatment by operating 1,777 dialysis facilities, serving approximately 138,000 patients. Tony explains his own growth in these "faith and work" issues recently.  "The last couple years I’ve thought a lot about how I can better bring my faith to my work.  Part of this desire is to feel more purpose in my work, and part is to be a better 'Kingdom ambassador' and to feel that I’m living for Jesus 24x7."  Addressing this all-too-common "sacred-secular dichotomy" he explains, "I really want to break down the walls between my 'work' life and my 'ministry' life-- which can be especially challenging for an 'HR guy' who has to be seen as 'fair and unbiased' at all times."
 

By breaking down these barriers while remaining fair and unbiased, Tony has intentionally sought to create a culture in his department and throughout DaVita as a whole that honors Jesus and expresses values that are informed by his faith in Christ.  He truly sees his work as ministry.  "There are 168 hours in a week, and I work about 1/3 of them.  My hope is that if I can live missionally at work (where I spend so much time) that I will be able to more effectively carry this over to other facets of my life.  After all, 'mission' isn’t just something we DO, it should be how we think and live."
 

Hear more from Tony and others on this topic as we introduce the new Faith & Work Intiatitve at our January Men's Breakfast.  Get the details and register here.

]]> Pray for the “flicker of progress” in Myanmar (Burma) Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/pray-for-the-flicker-of-progress-in-myanmar-burma http://deercreekchurch.com/pray-for-the-flicker-of-progress-in-myanmar-burma map_-_burma_150w_326DCC has a key missions partner in Myanmar. Myanmar is currently ranked 174 worst out of 178 countries in the world by the World Press Freedom Index; nevertheless, there are rays of hope for political and social progress in the country.  Pray for continued steps toward reforms in human rights, ongoing steps toward forging a new relationship with the United States, and the opportunities all of that could afford for the advance of the gospel in the country. Some of DCC's future plans for partnership in the country would be easier if there were more freedoms within the country and if the political relationship between the U.S. and Myanmar were more open.
 

A recent article by the Secretary General for Reporters Without Borders outlines some of the social and political movement within the country. 

]]> Serving Teens in Littleton Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/love-inc-teen-gift http://deercreekchurch.com/love-inc-teen-gift
loveincpic2_400DCC opened our facility to Love INC last Thursday, December 8, as their "Christmas Teen Gift Distribution Center." Love INC and its partners identified several needy local families and organized the toy drive to help these families provide gifts for their kids this season. Some provided gifts, others provided a meal and refreshments for volunteers working the event, and the Griffith Life Group from DCC volunteered to help staff the event on Thursday evening. 

Here's the note from Teresa with Love INC to our DCC family thanking us for our role in the event. 
 

First of all thank you again, so much for your hospitality and participation in our First Christmas Teen Gift Ministry Distribution.

loveincpic1_400We were blessed to work alongside Deer Creek Community Church and other church partners from Love INC in supplying over 30 families with Teen Gifts for Christmas this year.  There were many stories of how blessed families were by having something to give their older children.  The cookies and apple cider were a wonderful place to gather while their gifts were being wrapped to take home and place under their trees.

Blessings to both of you and all of your families at Deer Creek for a wonderful Christmas!

Prayers,

Teresa
Ministry Coordinator
Love INC of Littleton

]]> Operation Christmas Child A Big Success! Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/operation-christmas-child-a-big-success http://deercreekchurch.com/operation-christmas-child-a-big-success occboxes_250Thank you DCC for your generous contributions to Operation Christmas Child. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and DCC contributed to that mission with 152 boxes this year! We only asked for 100, so you exceeded the call!  There are 152 boys and girls around the world who will be given joy and hope through your generosity.   


Many thanks!
Amber Brinks 

]]> CLC Making an "Impact" Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800 http://deercreekchurch.com/article-title-1 http://deercreekchurch.com/article-title-1 photo_320_02We have named our Children's Ministries "IMPACT" to signify the difference we want to make in the lives of our children as we come alongside their parents to disciple them to follow Jesus. We received the following message from Cole Pike, which is a testament both to the impact of the CLC, as well as the way his parents are working with him at home to reinforce the things he's learning on Sundays.  



Dear Ms. Verleen,
 

I made a poster for my favorite verse that I learned in Sunday School.  It is a picture of God's love shining down and it helps me to remember to let my light shine so my friends can see Jesus in my heart and want to know Him.  Thank you for teaching me about how to love others and how to show Jesus' love to others.


Love Cole Pike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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