Author: Adam Mashni

Speak it.

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My small group is going through Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick.
I have been a fan of what God is doing through Steven, the church and the book.
So I was pretty excited to be going through it with my friends.

This past week we went over the chapter/video about faith confessions.
It was so helpful…and convicting.
The main theme is that in order to stay focused on the life God has for you, it is important to SPEAK the right things.
Speaking truth over your life has tremendous power.
It allows your mind to be focused on Christ instead of the challenges facing your life.
It allows you to approach each situation throughout your day through the lens of faith.

Here are the 12 faith confessions that are in the book.
I encourage you to make them a part of your life…
or write your own!
Read More »

Constant Reminder

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I am a big proponent of reminders.
Which is one of the reasons I love the “reminders” app on the new iOS5 software on the iPhone.
(Which has nothing to do with this post)
Anyway.
Joshua 1:8 says this “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.”

I know this is a very practical interpretation of this verse,
but one of the ways I remind myself of the goodness of God is to make phone wallpapers.
Why?
Because I see it EVERY time I look at my phone!

This particular wallpaper has the theme of our past Fall Retreats at NRSM.
God is Greater Than.
So every time I open my phone I remember that no matter what I go through today, God is greater.
If my day goes awesome, God is greater and has a purpose.
If my day sucks, God is greater and has a purpose.

In all things, God is greater.
I hope this was a good reminder for you.

Control

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This past weekend my good friend Josh spoke at NorthRidge.
As always, he nailed it.
He started a series called “Chill” that’s gonna last until Christmas Eve Weekend.
The title was “it’s under control”
You can listen to the whole thing HERE.

One of his main points was that it’s an illusion to think that we have any sort of control in this life.
My favorite concept was this:
Often times we mistake influence for control.
They are quite different.
There are seasons in your life when people may listen to you.
Your kids may do what you say.
Your boss may listen to your ideas.
But those seasons come and go.  They are never permanent.
And because the seasons come and go, we should not leverage the influence we get as if we are always in control
Instead of leveraging our influence to “press our thumb” down on someone,
we should use it to serve those God has given us influence over.

So, when you find yourself in seasons of influence, don’t mistake that for a false sense of control.
And when you find yourself in a season where nothing seems to be in control, rest in the fact that the God who created you is able to sustain you…and He has control over everything.

Healthy Insecurity

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I was having breakfast with a friend/mentor the other day, and this phrase came up.
healthy insecurity.
got me thinking.  is there such a thing?

on one hand we are called to own who we are in Christ.
we are heirs to the throne through Jesus.
nothing insecure about that.

on the other hand, it is a healthy practice to think through what God has saved you from.
what you could have been.
what you have the capability to be/do.
who you would be if not for Jesus.

So, in essence, we have an “insecurity” in the fact that without Jesus we would be absolutely nothing.

I would love to know others thoughts on this.
am I way off on this?
am I stretching a phrase just to create a blog entry?
comment below!

NRC12

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Our church just got done going through a 12 week series on the book of proverbs.
It was pretty fantastic.
The theme was an “at the theater” feel.  it fit quite well.

Our Pastor (Brad Powell) picked a movie each week, with the help of our creative team, and took principles out that applied to our lives…all through the lens of what Proverbs had to say about the topic.

Each weekend was special, but probably my favorite weekend was when we talked about being a good parent.
During that weekend our creative team along with our student team brainstormed and executed a live-feed worship experience between the main adult service and the youth service (which happens in a totally different part of the building).  We could see each other on the screens and we were worshipping as one church!
It was pretty logistically involved…but it was super worth it.

Just in case your’e curious, here’s a list of the weeks we went through:

Bruce Almighty – Trust God
Dumb and Dumber – Get Wisdom
Liar Liar – Be Honst
Rudy – Be Diligent
Find Nemo – Choose good friends
Gone with the Wind – Choose the right mate
The Notebook – Choose to BE a good mate
Sound of Music – Choose to be a good parent
The Karate Kid – Get some discipline
Citizen Kane – Live for the right thing
Pursuit of Happyness – Live Free
It’s a wonderful life – Be Generous

You can view all of the talks HERE

We’re going into a series called “Chill” in December…than starting a series called “The Script” in 2012.
Absolutely love being a part of a church that isn’t afraid to be creative.

#lovemyjob

Glory of Christmas

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When I am writing this blog post we are 90 minutes away from the largest outreach initiative of the year at our church.
The Glory of Christmas.
Every year it’s an incredible performance.
Think of a 2 hour broadway production, and you’ll have “GOC” down.

What I love about it, however, is not the lights, the sound or the fact that we do 10 shows.
I love that the Gospel is clearly explained and an invitation is given for people to accept Jesus as their Savior.

That never gets old.

So tonight, and for the next 10 days, I am praying for life change to happen.
I encourage you to pray for the same.

I got the power…

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I apologize for the cheesy title.  I had to.
When I read Romans 8:11, that song comes to mind.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God
raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by
the same Spirit living within you.

That’s pretty awesome.
The FULL FORCE that caused a dead man to walk again resides in me.
That’s a lot of power.

I love the next verse.
It explains WHY we have this power.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do
what your sinful nature urges you to do.

BAM.
That’s really good news.
I was once a slave to sin…
But now I am FREE to live according to what the Spirit desires.

Today, choose to live in that freedom.
It will change your day.

Just maybe…

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I wonder what it would look like to maintain this blog again…
in case you’re not aware, I am “team-blogging” over at NRSMonline.com 
It’s a collaborative effort with the Student Ministries team at NorthRidge Church.

I blog about things that have to do with ministry…specifically Middle School ministry.
But there is that little voice in my head that makes me believe that I could offer some other insights into life.
Who knows.

For now.  Check out the other blog 🙂