From Pastor Jason: Don't Wait and See ... Go and Do

Thank you. Laura and I were glowing with gratefulness all day Sunday. And perhaps even a bit on Monday. The love and generosity you all showed us was amazing. Thank you for listening to me preach one more time. Thank you for feeding us. Thank you for sharing great memories with us. Thank you for reminding us of all that God has done over the past few years. And thank you for my awesome watch! 

We were blessed beyond deserving. You have sent us off to Chicago, into our next adventure, with locked arms and tons of Jesus-style affection. Thank you my friends.

Now what?

No matter how long a lead pastor has been in office, no matter how long a church has been around, no matter how long you’ve been a part of church life … when a lead pastor steps away the temptation is always the same. We want to wait and see. Often one of our first impulses after saying goodbye is to hold our community at arms length. Not only so but sometimes we kept our distance until we feel like it’s safe to reengage. We wait and see.

This temptation is actually the result of believing two different lies. The first lie is that community can still happen at arms length. And second, that community was safe to begin with. Community can’t happen at arms length. Community is not safe. But community is the very thing God has given to his people in order to walk through times just like this.

Starting today, don’t wait and see … go and do. The brilliant thing about the Church’s mission is that it hasn’t changed in 2000 years! Jesus has fulfilled the law and the prophets and he has called us to be salt and light in the world. In other words, there’s nothing to wait for. The only thing left is to go and do what God has already shown us. So …

Go and love each other. 

Go and share meals together as a Gospel Group.

Go and tell the Little Dwellers about Jesus on Sunday Mornings.

Go and be good news at Apple and Cisco and Google and in your neighborhood and in your home and to your spouse.

Go and listen to your barista as she shares her life story.

Go and learn more about that homeless man you see everyday down the street.

Go and read your Bible and pray and fast … and repeat.

Go and take your wife on a date.

Go and take you husband on a date.

Go and date!

Go and disciple your children.

Go and volunteer the next time an opportunity pops up in the bulletin.

Go and bring someone with you.

Don’t wait and see what happens next. 

Instead go and do what God has called you to do.

Perhaps you’ve heard me share this a number of times before, but I don’t care. As always the question isn’t, have you heard this before? The question is, do you believe it? … A day is coming when we’ll get to tell these stories of going and doing. We’ll all be together in a refreshed and revived and remade world in the full view of God's glory and grace. And then we’ll start sharing. Story, after story, after story, after story. And you know what we’ll be saying?

This is what he did …

This is what he did …

This is what he did …

Until that day ... 

Peace …

- Jason

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Helveston's New Address: 514 N. Damen Ave Unit 2S, Chicago, IL 60622

Jason's New Email: jhelveston@parkcommunitychurch.org

Helveston's New Phone Numbers: Staying the same for now. We'll let you know when it changes! 

A Letter from Your Dwell Elders

From the Elders,

We want to start by saying the last four years of ministry with Pastor Jason has been such a blessing for our church. He and Laura have been with us through some difficult transitions and seasons of life. Jason has always provided wonderful preaching for us and strong leadership. We will miss them and their two wonderful children. We want to wish them a fruitful ministry in the future. We hope and pray the Lord would continue to use them for his glory at Park Community Church.

Naturally people are wondering what the transition of leadership will look like. The staff will continue to regularly communicate our events, ministry opportunities, and our future plans through things like "Hey Church." Pastor Chris will assume the majority of the preaching beginning in April. Our conference will supply guest speakers about once a month in order to give Pastor Chris time to adapt to a new schedule and discern the next season of ministry. Chris will continue to oversee overall discipleship efforts and Gospel Groups but will now also oversee staff and lead staff meetings. He will meet with individuals as time allows and to the best of his ability.

We are consulting with our Converge PacWest director, David Yetter, and other wise leaders concerning our pastoral leadership needs. Over the next three to four months we ask you to pray with us for discernment that we may chose the best course of action for the future. The elders will continue to seek the Lord's will through prayer and counsel.  In addition, Pastor Chris will spend time in a personal assessment about his future role at our church with the elders. We hope by the end of the summer we will know what the best course of action is for our church. We trust there will be confirmation and unity from the Lord from all involved. We are very confident and encouraged. We believe that this church is in the best place it has been in a long time and that we are well positioned to move forward with continued growth in our ministry.

In the meantime, we will continue to use the insights we gained from the NCD report last fall by identifying people's gifting and effectively building ministry structures so that people grow in their use of gifts for the edification of the body and the glory of God. We would still love for people to get involved in anyway they desire. No doubt there will only be more opportunities now in this next season to enable Dwell Christian Church to be all that God intends.

Blessings,

John, Frank, Brian, and Chris

From Pastor Jason: Four Questions to Ask Yourself to Help You Find the Best Way to Serve

There's a strange misconception in the Church. Not just our church, but in every church. It comes in the area of discerning gifts or calling or areas of service (however you’d like to describe it). It’s a tempting concept and it suggests that what you love to do is irrelevant to service. The lie is that what you love to do is beside the point. Many times we believe that in order to serve others and honor God it has to hurt or cost us something. To be sure serving Jesus often does. But that doesn’t mean that every time we serve Jesus or his church it has to be a burden. Our service is ultimately for God’s glory and our joy!

So … one way to take the next step in determining your own personal gifts and discovering a place to serve with our ministry and this city is simply to ask these four questions …

1.) What do I love to do?
2.) How do other people benefit from what I love to do?
3.) How is God honored by what I love to do?
3.) What’s stopping me from giving it a shot?

I dare you to ask these questions and see what God can do … with you and within you … with us and within us … for his glory and our joy.

Peace …

Pastor Jason

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ICYMI - Pastor Chris' sermon from Sunday
Events coming up: Ladies' Bunco Night, Men's Retreat, and Golf Tournament
SJSU CRU - Short videos are being used to change lives. View for yourself!

From Pastor Jason: 5 Things to Stop and Pray About Right Now (or At Least Sometime Today)

Here are a few things you can be praying for with your Dwell family, about your Dwell family, and as a Dwell family …

1. Please be praying for our children’s ministry, Little Dwellers. Pastor Chris and Beth Thompson are working hard to organize, plan, and develop this ministry. 
2. Please be praying for our gifts. This year we would love to see every person at Dwell take the next step in discovering how God has uniquely wired them to serve the church and our city and honor Jesus.
3. Please be praying for our deacon team who has begun to work and pray, seeking God’s direction for serving the body.
4. Please be praying for our local government as mayoral candidates are campaigning for the June election. 
5. Please be praying for our February missions focus: San Jose State CRU

Peace …

Pastor Jason

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7 Things to Do When God Speaks to You

Catch up on the sermon series: Three Years.

Membership FAQs

From Pastor Jason: Seven Things to Do When God Speaks to You

Sunday was one of those Sundays. I don’t know about you but it was just different. From my perspective—up on stage experiencing it all with you—God was speaking to many of us. The word sank deeply. The truth hit you in between the eyes. Something forgotten or avoided was brought to the forefront of your mind. A few of you have even shared with me through texts or emails or in person what God has been saying to you. I imagine there are more. And so today I wanted to give you a few ways to respond that I have found personally helpful when God has spoken to me …

One | Thank him. I know it’s basic. But don’t forget to thank him. The God of the universe spoke to you! He spoke to you! He stirred your heart, highlighted his truth, and gave you his gracious attention and love. No matter what he said, it was a gift.

Two | Write it down. Few things bring clarity to a thought like writing it down. You may not be a fan of keeping a journal or diary. That’s okay. Grab a Post-It note. Open up an app. Blog about it. Write it on your hand. No matter what the medium when we write things down it helps us to remember and articulate our thoughts beyond vague sentiments.

Three | Seek clarification. It’s important to make sure we’ve heard God correctly. Talk to your spouse. Share it with your Gospel Group. Pray. Read Scripture. But … let’s also be honest. We can be pretty good at muddying crystal clear waters. Sometimes instead of just doing what God has clearly said we can foolishly delay. So seek clarification. Unless it is perfectly clear. In that case, move on to #4.

Four | Respond. Confess sin. Stop sinning. Ask for help. Embrace that idea. Apologize to your kids. Have coffee with that coworker. Invite that neighbor to dinner. Simply put, it’s time to be doers of the Word.

Five | Tell someone. Update the community. Bring your brothers and sisters into the experience and process with you. Undoubtedly it will not only encourage us, but it will help each of us with our own processes of listening and responding to God. Let the church be the Church.

Six | Worship Jesus. It might be obvious, but God is officially up to something in your life. It’s a gift. It’s grace. It’s for your joy! It’s for his glory. So worship Jesus with a glad heart.

Seven | Listen again. There’s more where that came from.

Can't wait to hear more about what God is doing in your lives.

Peace ...
Pastor Jason


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Miss Sunday’s message? Listen here!
Men’s Retreat - full amount is due this Sunday. Have your money for Jean, please!!
Ladies Bunco - It's on for March 15th gals. RSVP here if you haven't already.
**NEW** Curriculum coming to our Little Dwellers in the Toddler Room! Our 2 & 3 year olds will now enjoy a craft or activity along with music by "Songs for Saplings" paired with a Bible verse and a devotional reading from author Sally Lloyd-Jones. Check out these new resources here and here. 

From Pastor Jason: Jesus Knows What's Up

Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7:31-37, ESV)

Jesus never allowed outside influences to divert his main activity and agenda. He had a plan. He had a purpose. And humbly he followed his Father’s plan and purpose all the way to the cross, and then back again to the Father. That’s the big picture. But this passage from Mark 7 (one of the chapters in our reading plan today) gives us a picture of Jesus' attention to the intricate details of this plan and purpose. Did you notice?

The crowd brought Jesus “a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment”. They begged Jesus to heal him. Then they stood there, probably waiting for Jesus’ powerful, amazing, and game-changing response. But instead of wowing them, Jesus took the man aside, away from the crowd, and healed him privately.

To be sure we ought to be constantly mindful of the communal aspects of Scripture and the gospel. Especially as western Christians we have a tendency to overlook this important aspect of God’s purpose and plan. But let’s not swing the pendulum too far. God and his good news are still deeply personal and private. And, of course, Jesus knew this. 

When Jesus brought the man aside he certainly had in mind his timing for making his kingdom agenda and identity public. But he also made a point to graciously and personally connect with this single individual. 

Happy reading!
Pastor Jason

 
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Sunday's Sermon: Genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17)

Men's Retreat: Sign up yesterday!

Dwell Ladies' Bunco Night: Mark your calendars for March 15th at 6:30pm

Golf Tournament: Mark your calendars for May 24th 

From Pastor Jason: A Unified Family

This year the elders and I want to see Dwell grow in unity. (Perhaps you’ve picked up on this theme.) I think yesterday was a great step toward this end. If you remember we reviewed our aim to receive, cultivate, and anticipate a unity anchored in God’s love and truth. I hope this was clear to those of you who were able to attend our family meeting yesterday. The sermon unpacked our biblical logic for the possibility and pursuit of unity. The family meeting laid out our practical application of this principle and purpose. We are committed to seeing everyone at Dwell grow together this year–from the newly born to seasoned saints. We’ll do this by keeping our faith anchored in the nature of God himself. And then, through this understanding we will seek clarity of our personal giftedness through communication and participation. We want to keep getting healthy … because healthy things grow in healthy ways. 

Attached you’ll find a digital form of our NCD report that John Lunsford reviewed at yesterday’s meeting. Additionally I’ve included a copy of the membership covenant and annual report from the pastors and elders. 

Please, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to give me a call (408.280.0611) or shoot me an email (jason@dwellsj.com).

Much, much love …

Pastor Jason

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Click the link to view each document ...

NCD Report Document 1

NCD Report Document 2

Dwell Membership Covenant

2013 Annual Report

  

From Pastor Jason: Memorizing the Mundane

Perhaps you’ve given it some thought. Perhaps you’ve already cast the opportunity aside … not your thing. Or maybe, just maybe you’ve already got Matthew 5:1 memorized. At first blush this verse may seem simple enough; if not in length then certainly in content. What’s the big deal? Jesus saw a crowd. Then walked up a mountain (more like a big hill). And then sat down. What deep truth could we possibly glean from such a non-miraculous verse? What’s the point in memorizing such a simple set of words? I’m glad you asked.

One of my favorite things about the Bible are verses just like this. It’s not impressive. It’s not memorable. It’s not the good stuff. It’s set-up and context. What Jesus is about to say is arguably the most important address in the New Testament. But in my mind the simple, mundane, casual, and forgettable details of Matthew 5:1 make his sermon that much more viable for us today.

Today, when you go to church there’s a very good chance when it comes time for the preacher to preach he will stand. Or when you’re at school, when the teacher teaches, she or he stands most of the time. Very few take a seat. However in Jesus’ day it was customary for the rabbi or teacher to stand while he read from Scripture, but then to sit down when he was addressing the crowd. And so it brings life and authenticity to the stories of Scripture such details are present. Like when Jesus read Isaiah in the temple and rolled up the scroll … then sat down. Or when Jesus saw a crowd and walked up a big hill … then sat down.

When we memorize the mundane we are compelled to remember ... this really happened!

- Pastor Jason 

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Work Day at Dwell - Coming up this Saturday, January 18th at 10am. We need your help to whip the church into shape! We also need to know how much coffee to make and lunch to buy, so please shoot an e-mail to office@dwellsj.com if you plan on being there!

Family Meeting - the Google Doc sign-up sheet has been fixed so you can actually add your name to it! Yay! We need not only food sign-ups but also set-up, tear-down and more.

Men's Retreat - Dwell men, this is a great time to retreat and do manly things in the mountains...like foosball and worshipping the Lord to the sounds of the Dwell Christian Church All-Dude Worship Band. Click here for more info. $30 deposit due to Jean Prats by Feb. 3.

From Pastor Jason: Bible, Bible, Bible

At Dwell we really love the Bible. And this year we want everyone at Dwell to grow, grow, grow in their affection for Scripture. In my experience there is no better way to fall in love or back into love with Scripture than simply opening the Book. That’s why we are encouraging everyone to read through the Bible together this year. That’s why we are encouraging each of you to memorize Scripture as a church this year. Our reading plan has just begun … but it is never too late to jump on board (check out the reading guide here). And our memorization of Matthew 5:1-12 will begin this Sunday. Please join us!

As we open up the Word together more and more I know each of you will benefit greatly. I know all of us will only grow in your appreciation for the sixty-six books that form the Bible. But I do have one warning. There is a subtle yet profound difference between loving the Bible and loving God. It’s good to love the Scriptures. But that’s not the end of a Christian’s affections. After all, the text exists to highlight the majesty and goodness and nature of God himself. So let’s not stop at enjoying a book; may we fall in love or back into love with Jesus this year, together.

See you on Sunday!

- Pastor Jason 

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P.S.
- Dwell Work Day coming up next Saturday, January 18th. More info here.
- Family Meeting scheduled for Sunday, January 26th, directly following service. Come have lunch as a Dwell family (lunch provided!), praise God for 2013 and look ahead to 2014!
- Remember to avail yourself of our church blog for all kinds of interesting resources and news that your pastors put together just for you!

From Pastor Jason: Three Things to Look Forward to at Dwell in 2014

1. Understanding and Using Your Gifts. As a leadership team we’ve learned a lot about our church in the past year. Particularly through the Natural Church Development assessment, we’ve discovered our collective need to understand and use our personal gifts. So this year I hope each of us will not only be able to say “I know how God has uniquely gifted me” but also “I am using those gifts to honor Jesus and love our church community.” More details will be coming at our Family Meeting on Sunday, January 26th at Noon. 
2. The Bible. In 2014 I want to see everyone grow in their understanding and appetite for the Word. And so we will be organizing a church-wide reading plan and memorizing Scripture together. Each month we will produce a reading plan that will guide us through the Bible, two chapters a day. Additionally I encourage everyone to memorize a few key passages that we will be studying this year. We’ll add a verse a week so hopefully it will be an easy pace for those of us who don’t memorize very often. 
3. The Same Ole’ Thing. I know exciting, right? But think about it. This is a brilliant truth about Jesus and his gospel and our mission … it stays the same every day, every week, every month, and every year. Though we hope to grow more and more in our understanding and faithfulness to these truths, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This ought to give us a great sense of confidence as another year begins. 

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• This Saturday at 10am, help out with taking down Christmas decorations...you WILL be rewarded with pizza!  
• Church work day is coming up January 18th. If you like tearing down, ripping up, organizing and giving away, then we hope to see you there. More details soon. 
• Family Meeting - Sunday, January 26th at noon, immediately following our service. Food and family business, praising God for the year that was, and looking ahead at 2014. 

January Bible Reading Plan

January 1st is the day to kick-off our church Bible reading plan.

We will have this again in your bulletins this coming Sunday, January 5th, but so you can easily access it online, we will be posting them each month on the blog! 

As Jason mentioned this past Sunday, Bible reading and memorization are more than just rote activities to fill our time; they are life-giving disciplines! As it says in Isaiah 55:10-11: 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

May the Word of the Lord accomplish his purpose in you as you seek Him in study this year.

Happy New Year!

From Pastor Jason: Reclaiming Peace this Christmas

Every year a word gets stolen from Jesus. Around Christmastime “peace” is highjacked from the narrative and mashed into the annual context, creating warm feeling inside for many Christmas patrons. You’ve probably noticed. Days after Thanksgiving friends and television shows and movies start using the word peace and sometimes more exactly “peace on earth” in equal fashion with terms like “cheer”, “merry”, and “the Christmas spirit”. 

From Pastor Jason: Every Gift Points Us to Jesus

It never failed. At some point, after football had been played, turkey had been passed around and devoured, but before the pecan pie had been enjoyed (pronounced “p-can” by the way), my mom or dad would break our Thanksgiving momentum. As I’m sure is the habit of many of your families, before dessert could be enjoyed we were invited to share one thing from the previous year for which we were thankful. It could be anything. A new bike. A new discovery. Or the simple ongoing blessing of family, health, and western democracy (every kid loves democracy, right?). You know what I’m talking about. At first it was frustrating–I just wanted some pie. But despite my pecan pangs this tradition always took on special meaning and life.

From Pastor Jason: A Few Big Thank Yous

Thank you to all those helped with another incredibly successful and generous evening of Harvest Carnival festivities. It was so good to watch you all love on our city.

From Pastor Jason: A Couple Updates

Thank you all so very much for all the congratulatory texts, cheerful Facebook comments, and most of all your prayers. Laura, Glori, and I were thrilled to have welcomed Jedidiah David Helveston into the world on Sunday morning (8:30 AM, 7 lbs 12.8 ounces, and 20 inches). I am also grateful that my son chose to show up on a Sunday when the Forty-Niners had a bye. Laura is doing very well and we're still not sure if Glori thinks she is now a big sister or a mommy. All answers to our prayers. Our hearts are full. Thanks for all the ways you have been in it all with us. Can’t wait for Jeddy to meet the Dwell family!

Questions and Answers from "The Good News and Marriage"

On Sunday I preached on "The Good News and Marriage." Prior to Sunday I understood this particular subject would be impossible to appropriately cover in a single morning. So I thought it would be helpful to ask you, the good folks of Dwell, what sorts of questions came to mind during the sermon. I ventured to answer ten questions, but soon realized that was more than I could conquer in a single post. So here are the first five questions and answers; I'll answer another five by the middle of next week. Thanks so much for participating! I hope you find these helpful and let me know if you have any additional questions ...

From Pastor Jason: Stop. And Listen.

One of my heroes, the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was addressing a room full of budding preachers. He was speaking about the importance of personal Scripture reading …

"Here I want to say something that I regard as in many ways the most important discovery I have made in my life as a preacher. I had to discover it for myself, and all to whom I have introduced it have always been most grateful for it. When you are reading your Scriptures in this way–it matters not whether you have read little or much–if a verse stands out and hits you and arrests you, do not go on reading. Stop immediately, and listen to it."

From Pastor Jason: A Brief Note on Sorrow

I am not a very sorrowful person. That's probably not the most shocking statement I've ever made. Generally speaking I see things positively, happily, and with an annoying optimism. In some respects I think it's just my personality. In other ways it seems Biblical to me. After all the Jesus story is one that speaks of forgiveness, rescue, healing, restoration, freedom, and salvation … no matter what you have done, no matter where you go, and no matter who you are. Through Jesus there is always a way back to God.

From Pastor Jason: Two Things to Pray About

One. Three of our worship leaders are in southern California this week. They are at a conference together considering the subject of worship in the local church. I am praying that God will use this time to encourage them, expand their vision for God's glory, and give them fresh ideas to equip our church to worship Jesus better. Please join me.

From Pastor Jason: Seven Realities from Henry Blackaby

God is at work. The nature of his work is that of reconciling the world to himself by his love through the work of Christ. As if that wasn’t amazing enough he welcomes his kids to join him in this work. How good is that? Henry Blackaby notices this divine activity through the life of Moses in his classic work, Experiencing God. Using the story of Moses as a backdrop, Blackaby discerns seven different realities about the nature of God’s work in and through his people. I trust you will find each to be a refreshing reminder of God’s power, grace, and love that will help you “live the full adventure of knowing and doing the will of God,” as the book’s subtitle suggests.

Reality 1: God is always at work around you.

Reality 2: God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.

Reality 3: God invites you to become involved with him in his work.

Reality 4: God speaks by the Holy Spirit, through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal himself, his purposes, and his ways.

Reality 5: God’s invitation for you to work with him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.

Reality 6: You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what he is doing.

Reality 7: You come to know God by experience as you obey him and as he accomplishes his work through you.

Let’s discovery the reality of what God is up to here in San Jose … jump on board!

Peace …

Pastor Jason

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• Our Hebrews series concludes this Sunday. If you’ve missed a message catch up through our podcast.
• Join Brian and Nicole Schaffer in planning, preparing, and serving at the Harvest Carnival this year.
• Enjoy some good food and fellowship at the Men’s BBQ this weekend. Saturday, 12:00 PM at Bryan Prats’ and John Watson’s house.
• Do you ever find yourself between a rock and a hard place when it comes to your faith? Vote for the 4th sermon subject in Pastor Jason’s upcoming “Rock and a Hard Place” series.