“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)
The fusion of two different things can be tricky; it's often a high-risk/high-reward endeavor. For every "chicken and waffles" there's a Pontiac Aztec. Or, for every googly-eyes and macaroni (the fusion album of craft supplies), there's a Tantrum Yoga. The combination of seemingly disparate things can culminate in widely divergent results: it could end up like Steely Dan's beloved rock-jazz fusion or, just as easily, Frankenstein's riot-inducing monster. (There are some mashups which are simply no-brainers. Like, Star Wars and a lighthearted musical about seagulls – the best use of Yoda since you could clothe your baby in him.)
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Devotional Thought
The fusion of two different things can be tricky; it's often a high-risk/high-reward endeavor. For every "chicken and waffles" there's a Pontiac Aztec. Or, for every googly-eyes and macaroni (the fusion album of craft supplies), there's a Tantrum Yoga. The combination of seemingly disparate things can culminate in widely divergent results: it could end up like Steely Dan's beloved rock-jazz fusion or, just as easily, Frankenstein's riot-inducing monster. (There are some mashups which are simply no-brainers. Like, Star Wars and a lighthearted musical about seagulls – the best use of Yoda since you could clothe your baby in him.)
At first glance, the activities of Pentecost in Acts 2 seem like just such a weird combination. We have tongues of fire and the sound of wind mixed with a cacophony of multi-lingual speeches and Jewish prophecy. It's strange enough for people to accuse the first disciples of being drunk at 9:00 in the morning. However, on closer look the fusion of traditions and images given to the early Church at Pentecost speaks to God's enduring creativity and depth of human interaction. For the first century Jews, Pentecost symbolized and celebrated two events: the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai and the festival of the grain harvest – both are telling of God's purpose for the new Church. The giving of the law on Sinai with its thunderous clouds and fire mirrors the images found in Acts 2, except, in Acts, the spectacle isn't relegated to a far-off mountain with which Israel was forbidden from interacting. The fire, the wind, the Spirit of God comes directly to the room in which the early disciples were seated, merging the sanctity of a holy God and His law with the submission of a common people, being transformed into vessels of the new, living, and sanctified law of the Spirit. Jeremiah's words in chapter 31 ring out crystal clear - I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
The implications of the festival of the grain harvest, or feast of weeks, at Pentecost is, additionally, just as relevant. God had asked His people to dedicate the first of their crops, generally seen as the choicest portion, as a gift to Him. The implication was that this first portion was a sign of Israel's confidence in God's faithfulness to provide an abundant harvest. This offering was, in essence, the seed of the abundance to come. We see the exact same image for the early Church. While there may be only a handful of Christ followers in attendance that day, they were the seed of the harvest to come – the beginning of the new age in the promised Kingdom.
We see, then, in this Holy mashup – this Sacred fusion – the mergence of old and new in promised fulfillment of God's faithfulness. And we, as the Church of today are challenged with the same opportunity. We are daily – hourly – minute-by-minute – given the chance to recognize the work God in His continuing desire to accomplish in us His sanctifying work of Spirit regeneration and empowerment. May this be the hallmark of our lives as it was for the early Church.
Your District Administration
For more messages from your district leadership team and info on upcoming events, subscribe to our district newsletter HERE
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Join us Saturday, February 24th on the campus of Bloomington's The Bridge Church of the Nazarene for a day of worship, fellowship, and discipleship. Click HERE for more info and registration.
Saturday, February 17, from 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM, we will be joined by Dr. J.K. Warrick and Dr. Roger Hahn at Riverside Arlington Ave. Naz. to discuss living and preaching a message of holiness. Click HERE for more info and registration.
All pastors and family are invited to a picnic at Escondido First Churchon Saturday, April 7th from 11 AM to 2 PM. There will be games for all ages and bounce houses for the young and the young at heart. Please email Wink Davis at wink.davis@gracept.org or call at 909-210-1251 to register and for more details regarding the event.
Our annual district Women's Retreat, March 16 to 18, 2018 at the Town & Country Resort, is almost here! You only have a few more days to register so click on our registration form and get your payments in. See you there!
This year's Youth Worker Day (Friday. March 16 - 9:30 to 4:30) will feature Brad Griffin. Brad is the Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, where he develops research-based training for youth workers and parents. The Cost is $15 and includes lunch and training materials. Please register HERE for the event.
Every year PLNU hosts Elev8 over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Registration opens March 1, so mark your calendars and spread the word! Go to elev8event.com for more info.
District Assembly 2018
Mark your calendars for June 1-2 when we'll be joining on the campus of PLNU for our annual district assembly. This year we'll be joined by newly elected General Superintendent, Dr. Filimão M. Chambo, Director of Evangelism, Mark Bane, and a critical access missionary speaker. You won't want to miss the stories of how God is working in and through the Nazarene Church across the world. Registration and promo materials is coming soon.
Prime Time Retreat
Mark your calendars for April 23-36. That week will be the SoCal District's PrimeTime retreat, being held again at Murrieta Hot Springs resort. Registration is soon coming.
Position Openings
- San Bernardino First Church of the Nazarene is looking to fill a part-time worship leader position. If you know of anyone who might be interested and capable, please visit the district job posting and contact Dr. Susan Carole by phone (989-980-8651) or email: susan.carole@gmail.com
- Additionally, Living Water Nazarene in SD is looking for a leader for their children's program. Please contact Rev. Chris Nafis if you or someone you know would be interested and capable. you can contact Pastor Chris at chris@livingwaternazarene.com
SoCal RoundUp is coming May 18-20, 2018. This family-centered event is an opportunity for groups to camp together in tents or structures, take part in numerous activities (swimming, crafts, obstacle course, derby racing, etc.). Times of praise and worship round out our time together offering an opportunity to get know both each other and our Lord better. The cost is very affordable and the fun starts Friday night and ends Sunday morning after our morning worship time together. Contact Janet Crow at janetloma@cox.net for more information or to arrange a tour of the campground. If you want to look at the campground information online, you can do so at http://www.indianhillscamp.com.
District License InformationDistrict license interviews are being conducted Monday and Tuesday, March 5-6, at Murrieta Gateway Nazarene. To schedule an interview contact Steve Rodeheaver via email at steverodeheaver@pointloma.edu. To download an application go to the following link and click on "District Minister License Application." Once completed, submit the application via email to Steve Rodeheaver
http://socalnaz.org/resources
Reporting for Ordained and Licensed Ministers
If you are a RETIRED MINISTER please complete and submit your report by clicking on the following link: Annual Report Card for Retired Ministers
You can also find this link at SoCalNaz.org under the “Reports” tab.
If you are an ORDAINED MINISTER or LICENSED MINISTER but NOT RETIRED (just tired), please complete and submit your report by clicking on this link: Annual Report Card for Ordained or Licensed Clergy
You can also find this link at SoCalNaz.org under the “Reports” tab.
Pastor's Kids Retreat
The Southwest Field NYI and Point Loma Nazarene University have partnered together to provide a special retreat for Pastors' Kids (PK's) who are between the grades of 7 and 12. We'll be gathering together from July 30th to August 1st on the PLNU campus. Our goal is to have lots of fun, build strong relationships, and provide a safe place for PK's to connect on issues that matter to them. Register at www.southwestnyi.org
3rd Wave 2019
Third Wave 2019 is a global leadership conference designed for emerging youth leaders in the Church of the Nazarene, who are between the ages of 16 and 29. This time it will be held in India and the Southwest Field is allowed to take 4 participants other than the coordinator and field chair. If you're interested in applying for one of the 4 Southwest Field NYI slots, click here. All applications must be in by March 1, 2018. More info at
http://nazarene.org/resource/third-wave
Basketball Tournament
Last year for our annual Nazarene basketball tournament we had 15 teams from the Southern California and Anaheim Districts with attendance of approximately 200 persons. This year's event, on Saturday March 17th on the campus of PLNU, is shaping up to have just as many if not more. If you'd like to play or have a team to enter, contact Denny Clark (dclark@crmcmullen.com).
Save the Date: Summer Camps
Mid High Camp - July 23-27, 2018 @ Pine Valley Christian Camp
Sr High Camp - July 29-Aug 2, 2018 @ Palomar Christian Conference Center
More info will be on its way soon.
District Events Calendar
- Holiness Summit: February 17
- Fresh Start: February 24
- Youth Worker's Training Event: March 16
- Women's Retreat: March 16-18
- PrimeTime Retreat: April 23-26
- SoCal RoundUp: May 18-20
- Men's Retreat: September 14-16
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