The Untamed Jesus

Pastor Shawn Robinson

I love reading stories to my kids. Unfortunately, now that they are older (our youngest just became a teenager this past week!), we don’t read together quite as often, but every now and then we dust off a "classic" we have all loved together.

We recently began re-reading "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", C.S. Lewis’ story of Narnia, a magical land ruled by the mighty king Aslan. This great and powerful lion not only loves his people, but he willingly gives his life in exchange for their freedom.

It’s interesting to me that I always seem drawn back to this book at Christmas time. It’s not necessarily a "Christmas story", but it certainly carries the same theme. This story is more than an unbelievable fairy tale, it reveals a much deeper truth about the true king and savior of our souls, Jesus Christ. Just as Aslan breaks into history to declare His presence and love for His people, so Jesus was born into this world so we could tangibly see God "in the flesh" and know of His great love for us. Just as Aslan gives his life as a sacrifice for one who has done wrong, so Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice on the cross so we might be set free from our own captivity of sin. Just as Aslan breaks the power of the white witch, so Jesus breaks the power of satan.

My favorite scene in the Narnia book is when the children meet the great lion for the first time. They are rather worried about meeting this incredible king face to face so they ask the Beavers (key characters, but ask me some other time why they are talking to animals) about him…—"Who is Aslan?" Asked Susan. "Aslan?" said Mr. Beaver. "Why don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood…"Is-is he a man?" Asked Lucy. "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the king of the wood and the son of the great Emporer-Beyond-the Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the Great Lion..."Then he isn’t safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

The true story of Christmas invites us to join the adventure of the ages, as you meet this wild and untamed savior, whose roar will shake the very foundations of heaven and earth with His love. Following Jesus is not safe, nor was life meant to be—but oh, how He is good! Uncertainty and joy, adventure and freedom. Joy and Peace. This is what Christmas is all about. This is why the angels proclaimed, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

Merry Christmas! Long live the king!

Your Pastor,
Shawn

Knowing About vs. Knowing?

Pastor Scott Downing

Knowing about God.

Knowing God.

Which statement is superior? Which statement is more important?

I was thinking about this recently because I heard these sentences pitted against one another, as I have done in the above questions. The first reaction is immediate: to know God is the superior statement to knowing about God.

This seems somewhat reinforced when Jesus is challenged by religious leaders regarding the healing of a man on the Sabbath. Part of Jesus’ response includes a contrast of knowing about or knowing: “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.” (John 5:39-40, THE MESSAGE)

Jesus challenges the leaders’ method and thinking: in searching Scriptures eternal life can be found. No, eternal life stands right before them. If they will not embrace Him, all their knowledge will result in loss, not life.

By analogy, we even see Jesus saying a similar thing about His teaching: “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” (Matthew 7:26-27, THE MESSAGE)

The emphasis can appear to be on living, not the knowing; on the practice, not the pondering.

In fact, there are many who would argue that God cannot be known; only experienced. The thought: our knowledge about God leads us to rely on our intellectual processes to objectify God – and God, the Ultimate Being, will not be objectified. God created and redeemed us so we could live in relation to Him – not turn Him into a philosophical topic of study.

Others, seemingly to protect God from being diminished (or humanity exalted), claim that God is way beyond understanding. Only a brash person of self-importance could possibly think they really know anything about such a majestic, powerful Being. If He could be understood, known about, He wouldn’t be God. How can the finite comprehend the infinite?

This sounds like the objections of agnostics, those who claim that knowledge of God is impossible. But it is from the rank and file of the faithful I hear this – those who claim to be known by Him.

To respond to my initial questions, “Which statement is superior? Which statement is more important?” I would say I refuse to answer given the underlying assumption of the questions. I believe the questions force a false conflict.

While I understand that knowledge about God is not the same as knowing God, I cannot imagine knowing God without knowing about Him.

Is it possible there is confusion between the purpose and the process? Certainly, the purpose of Scripture is to testify of Jesus. Jesus says this in the above cited John 5:39-40. He also affirms this when he spoke to some of His followers who were traveling to Emmaus: He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27, NIV)

The response of His followers was clear: They asked, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32, NIV)

Searching the Scriptures and knowing about God, about Jesus, is part of the process to know Him. When the Scriptures were properly opened to them, they could put together their knowledge about the Messiah with knowing the Messiah.

This is the tragedy of the religious leaders in the time of Jesus – when the very purpose of the Scriptures stood before them, they would not receive Him. It is the same tragedy of Pilate’s famous question to Jesus, “What is truth?” Truth stood before Pilate and he could not see it.

It is true that knowing someone can precede knowledge about them: the nurtured infant lives in relationship to her parents before she learns about them; the infatuated teenager has strong emotions of love even before really knowing about the person they see across the room.

I have been married to Janet for over 32 years – but my desire to know her and know about her has not diminished. I still delight in discovering things about her that I did not know. Knowing about her helps me to know her at a deeper level, a more intimate level. I cannot imagine separating the “informational” knowledge from the “relational” knowledge.

Moreover, we serve a God that has chosen to be known. He has manifested Himself in creation; in an ethnic tribe, in a ceremonial foreshadowing, and ultimately in the Person of Jesus Christ.

To propose that God cannot be known is to deny His own self disclosure to us. To humbly state that we are too small to know someone so big is to avoid the truth of the incarnation: Jesus came to make God known to us and to make a way to know Him for eternity.

In a startling statement that shakes me to the core, Jesus tells his disciples: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15, NIV)

Again, in speaking to His disciples, Jesus says, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” (John 16:12-15, NIV)

You can see the heart of God, expressed in Trinitarian involvement of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to be known about and known personally.

Jesus embodied the disclosure of God so much that he responds to Philip’s request about God with a degree of amazement:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me . . .” (John 14:8-11a, NIV)

The incarnation is ‘God among us,’ Emmanuel. Jesus teaches us about God, but also engages us to encounter, to know God. He does this by being God in the flesh.

Can we fully comprehend God? No, I don’t understand all of God’s ways. The Bible is clear about this in Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV): “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I gladly confess my finitude and throw open the doors of my inability to encompass the greatness of God. But this must not become my rationale for dismissing what He has revealed about Himself and pursuing Him at all levels.

The apostle John knew he must proclaim both the Person of Jesus and the message of Jesus; knowing Him and knowing about Him:

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in — we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth — we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin. (1 John 1:1-7, THE MESSAGE)

So, what’s the point?

The Maturity Ministries of CCC care vitally about two aspects: your knowing about God and your knowing God. Around these two principles we align everything we’re doing. We respect the process of your need to know about God in order to come to know Him. We also understand that God can make Himself known to you in Jesus Christ at His timing and in His own way.

We are called to set a place where you have the opportunity to discover all about what God has for you. The apostle Paul affirmed the need of both aspects of knowing when describing the very purpose of God gifting the church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers:

“to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13, NIV)

May it be so at CCC. Take full advantage of all the opportunities from SDS classes to the Campus; from small groups to Sunday Gatherings; from seminars to missions’ trips; from transformed thinking to transformed living.

I pray you discover that vast richness of His grace and mercy even as you are brought deeper and deeper into the whole measure of His fullness.

Scott Downing

The Campus @ CCC

Pastor Scott Downing

To the question, "What did you least like about the class?" the responses were similar on the anonymous evaluation sheets:

"That it ended."
"Wasn’t long enough!"
"Went by too fast."

So it isn’t suprizing that comments also included the desire to meet for more sessions. This is so encouraging!

I enjoyed these comments in particular:

"Harmon did a great job as facilitator, very knowledgeable, approachable and encouraged everyone to share and ask questions. Our homework was relevant and helpful, too. My prayer life has improved and I am growing closer to God."
"Praise God for leading Harmon to facilitate this class. Pray he will do more. It was so exciting to see people grow."

These comments are from Harmon West’s class, Everyday Prayer.

Each week as I taught my class on Wednesday evening, I would see Harmon’s group come together, set up the table and gather the chairs around it. Sometimes my class would end before theirs and I would leave the CCC offices with the light on in the Community Room and a group huddled for discussion and prayer. To my right, meeting in Shawn’s office, Scott Esco’s class, Emerging Videos were in dialog about significant life issues.

There were other classes: Train Wreck at Dysfunction Junction; Classic Christianity; What’s in a Name?; Buddha and Christ. Some had small gatherings, others pretty large. Some went the distance, others struggled.

But all of it was good.

And all that is coming will build on the brand new foundation placed in the first classes. What will be offered? Here is a partial list of hosts and topics (look for a brochure with finalized titles, times and teachers by Sunday, December 11):

Look for the blue "Life Development" tent on Sundays for more information and Campus sign up.

Small Groups

Pastor Scott Downing

Clayton Community Church is far too large for you to know everybody – much less be friends with one and all! Small groups are a key means of spiritual growth and developing friends.

I have asked David Mills to introduce himself to you now that we both have been attending seminars for small group development and coaching. I am excited about the discussions and direction of small groups at CCC.

David Mills

My wife, Nina, and I began attending Clayton Community Church three and half years ago after moving to the Bay Area from Texas. We feel blessed to be part of such a growing church where we have met great friends and have had the opportunity to utilize our spiritual gifts in ministry. We have one daughter, Hannah, and our second child is due in February.

Recently I was asked to help further develop and grow the small group ministry at CCC. This is an exciting challenge as small group ministry is a real passion of mine. In college I was involved in a Campus Organization, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). InterVarsity’s purpose is to spread the gospel on college campuses using small groups as its focus. I had to the opportunity to lead multiple small groups and to be a small group coordinator (a leader of leaders). Through this, I experienced true community that is found in purposeful, well-developed small groups.

Nina and I led the Young Married’s small group at CCC for two years. It formed out of the Purpose Driven Life series and has developed into a close community of friends that study the Bible together, do ministry together and live life together. We were very intentional in the formation of this group and we really spent time focusing on community. It was rewarding to see the members of the group deepen their relationship with Christ.

I’m exited about seeing the small group ministry at CCC grow. As we look to this goal, I hope that you will take seriously the value of small groups in your spiritual walk and consider joining a group.

Interested in a small group? Contact the church office at 673-2155 or email David Mills at cccsmallgroups@hotmail.com for more information.

Do you lead a small group? We are seeking to update our small group directory. If you could email David Mills at cccsmallgroups@hotmail.com and include the following information:

  1. Name of host/facilitator
  2. Contact information (phone and email)
  3. Place of meeting, address
  4. Day of meeting
  5. Time of meeting
  6. Name of Group (if you have one)
  7. Groups focus (if you have a specific age target or topical affinity)
  8. If your group “open” to new people or presently “closed” to new people.
  9. How long your group been in existence.

Greetings from Worship Arts

Mariko Giverink

Can you believe it’s that time of year once more? The holiday season brings with it plenty of opportunity for busyness, which is definitely the last thing I need. So as I’ve been preparing for this Christmas season, I’ve been asking myself the question “How can I simplify?” How can I insert some “margin” into my hectic schedule, and still keep my sanity through all the demands of the holiday season?

In answer to these questions, God has been teaching me the value and the importance of the "Secret Place." This is not actually a specific place, but more a time to pray and worship, be still before Him, and listen for His voice and leading. Although I place great value on this time of seeking God more deeply, I’ve noticed that there are always roadblocks when I try to go there. But one thing I’ve discovered is that there will always be roadblocks on the path closer to God. Pressing forward is part of the process. Perseverance is part of the process. Nothing worth having ever comes easy.

The Christmas season is always exciting for the worship team, and this year is no exception. Recently we had a vocal coach come and share at our first ever Vocal Workshop. We learned a lot about how to use our voices to better glorify God. About thirty people came and we spent the day learning through teaching, a hilarious skit, and a special song (Maybe I’m Amazed). It was a blast performing this song the following day at church. This same vocal coach will be directing our choir on Dec. 11th, and she’s working with our vocal team over the next four weeks. We also have several guest choir members joining us, and on the morning of December 11th, you’ll have the opportunity to hear the result of all this hard work, so don’t miss it!

Our drama team is hard at work in rehearsals for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." This is a must see, and the perfect opportunity to invite your family and neighbors to our church.

UPCOMING DECEMBER WORSHIP EVENTS

12/4 - 12/25- Message series inspired by Narnia. Preparations for this series are underway, and we’ve been listening to music inspired by the movie "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

12/4 - Pre-School Choir. Our very own CCC children will be singing, so come and cheer them on.

12/11 - Special Christmas Sunday, featuring an expanded choir, guest choir director, and special accompanist, Guy Prince.

12/16 - 12/11 - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Get your tickets early for this wonderful play!

12/18 - All Church Christmas Banquet. Our very own Dave Demourdant has put together an incredible team of musicians to perform for us at the 7:00 seating. Bring the kids at 5:00 for some fun special music of their own.

12/24 - Two Christmas Eve Gatherings. Join us at 5:00 or 7:00 as we celebrate the Eve of Christ’s birth together with a special candle lighting event, and classic/acoustic worship in the multi-purpose room.

12/25 - Christmas Day. Let’s celebrate the morning of Christ’s birth together at one 11:00 gathering in the multi-purpose room.

And what better way to bring in the New Year than together with your church family? We’ll see you the first of January for our own special worship celebration!

Joyfully,
Mariko

Five17 High School Ministries

Rick Nylund

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"(2 Cor 5:17)

It’s been an exciting fall in Five17! From our wild and crazy Gumball Rally to serving the homeless at City Team, hammering and nailing for Habitat for Humanity and experiencing an incredible weekend of worship and teaching at our very first Neighborhood Retreat, it’s been a non-stop fall season in Five17. So catch your breath and get ready for more opportunities this winter to get connected, serve others, and be challenged to grow in your walk with God!

We have a bunch of exciting events and activities coming up…here’s a few important dates to mark on your calendar for winter and beyond:

Friday, Dec. 2..........City Team Service Night
Saturday, Dec. 10..........Movie: "Narnia" at the Concord Brendan Theater - 2:00pm
Thursday, Dec. 15..........Five17 Christmas Party on Ice! 7:00-10pm
Thursdays Dec. 22 & 29...No Five17 – Enjoy the ‘Holydays’!
Saturday, Dec. 31..........Five17 New Year's Eve Party 8pm-12:30am (Location TBD)
Friday, Jan. 27……………Five17 Winter Luau
Thur/Fri Feb. 23-24………30-Hour Famine
Thur-Sun March 2-5……Five17’s 9th Annual Ski Frenzy!
Tue-Thur April 18-20…….Spring Break Trilogy

*Please look for Event Flyers for all the details!!

Please join us Thursday nights from 7-9pm at the CCC Office/Community Center for worship, friendship, and discipleship and every Sunday morning at 10:45am at DVMS as we continue to explore the character of Jesus through studying the Book of John.

In Christ’s love,
Rick Nylund
Pastor of Student Ministries
673-2163; rick.nylund@claytoncc.com

Liquid Grace

John Wright

This time of year can be so crazy. On one hand it is such a great time of giving and servanthood, yet on the other it can be so stressful and frustrating.

I see the children putting boxes together for kids in need, high schoolers helping Habitat for Humanity, and yet many people, including myself, think less and less of others as we get closer to the Holidays. This weekend as we drove out of town, sitting in stop and go traffic, Stacy and I turned on the traffic report to see if there were any problems. We found out one reason for the slow traffic was because that a father and son were arguing in the car. Once the car slowed down enough the son got out of the car and started walking on the shoulder. So the dad got out of the car and they continued the discussion as they walked down the freeway, dad trying to get son back in the car, as they yelled at each other. We hear of people fighting over some sale item or a toy their child needs to have; the same items that will be available the day after Christmas at a better price and with no problems. How about the person who sells that hot toy on ebay for six times what it is worth? Just great heart warming stories. What an amazing time of year.

I remember how John reminds us that if we say we love our God but do not have love for our brothers then we are nothing less than liars. Jesus does not call on us to love God with all of our hearts and tolerate our neighbor. So many times we think that the miracle is to love God. But isn’t that the most intelligent thing we can do? I mean God is breathtaking and awesome in His entire splendor. He is absolutely lovely. When we don’t love God, something is wrong with our Hearts. Loving people is the real miracle.

Have you been outside lately? People are incredibly selfish. At the core we are self-centered, self-focused, and self-indulgent. We can be irritable, short-tempered, or easily offended and embittered, and I have yet to describe people who are NOT Christians. Loving one another is the real miracle. When you come to God you learn that He is perfect. When you come to church you discover that His people are not.

The church is never going to be a place without interpersonal crisis or challenges. Every last one of us is working it out; sometimes fighting with God, sometimes working with Him. That is why this place we call Clayton Community Church is such a gift, it is not about being perfect or loving people who are really easy to love; it is all about loving people through the love of God. It’s about being loved when you blow it, being loved when you do not deserve it, being loved by others – even when you find it difficult to love yourself.

When we begin to love people through their imperfections, through the disappointments, you begin to know that it is more than infatuation. Those who are searching for God’s love find it through the love of God’s people. Remember we want to be known as an oasis of liquid grace where forgiveness flows freely.

I pray that we can spend not only this season but also every day loving people through the love of God. That we are over flowing with liquid grace. Have a great week. My love to all of you and your families.

All for Him,
John

Children’s Ministry Happenings

Sunday Dec. 4th
Both Gatherings
Preschool-5th Graders Sing in Big Church

Rush Hour's New Time
6:30-8:00 at Mt. Diablo Elementary Multi Use Room
Wednesdays

Please Mark your calanders
No Rush Hour:
Wednesday 11-23, 12-21, and 12-28 due to the holidays.
Call Lois Wullenweber 673-2100 if you have any questions

KidZone
Sunday, January 29th
9:00 and 10:45 in the multipurpose room at DVMS
Where kids bring their parents into their world for a shared family experience
Questions? Call John Wright at 673-2101

Jr. High Ministry / ClubC3

Kristy Johnston

I'm always humbled by the lessons God teaches me, in this fantastic journey of leading Jr. Higher Ministry. In fact, I think I could even say he keeps me in a constant state of "Now what, Lord?"

He is taking me to new places in my relationship with Him. A place of deeper trust and confidence in His perfect love. It is stretching me and growing me as a leader. God has always provided me with wonderful, loving and gifted volunteer leaders to help me minister to students, but I have to confess...my priority to lead them, has been my weakest contribution to this ministry. Please don't get me wrong, these last four years have been amazing! But with some experience, maturity and lots of prayer, I can see my role as the Jr High Director with new passion and direction.

I have a team of Spirit-led volunteers that are hand picked by God, to minister and reach  students in ways I never could. I have leaders with the gift of Administration! Teaching! Craftmanship! Service! Giving! Music! Shepherding and so much more!  My new passion is to nurture, encourage and give opportunities for them to use and grow in those spiritual gifts and talents.  I am so thankful and blessed to be a leader in this church. God is doing NEW and GREAT things in the lives of His people and in the heart of Clayton Community Church!! Praise Him and be encouraged wherever you are on this journey. Give thanks for He is GOOD!!


My INCREDIBLE volunteer leaders are...

Johnny Gillespie
Jacob Giverink
Parker Gustafson
Tobey Nickels
Johnny Norwood

Catherine Benter
Lauren Carter
Nichole Diehl
Phoebe Gillespie
Ashley Glennen
Holly Glennen

What's Coming Up?

Our 4th Annual SF Rescue Mission Trip!
Wednesday Dec. 21st 9am-5pm
Come serve the Lord with a joyful heart, as we take BART to the Inner City of SF and help the SF Rescue Mission prepare to serve and spread the GOOD NEWS to the homeless, this Christmas. Lunch is provided (please bring a donation). We will be collecting new socks to give to them this year.

 

HUME LAKE TALENT SHOW & SILENT AUCTION
Thursday Feb. 9th 7-9pm
Get ready for another "Hollywood, eat your heart out!" evening!!! This year's talent show will be our best ever, so mark your calendars and get your talents ready! We are raising money, while raising the ROOF for students to go to winter camp at Hume Lake (March 16-20)
If you'd like to volunteer to help with this special event, please call Kristy at 673-2156.

 

ClubC3 meets every Thurs. from 7-8:30pm at DVMS

Jr. High Sunday Gatherings are from 10:45am-12pm in bldg 500 at Diablo View Middle School

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Jeanine Wakefield

How often do you look in the mirror and think to yourself, if only I were taller, prettier, thinner, smarter, …you fill in the blank? If you are a woman, then I am sure you have had these thoughts at least once in your life if not once a week.

I was guilty of it just the other day. As my 30-something birthday approached, I found myself glancing in the mirror wishing that my love handles would disappear. As I applied my makeup, I thought, wow, where did these wrinkles on my forehead come from and how much foundation will it take to conceal them? As I plucked a gray hair that peeked out from over my ear, I wondered why my hair color doesn’t adhere to the gray ones.

Not only are women hard on themselves when it comes to physical appearance, but somehow they tend to believe that if they have outward imperfections that they are inadequate in other areas as well. This comes as no surprise since we live in a society that makes us believe that we have to do it all. The media portrays women who are beautiful and stylish, whose makeup never smudges and clothes don’t need ironing, who works all day and still has a perfectly kept house. She still has time to work out at the gym to keep her gorgeous figure, plans gourmet dinners five nights a week and has plenty of energy to help her well-behaved children do their homework. To top it off she will still be as chipper as a songbird by the time her husband gets home from work! Just typing about her makes me exhausted! In reality, this "super woman" doesn’t exist, yet we strive to be like her anyway.

So, how do we change our attitude about ourselves? First of all, let’s get rid of unrealistic expectations of ourselves. Stop listening to Satan and the world’s lies that we will never measure up. God created us and knew exactly what we would look like and who we would become even before we were ever born. For us to put ourselves down is insulting the Lord God our Creator who designed us and sees us as beautiful in His eyes.

I am reminded of this each time I read from Psalm 139 which says:

You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.

Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together Deep in the earth below, But with you own eyes You saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book Everything I would do. (The Promise Bible)

God has plans and a purpose for me and for you. He will use you in mighty ways and has gifted you with talents and abilities to be used for His glory. He sees you as His beautiful daughter, whom He adores and loves on the inside and out.

My Prayer: Dear Lord, please remind me every day that I am your beloved child. Even before I was born, you had great plans for me. Allow me to follow your will and be used by you to shine your light to others. Let me see myself through your eyes-beautiful and holy. I come before your throne today to receive your mercy and grace. Amen

Join us for our annual Women’s Retreat

January 20-22, 2006 at Mission Springs Conference Center
With guest speaker Patty Robinson and worship leader Sherry Meyers

Register on Sundays through November or contact Colleen Tortorice at Anirishgirl@quixnet.net

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you! Isaiah 60:1

Men's Ministry

Shahram Ameli

Be sure to mark your calendar for the next MEN’S BREAKFAST, Saturday December 3rd. The breakfasts are held the first Saturday of each month from 8am to 10am at the CCC church offices in downtown Clayton.

Last month our speaker was Pastor Ron Musch of Lighthouse Church. He taught us about God’s character and about times of spiritual dryness in our lives. We had a time of small group discussion and prayer. Each month we serve a hot breakfast and have a time of worship as well as fellowship and teaching. If you haven’t been to a Men’s Breakfast, you are missing out!

Our annual Men’s Retreat is coming up in March of 2006, with Ed Cleland serving as chairman. Don’t miss this! We are holding the retreat in a new location this year, at Mission Springs Retreat Center in Scotts Valley. (A bed for everyone!) Registration and more details will be coming soon.

There are many ways to be involved in the Men’s Ministry. If you want to get involved, or have any needs, concerns or questions relating to the Men’s Ministry, please contact me.

Shahram Ameli

Care Ministries

Chuck Bidondo

Did you know that in Care Ministries so far this year:

You can be part of any of our 20 ministry teams here at Clayton Community Church by contacting Chuck Bidondo at 672-9708 or e-mail at careministries@claytoncc.com.

At this time our Benevolence team has needs for those volunteers who possess specialized skills including social worker, accounting and bankruptcy law. We do financial counseling here at Clayton Community Church. Your expertise is needed to accomplish our goals for our church community.

Why I Come to Church

Brenda Ameli

I love coming to church on Sundays. I love walking up the sidewalk and seeing my church family connecting with one another; people of all ages and interests coming together to worship and to hear the Word of God.

The energy and vibrancy of CCC is thrilling to me; Sunday mornings I come with the expectation of having a chance to talk with someone and finding out what brought them to church that day, what their needs and interests are, what their story is. When I come to church with that sense of expectancy, I am never disappointed.

There have been Sundays when I walked up the sidewalk with a heavy heart; times in my life when I was facing turmoil and didn’t feel like connecting with anyone. Many times, I was touched by someone showing concern for me, or simply offering a smile, a hug, an offer of prayer. There have also been times, though, when I walked out of church with the same heavy heart I came with. But I can truthfully tell you there has never been one time when I left feeling alone or that I had no one to share my burdens with.

Coming to church on Sundays reminds me that I have a community I can count on. If you are coming to CCC and don’t have the same sense of community that I have, I want you to know that there is a place for you, and there is a church family for you here. I want to gently challenge you to take a step towards entering into that community; simply stop by the Welcome Center on Sunday and talk to me or any other greeter.

We would love to put in touch with the ministry that would draw you into being a part of the church family. We need you and you need us, the body of Christ.

If you have been coming to CCC regularly and, like me, feel connected and at home, I would like to challenge you as well. I’m amazed that the number of greeters in our ministry has grown to over 25, but on any given Sunday, as hard as we try, we will not be able to connect with everyone who comes to church that day. We need you. We need the church family to help us welcome first time guests, to watch for people needing to connect with someone. Come to church with a sense of expectancy - you won't be disappointed.

Brenda Ameli

Dance Ministry

Brenda Ameli

I had the opportunity recently to attend two different dance concerts. One was a professional modern dance company and was held at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. This performance featured a full orchestra, professional lighting, gorgeous costuming, and a sold-out house even though tickets were $50-$75 each. The dance technique was wonderful, and it was an excellent show. My husband attended with me, and, well, at least he enjoyed the music! We talked about the music for a few minutes on the ride home, then turned our attention to talking about other things.

The other event I attended was held at a dance theater somewhere in the Mission District of San Fransisco. We passed by it a couple of times before deciding just to park, get out and walk to find it. We walked into the darkened auditorium where the dancers were performing on a floor with no stage. When my eyes became adjusted to the dark, I could see that the majority of seats were empty---the tickets for this show were $15. My husband again attended with me (I know, I know--- give him a medal!), as did two of our close friends. The concert was presented by Ixalt, a local Christian dance company.

They had humble surroundings and simple dance costumes; the wonderful musical accompaniment was comprised of a small group of musicians.

They danced the stories of every Christian. Every dance brought to us a sense of recognition within ourselves---a dance about the struggle between our calling and desire to serve others and our tendency to let our own egos get in our way. There was a young male dancer who told us of his past and how Jesus transformed him, both with his words and dance. We were enthralled, and we were ministered to through dance.

The four of us left the concert feeling that we had been in the presence of God. We could not stop talking about what we had seen, heard, felt, and learned.

When our CCC Dance Troupe meets to practice weekly, we always talk and pray about the intent and purpose of each dance. Our desire is to minister to people through dance; to provide a visual memory that will help people experience God’s Word on a nonverbal level. Sometimes we dance to release joy and express the music in a physical way; sometimes we tell a story through dance or express some aspect of the message being spoken that Sunday at church.

Wednesday dance classes are still open and ongoing through December 14th. 4pm to 4:30 is for ages 4 to 7, and 4:45 to 5:45 is for ages 8 through high school. Both classes are free, held at the CCC church offices in downtown Clayton, and open to the community. No registration required---just drop in!

I hope to be able to give you details about my “Spirit Moves” dance and Pilates class for adult women in the next Anchor, so keep reading and watching for it!

Brenda Ameli

Thanksgiving

Kathy Herrera

To my church family and dear friends,

I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support, (meals, help with driving and invitations for the kids), encouragement and  your prayers .  You have all made this journey "doable" for me and my family.  I am not usually brief about anything but I just wanted to send a short message saying thank you.

I have been reflecting on all I have to be thankful for this year and you all came to mind and are right there on the top of my list.  I was led to this scripture and I want to share it with you because your support has blessed and touched me so deeply and has really drawn me much closer to God and has truly strengthened my faith.

2Corinthians1:3-5
What a wonderful God we have--He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials.  And why does he do this?  So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on the to them this same help and comfort God has given us.  You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more He will shower us with his comfort and encouragement.

Thank you for sharing your comfort and support with me.  Happy Thanksgiving and know I will give thanks for all you all have done.

Sincerely,
Kathy Herrera