NCS New Canaan – Page 36

NCS Is About “Showing Up”

May 13, 2016 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

In his daily devotional/blog today (see below), Rick Warren captured NCS (maybe he got the idea from seeing us back in 2008 when he spoke at the National Retreat). NCS is about brudders “showing up”–on Fridays, at a Retreat, over coffee, over a beer, in a “burnt offering”, on the phone, etc. It is recognizing that the reason you are “showing up” may not be about what you need or what you receive–it may be all about the broken guy who will sit next to you and find hope in hearing your story. “Showing up” is about being ready to give–not being ready to get. So “show up” on Friday, whether you need it or not.

In friendship,

Paul Michalski

Friends Show Up

By Rick Warren — May 13, 2016

“Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others” (Philippians 2:4 NCV).

The starting point of building great friendships is investing your time and energy. Deep friendships are not accidental. They are not instant. And they are not cheap.

Deep friendships are on purpose. They’re intentional. They are a choice.

Philippians 2:4 says, “Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others” (NCV).

If you’ll practice this verse and get interested in others’ lives, you will make more friends in the next two months than you would in two years of trying to get other people interested in you.

You can’t be a friend without your presence. So remember these two words: Show up! Just show up. Physical presence is essential to having a long-term, deep friendship instead of an acquaintance.

When somebody says to you, “You know that small group this week? I’ll be with you in spirit,” you know what that means? Nothing! It’s a bunch of bologna. You can’t be in spirit anywhere. If you’re not there in body, you ain’t there. Friends show up. They’re present.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

What keeps you from being able to show up for your friends when they need you?
Who in your life needs your presence right now? How will you show up for him or her today?
With whom do you have deep friendships? What did it take to get to that point of friendship?

“It Just So Happens” – God’s Hidden Hand (John Revell – 5/13/16 – NCS New Canaan)

May 13, 2016 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Fresh from the first gala benefit (just the night before) for his new ministry, Life Line Chaplaincy, John Revell shares the numerous “coincidences” that occurred in the development of the ministry and the unfolding of the fundraising event. As one NCS brudder used to say, “You just can’t make this stuff up”. Revell’s modern day story puts flesh on the theological skeleton of the story of Esther, as described in our most recent meeting by Deryck van Rensburg. Hearing how the mosaic of God’s plan came together helps us look back on our life with perspective and look forward with hope, trust and faith.

God’s Hidden Hand (Deryck van Rensburg – 4/29/16 – NCS New Canaan)

April 29, 2016 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Through the Biblical story of Esther, Deryck van Rensburg helps us see that “coincidences” are really God’s hidden hand. Even though God is never mentioned in the story of Esther, Deryck points out how His fingerprints are everywhere, ordering every detail. Van Rensburg explains why we can be confident that God is a Devine architect with a perfect plan for our lives, that there is no place or position God can’t open up to us, and that God’s master plan often is revealed through prayer and fasting.

Nuggets from Chapter Friday 4/15/16 – Britt Harris

April 18, 2016 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Last week’s Chapter Friday contained quite a few nuggets to remember (or catch-up on if you missed it) about the path Jesus calls us to take–the narrow path that leads to life.

Our guest speaker, Britt Harris (Britt’s talk is available under Resources–click HERE), the CIO for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (among the 25 largest investment funds in the world), transparently shared his own painful pit experience, and explained the Biblical life of Joseph, in order to illustrate how pain and refining fire are God’s way of purposefully moving us forward to something better that He has planned for our lives.

In friendship,

Paul Michalski

Taking the Narrow Path (Britt Harris – 4/15/16 – NCS New Canaan)

April 15, 2016 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment

Britt Harris urges us to take (and lead others along) the narrow path that Jesus said leads to life, rather than the broad path that leads to destruction. Harris warns, however, that the narrow path does not make life easy but will almost certainly bring “pit” experiences and pain intended for our refinement and preparation. In transparently sharing his own painful pit experience and explaining the Biblical life of Joseph, Britt shows how pain and refining fire are the norm on the narrow path because they are God’s way of purposefully moving us forward to something better that He has planned for our lives.

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