In our last series, we talked about loving our neighbours, and stepped through six shifts.  From stranger to neighbour to acquaintance to partner to friend to becoming “like family”.

It’s possible to become like family with a focused group of people, where you practice loving your neighbours within that small group, and see that spill over to others outside.

This series looks specifically at this stage of being “like family” with other followers of Jesus.  It’s called the church, believe it or not.  Important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014.

You probably have all sorts of preconceived notions of what that word means.  Attached you’ll find a video of some people on the street who were asked about what they think of when they hear “church”.

You can find the video here:

Question: When you hear the word “church” what do you immediately see, or think?  Make a list, there may be several.  What experiences have informed you?

Ryan Sim - June 10, 2013

Monday - A New Idea - Needs

Sermon on the Mount

In 2009, Pew Research studied needs of American consumers from 1996 to 2006. In 10 years, percentage who said these things were necessities changed this way: • Microwave doubled to 68% • Dishwasher rose from 13% to 35% • Cell phone from zero to 49% in 10 years • hi speed internet from zero to 29% • iPod was brand new, from zero to 3% http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/Luxury.pdf I wish we had newer numbers. Many would still be far higher since, and include brand new “needs” like a data plan, iPad and more. Canadian numbers probably wouldn’t include as many air conditioners. It’s hard to identify a need vs. a want – the constant march of modern life toward new technology tricks us into thinking old wants are now needs. We forget that we ever got by! Question: What is the difference between a want and a need?

From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

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