Scott's Thoughts - Sun, Jan 28, 2024

Just a few timely items and random thoughts. Consider today’s brevity a gift that allows you to catch up on the last couple weeks of ST.
Last Chance to Reup Membership for 2024 and Fill out the Annual 7 Habits Survey – Just a friendly reminder that *now is the time!* We’ve had a really great response so far this year, so thank you to everyone who has participated. Also, friendly reminder, as I’ve mentioned in a previous ST, this year we are going to be using your survey responses as your 7 Habits Growth Plan. This mean that you’ll receive a reminder email once a quarter (is the plan) that is accompanied by helpful links and resources for next steps. Go to fccgreene.org/survey or text the word “survey” to 423-639-0126.

Back to Exodus Next Week – Just a heads up that we’ll jump back into “Exodus: Freed to Worship & Serve” next week with “You Shall Be to Me… A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation” (Exodus 19:1-6). Read ahead and get ready! (Speaking of which… see next bullet point.)

New Weekly Bible Study Podcast Launches this Thu, Feb 1 – As mentioned last week, as part of aligning kid, student, and adult curricula around each Sunday’s sermon content, this Thursday we’ll begin posting a weekly podcast where we do a 30-min session of working through the gist of the basic Life Group Study Questions (fccgreene.org/discuss). We hope this will help anybody and everybody, of course, but especially leaders of Life Groups, 180 Small Groups, and Kids Small Groups/Classes prepare for the coming Sunday’s lesson/content (as well as helping Staff.) It’ll be on the “Watch” tab on the app, under “Resources” on fccgreene.org, or on the normal socials (FB & YT, which can also be gotten to by searching w/in FB or YT for “fccgreene” or by going to fccgreene.org/facebook or fccgreene.org/youtube.)

Catalyst Trailer Launch – For more details, times, location, follow on the socials or go to catalystmobile.org, but starting tomorrow, Mon, Jan 29, from 6a-1p, the trailer will be officially open at Sleep Solutions (across from Sonic). There is easy in-and-out access. And for the record, we’re still downtown, so there’s that.

Handy Links & Updates – See last week’s ST for, well, some handy links and updates re upcoming retreats, 2023 Annual Report, 2024 Budget, (and a couple other things I’m forgetting.)

A Few Random Thoughts
  • The extent to which anyone looks at themselves accurately is directly related to the depth of intimacy of their relationship with God, the formation of a Scripturally-formed worldview, and the courage to face the truth about what God says about our sin.

  • In preaching, a steady diet of verbal and gesticulatory melodrama in search of content reveals lazy planning, theological disintegration, and little substance to the argument. It may keep people entertained but it doesn’t challenge their minds and likely does little in the long run to change their hearts.

  • A Disciplined Mind for a Drama Filled Election Year (and, well, for Life) – While I recognize that God made me a little ‘differ’nt’ and I read, think, doomscroll, and perseverate in a small theological slice of the world that takes logical argumentation and clarity of thought very seriously, I’m saying this for all of us, especially as we enter an election year that may easily dwarf all preceding in terms of political drama, media drivel, and indefatigable infowhelm… 

When it comes to your content intake, please, I’m begging ya: Discipline your mind to be careful, thoughtful, and rigorous, don’t allow an untested agenda to run your emotions, and for crying out loud, don’t let one source be your oracle.

So many are carelessly responding to life, making decisions, and assessing the people and situations around them as if one data point from one source equals a straight line. That’s an irresponsible and unnecessarily stressful way to live.
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