Sundays with the Gathering - Palm Beach Gardens
The Gathering Place, Mike Zdorow
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Weekly Message from the Sunday Service at The Gathering Place in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
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May 16, 2023
Relationships: Mothers
Pastor Mike talks us through some practical steps to improving or reconciling ourselves to our relationships, particularly with our mothers.
The Sunday Morning Message from The Gathering Place of Palm Beach Gardens, May 14, 2023, Mother's Day
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May 9, 2023
Relationships: Good Mentors
*"In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don't need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you're sharing with." - Maya Angelou
*In this week's message, Pastor Mike walks us through the importance, practice, and experience of mentorship. Using the story of Ruth and Naiomi, we see the relationship lived out for us to learn from and imitate.
May 7, 2023, The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
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May 3, 2023
Truth & Relationships
The need for loving and trustworthy people is universal. In this episode, Pastor Mike talks about the need for truth-tellers, mentors, and loving support in our lives.
The Message from April 30, 2023, The Gathering Place of Palm Beach Gardens
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Apr 28, 2023
Space for Doubt
Pastor Mike talks about holding space for doubt and being a safe, loving person-of-worth.
From The Gathering Place of Palm Beach Gardens, Sunday, April 16th, 2023
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Apr 25, 2023
En"Courage"
The Courage to Be an Encourager
Brother Kevin Peck talks about the importance of encouragement in our lives and relationships, challenging us to grow spiritually and emotionally so that we may better be a source of hope to those around us.
The Message from Sunday, April 23, 2023 at The Gathering Place of Palm Beach Gardens
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Mar 21, 2023
What If We Cared?
21 Days of Prayer - Sunday, March 19, 2023
Lent ( Journey w/ Jesus to the cross) - self-reflection, realignment heart, with Jesus Heart - Jesus came to restore everything that was lost, heal the broken world, have his love reign in the world-
BIG IDEA - he did this by being with us — relationship.
If healed relationships, especially with God, is such a big deal - that means that
part of being on mission is not to be an expert of the law or just to be Holy for God — it’s to participate in God’s work in restoring and healing things that are broken — especially relationships. All of us know about broken relationships and estrangement. — you would do anything to have a relationship back when it comes to the people who matter most to you. PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD. Because of personal experience, and past actions of the Church and people called Christians - there is a lot of hurt, mistrust, and misunderstandings about Jesus and His people — this creates a barrier for people to be open to explore faith and consider allowing the goodness of God to be part of their lives. — this is why Jesus came, died, and was resurrected. —- a lot of us don’t care a whole lot bout this. When we begin to care, many times we try to do God’s mission by our own strength and
cause more harm than good.
— When was the last time you had a burden for the people around you, and it caused you to really pray??— not talking about the typical self-interest burdens - God bless me, help me, even save my family ( saving your family is part of the promise for your salvation, you just need to trust God on that one) — I’m talking about seeing someone around you ( their hurts, struggles, lack of love and joy) being burdened - knowing their lives would be so much better if they knew God was for them and not against them?
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Mar 14, 2023
Connecting: Faith and Mondays
The Message from The Gathering Place, March 12, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
We need to develop creative ways to practice the presence of God, seeking to become aware of God ‘in the common business of life.’
Being present is being grounded in the here and now. — SOMETIMES IT REQUIRES US TO TAKE OFF OUR MASKS AND JUST BE REAL WITH GOD. GOD WILL SHOW UP—> Share wailing wall experience.
We can be so detached from ourselves, others, and God — live in Christian religious bubble. No wonder we have a hard time living missionally — not living on our purpose to extend God’s redeeming love.
1. Be intentional to use your phone/social media less — make this a goal to lower screen time. Mindless scrolling is the opposite of mindfulness. It is not helpful for the soul to be inundated with targeted adds, it is hard to be grateful when you are comparing your life with what you see on social media— The research is starting to suggest overuse of social media being linked to metal health issues (i.e depression and anxiety)
2. Connect with your immediate surroundings - observe nature or your community, cultivate the appreciation of beauty and curiosity (sky, sunsets, clouds, flowers, smells), go for a walk
3. Give Your Undivided attention to others— I feel devalued when I’m talking to someone and interrupted by phone. Yet, I do it more often than I would like to admit.
4. Avoid Multitasking - danger of increased stress, less efficiency, poorer memory and emotion regulation, reduced relationship satisfaction, —Try to focus on one task at a time.
5. Take more breaks and be willing to take a pause —
6. Get out and Play! When was the last time you went outside and played — childlike faith.
The Benedictines seek to embody the practice of ‘work and play ’which is an intentional way of combining contemplation with action, encouraging us to punctuate our working day with regular disciplines of prayer and meditation on the word of God.
When we are present — We can really experience God and each other in more meaningful ways.
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Mar 6, 2023
Time: For Rest & Delight
How do we find delight in the Sabbath?
The Message from The Gathering Place, March 5, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
• Sabbath is a gift for us.
• Sabbath is to take time to dwell.
• Sabbath is an invitation to be seen by God
• Sabbath is about freedom. No guilt do what brings you rest and delight freedom. A Taste Of Heaven
• The work may go unfinished
• But Jesus already did the work that matters, God reached out to restore our relationship with God and with creation.
• No matter how much money you made this year, books your read, or things your accomplished.
• Deuteronomy it says you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant
• Because we are all equal in Gods eyes. And God says
• You are safe enough, worthy enough, loveable enough to have a sabbath.
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Feb 28, 2023
Rest: How to
What is rest and why is it important?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Feb 26, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
(Genesis 2:2,3 NIV). By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 2:2,3 NIV)
Sabbath - “to cease, to stop working”
The Fourth (and longest) Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)
Sabbath, when lived, is our means as the people of God to bear witness to
the way we understand life, its rhythms, its gifts, its meaning, and its ultimate
purpose in God. Observing the Sabbath, we affirm: “God is the center and source
of our lives. He is the beginning, the middle and the end of our existence.” - Pete Scazzero
One of the great dangers of faithfully observing Sabbath is legalism
Next 2 weeks we will discuss 4 practices
Practice 1: Sabbath is first and foremost a day of “stopping.”
On Sabbath I embrace my limits. God is God. He is indispensable. I am his
creature. The world continues working fine when I stop.
Psalm 46:10 NIV - “Be still, and know that I am God”
Practice 2: Once we stop, the Sabbath calls us to rest.
Nine possibilities to consider replacing with rest.- physical exhaustion
- hurriedness
- multitasking
- competitiveness
- worry
- decision-making
- catching up on errands
- talking
- technology and machines
(e.g., smart phones, TV, computers
When we stop and rest, we respect our humanity and the image of God in us.
We don’t serve the Sabbath. The Sabbath serves us.
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Feb 6, 2023
Living: Deep & Free
What are we hiding in the depths of our souls?
What would it look like to live free?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Feb 5, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
Reference Scripture
Genesis 1: 20-23
*20 *Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” *21 *So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. *22 *Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
*23 *And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
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Jan 31, 2023
Time: A Matter Of
What is time? And how do we live a free and present life?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Jan 29, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
Pastors Notes on Time:
The Greek language captures two approaches to time: kairos and chronos.
Kairos time - is the deep truest sense of time.
(John Pauling in Living By Kairos Time in a Chronos World)
"Kairos is
the deepest and truest form of time. Understanding that is the first
step. But then actions, habits, and practices are necessary to
actually reorder and reorient our lives in accord with this deepest
reality..
Chronos just refers to time as duration or sequence, and kairos names a
seasonal, cyclic kind of time: it’s the right time to plant tomatoes or make
dinner or go to war. Kairos is three-dimensional, including time, space, and
meaning; time as story. Chronos, however, is flat, referencing only time and
space. As an example, consider life before mechanized time.
Prior to mechanical clocks (which offer a very sequential chronos-form of…
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Jan 23, 2023
Care vs. Careless
What does it mean to live a life of care? What are we supposed to care for?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Jan 22, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
Careless vs. Care - Pastor's Notes:
Genesis 1:9-13
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning— the third day.
People desire to live a care-free, care-less life. Careless Definition: not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors.
Many…
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Jan 17, 2023
Boundaries: Space from Chaos
What are Boundaries? Why do we need them? How do we create space from the chaos of our lives?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Jan 15, 2023
thegatheringplacefl.org
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Jan 9, 2023
Rest: A Very Good Place To Start
The Message from The Gathering Place, Jan 8, 2023
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"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity." - James Clear
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Dec 31, 2022
New Year Renewal
WESLEY'S COVENANT SERVICE
Commit yourselves to Christ as his servants. Give yourselves to him, that you may belong to him. Christ has many services to be done. Some are more easy and honorable, others are more difficult and disgraceful. Some are suitable to our inclinations and interests, others are contrary to both. In some we may please Christ and please ourselves. But then there are other works where we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves. It is necessary, therefore, that we consider what it means to be a servant of Christ. Let us, therefore, go to Christ, and pray:
*Let me be your servant, under your command. I will no longer be my own. I will give up myself to your will in all things.*
Be satisfied that Christ shall give you your place and work.
*Lord, make me what you will. I put myself fully into your hands: put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me hav…
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Dec 19, 2022
What about Love?
The Message from The Gathering Place Dec 18, 2022
thegatheringplacefl.org
Matthew 1:18-25
*18 *This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. *19 *Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
*20 *But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. *21 *She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
*22 *All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: *23 *“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “…
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Dec 12, 2022
What is Joy?
The Message from The Gathering Place Dec 11, 2022
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Isaiah 35: 1-10 NIV
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, *2 *it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. *3 *Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; *4 *say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.*5 *Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.*6 *Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. *7 *The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and…
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Dec 5, 2022
Practical Peace
The Message from The Gathering Place Dec 4, 2022
thegatheringplacefl.org
Advent Week 2
Peace — Advent - calls us.
Isaiah 11:1-10 (NIV)
Peace absent of hostility — much more… “Shalom” – maintenance of a prosperous social system to “promote the general welfare” –shalom also translated as “welfare”—for the Israelites reading passages of promise/hope in Isaiah and Jeremiah (under invasion, exile, extreme duress) –Peace is the practice of justice for the poor and needy, anticipates general prosperity for people not just the elites. – the Peace of God is a vision of an alternative society and anticipation of an alternative world.
Prince of Peace — the peace Jesus brings is not imperial (forced) – it surpasses understanding, achieved through vulnerability and does not seek to impose its own way. It confounds the empire – and it frustrates our imperial understanding. We don’t like it.
As Jesus brough shalom so must his disciples bring shalom – they a…
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Nov 28, 2022
Holidays & The Human Condition
The Message from Nov. 27 at The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens
Managing Your Triggers Toolkit
thegatheringplacefl.org
The scriptures referenced:
Isaiah 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
*2 *In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
*3 *Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
*4 *He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
*5 *Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.…
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Nov 21, 2022
Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation
The Message from Nov. 20 at The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens
Managing Your Triggers Toolkit
thegatheringplacefl.org
Genesis 33:12-20
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”
13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[a]
18 After Jacob came from Paddan…
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Nov 14, 2022
Managing Myself When I'm Triggered
The Message from Nov. 13 at The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens
Managing Your Triggers Toolkit
thegatheringplacefl.org
Scripture Reference, 1 Samuel 17
*28 *When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
*29 *“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” *30 *He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.
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Nov 8, 2022
Buttons & Triggers
Notes from Nov. 6, at The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens
https://mediatorsbeyondborders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/managing-your-triggers-toolkit.pdf
"Today’s message will be focusing on our core wounds that are underneath our triggers. Scripturally I will be speaking about getting the log out of our eyes and then encouraging people to look deep inside themselves by using Psalm 139 as a grounding Scripture. While integrating Holy Communion into the message.
My desire is to help the listener to begin to identify their wounds, trust in Christ to heal them, and understand that healing takes time and may need extended support from a therapist, counselor, pastor, and informed spiritual friend." - Pastor Mike
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Nov 3, 2022
Relationships: Dealing With Differences
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Oct 24, 2022
Faith, Hope, Love
Notes from oct. 23 at The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ( Matthew 29:20b NIV
““Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.””
Matthew 18:19-20 NIV
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ( Matthew 29:20b NIV )
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Oct 17, 2022
Authentic Love
Guest Speaker: Dr. John Dyben, Chief Clinical Officer at Hanley Center.
Find out more about the Hanley Center here:
https://www.hanleycenter.org/
Find out more about The Gathering Place at
https://thegatheringplacefl.org/
Notes from this message:
Matthew 22: 34-40
· The message is the triune nature of love (Agape)
· God – Others – Self
· We often think of love as giving, being nice, having feelings, etc. The love that we are called to is far more difficult. Agape = Authenticity
· Authentic with God – Others – Self sounds good on the surface but flies in the face of our culture and, for most of us, everything we have been taught even if we don’t realize it.
· Authentic means we smile, smell, stink, laugh, cry, struggle, and grieve. Authentic is a hard place to get to. Authenticity requires soul work.
Questions:
· What keeps me from authenticity?
o Fear (pride/resentment/uncomfortable with mystery)
o Myths (futility/time)
· Why in the world would I seek auth…
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Oct 10, 2022
Am I a Safe Person?
Sunday's Message from The Gathering Place - Palm Beach Gardens, Oct. 9, 2022.
Continuing our series on the Vision for the Gathering Place
Scriptures Referenced in Message:
(Matthew 28:19-20) 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
(Matthew 28:20a NIV) “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20a NIV)
(Revelation 2:1-5 NIV) “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have…
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Oct 3, 2022
What is Baptism?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Oct 2, 2022.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
"baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”” Luke 3:21-22 NIV
“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night…
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Sep 26, 2022
Intentional Community
The Message from The Gathering Place, Sep 25, 2022.
thegatheringplacefl.org
1 Corinthians 4:14-17 (NIV) 14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV)
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Sep 19, 2022
Emotionally and Spiritually Mature
The Message from The Gathering Place, Sep 18, 2022.
Scripture References:
Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
John 3:3
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NIV)
3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?
Hebrew 5:12-14 (NIV)
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truth…
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Sep 13, 2022
Grace and Acceptance
The Message from The Gathering Place, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
thegatheringplacefl.org
Mark 4:1-9 NIV
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “W…
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Sep 6, 2022
How To: Love Others Well
The Message from The Gathering Place, Sep. 4, 2022.
thegatheringplacefl.org
Luke 7:36-50
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back…
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Aug 29, 2022
The Fear Factor: Anxiety and Relationships
The Message from The Gathering Place, Aug. 28, 2022.
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14.
“I believe that appreciation is a holy thing—that when we look for what’s best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something sacred.” --Fred Rogers, Commencement Address at Marquette University, May 2001
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Aug 22, 2022
Time and Relationships
The Message from The Gathering Place, Aug. 21, 2022.
The Art of Neighboring - The Time Barrier
Luke 10:38-4
*38 *As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. *39 *She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. *40 *But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
*41 *“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, *42 *but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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Aug 16, 2022
Do I Know My Neighbors?
The Message from The Gathering Place, Aug. 14, 2022.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he cam…
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Aug 9, 2022
Identity and Purpose
The Message from The Gathering Place, Aug. 7, 2022.
Who are We and What Do We Do in Response to the Gospel?
Col. 3: 12-17
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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Aug 1, 2022
Invest In People
The Message from Sunday, July 31, 2022
The Gathering Place
Luke 12
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have…
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Jul 25, 2022
What is Prayer?
What is Prayer? How? And Why?
The Message from Sunday, July 24, 2022
The Gathering Place
Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bre…
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Jul 18, 2022
Community Health and Worship
The Message from Sunday, July 17, 2022
The Gathering Place
How is it with your soul?
Have you felt_________this week?
Lonely
Depressed
Anxious
A lack of belonging
Worship has a direct impact on our emotional and mental health. In today's episode, we walk through what worship is and how it impacts our lives and community.
thegatheringplacefl.org
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Jul 12, 2022
What is Scripture and Why Does it Matter?
Sunday, July 10ths message from the live service at The Gathering Place
Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Article V — Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation
The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessar…
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Jul 6, 2022
Finding Unconditional Peace
"For the past two weeks we have been reflecting on Colossians 3:12-17 as a lens to understand our identity. Today we will discover what this Bible passage teaches about how peace can change our lives. You do not need to be a religious person to recognize the need for peace. Most teachings about peace focus on something we do or feel. But peace doesn’t have to be dependent on feelings and actions alone. This message will help you find the peace God offers you today through Jesus Christ."
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