Catalyst

New Site and blog for the summer

2009-05-19T06:51:00.001-07:00

Hey All!

For the summer, I will be blogging from www.catalystsummer.com. Go there, click "Blog" to get the latest info about Catalyst and our summer experience.

Happiness for Others

2009-05-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

This week we continue our series in Philippians. The apostle Paul is happy but in prison. What is remarkable is that the very thing meant to crush his spirits--jail--is an opportunity he is using to share his passion about Jesus. He isn't keeping his happiness to himself, he is sharing his "happiness for others."

We hope you can make it.

Childcare is provided.

Catalyst Core Group Meeting--You should come!

2009-04-20T08:29:00.001-07:00

I want to invite you to Catalyst's core group meeting this Thursday night. The summer is quickly approaching and we believe that God is going to do some amazing things. But to be able to pull it off, frankly, we need your help.

So, this Thursday night, we are going to talk about the summer, give opportunities to serve and pray that God would open doors to reach the disconnected and grow those already part of this community.

I hope you will make it. This meeting is open to anyone that considers Catalyst their community or who wants Catalyst to be their community.

I am asking that those who attend would do some kind of fast (food, or technology, etc ) from Wednesday at 7pm until, Thursday at 7pm. During your fast, ask for God's favor for Catalyst and that he would give clear vision of what he desires.

Their will be pizza provided. Bring $5 to cover the cost.

Childcare will be provided.

We will be meeting in "The Garage"

Join Our Facebook Group

2009-04-10T08:04:00.001-07:00

Catalyst has a facebook page and it is the best way to stay up with what is going on around the community. To join, click here.

Philippians: Happiness in the Turmoil

2009-04-08T11:04:00.001-07:00

Next Thursday, 4/16, we begin our series in Philippians.

In the book of Philippians, we find an apostle that was unmistakably happy. Yet, “none of his circumstances contribute to his joy: He wrote from a jail cell, his work was under attack by competitors, and after twenty-years or so of hard traveling in the service of Jesus, he was tired and would have welcomed some relief.”

Paul had a a life full of hardship, and yet was heartily happy.

In a world of chaos and darkness, we look at how we too can have happiness in the turmoil.

Philippians: Happiness in the Turmoil

2009-04-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

This Thursday Night @ Catalyst

2009-03-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Peeps:

I wanted to drop a quick note to you about this Thursday night. There has been some real work, prayer and thought put into this Catalyst service and I think you are going to be blessed.

Church experts say that the best kind a growth a Christ-centered community can have is organic. In other words, people come to a Christian community when their friends invite them. This relational "bridge" is essential if people are to come and give any community a chance.

I encourage you to be that bridge this week. Invite one other person to come with you. Ask God who that person should be. I will be asking God to give you His eyes and His heart.

I look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

What is Spiritual Formation

2009-03-27T08:42:00.001-07:00

I was asked recently to define what is spiritual formation. Below is my brief description.

Spiritual formation is the work of becoming like Jesus in the life I now live. This formational work is not necessarily concerned with outer behavior (whether I cuss, get mad, drink too much, want too many flat-screen tvs, etc); outer behavior will change, for sure, as this formation work goes on but outer behavior is the "fruit" of our spiritual formation.

Spiritual formation is essentially inner work. It is about the shaping of the whole person--body, soul and spirit into the life of Jesus. This is primarily done through the spiritual disciplines. I can not directly choose to act like Jesus in every area of my life. My flesh, my mind, my heart--ME--will eventually get in the way. I must indirectly find ways to reshape my inner life; this reshaping, this transformation, will allow me to slowly become like Jesus in every area of my life.. Spiritual disciplines are the space of this reshaping. Through the disciplines, God's Spirit does for me what I could never do for myself: forms me into the image of Son.

Foundational to the disciplines is silence and solitude. It is in the space of being alone we meet ourselves and God. And we learn something radically amazing: he loves us and he is for us. From this foundational place, we memorize scripture, fast, and do secret acts of mercy. We smartly and intentionally use the disciplines to systematically reshape our inner lives. In doing so, we enter into the resurrection life that Paul spoke of in Colossians 3. The fruit of such a life is this: compassion, kindness, quite strength and self-discipline. The ability to be happy with second place, the heart to quickly forgive an offense as quickly as Christ has forgiven us. And more than all of this, we become people of radical love (the very love we have experienced). This is Spiritual formation.

Catalyst Service...This Thursday Night

2009-03-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Darkness. Trouble. Distress. Anxiety. Death. Hope. Light. Peace. Joy. Resurrection.

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our lives get direction and meaning. He is central to everything. This Thursday night, we pause to remember what Jesus has done for us.

This Catalyst service is going to be an amazing experience--testimonies, great worship,and communion. It is a great chance to celebrate Jesus. I hope you can make it.

IMPORTANTT NOTE: WE ARE STARTING ON TIME FROM NOW ON!!! 7:05pm! WE HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT PEOPLE HATE IT THAT WE START LATE. SO PLEASE :) BE ON TIME!!!)

We meet this in the lower level of Faith Church. We start at 7:05pm; childcare is provided.

Schedule and Invite

2009-03-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Catalyst is a community of 20-somethings who desire to get to know Jesus better. We are marrieds and un-marrieds that have realized something radical: "There can be no maturity or wholeness in the Christian life apart from an immersion in and embrace of community." We desire to be such a community.

We also want to have some fun along the way. Life can be hard but it doesn’t need to be dreary. Come have fun with us and meet Jesus on the way.

Catalyst Spring Calendar:
4/2: Catalyst Service (7pm in the Garage)*
--Easter Celebration

4/16: Catalyst Service (7pm in the Garage)*
—Philippians: Happiness in Turmoil

4/23: Catalyst Core Group Meeting *
(7pm in Room 144/145)

4/30: Big Daddy Weave Concert

5/7: Catalyst Service (7pm in the Garage)*
—Philippians: Happiness for Others

5/21: Catalyst Service (7pm in the Garage)*
—Philippians: Happiness in Community

6/4: Catalyst Summer Kick off (7pm in the Garage)*
(Catalyst12.blogspot.com)
*Childcare provided

A hope

2009-02-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

I was working on some stuff and thought I would lay it down for a second to share a little of my heart. These last few weeks in Catalyst I have seen something amazing: authentic community. I define authentic community as community that is natural, Spirit-inspired and life giving. I am so stoked that this is happening in our midst.

It is my prayer that this community continues. As we begin to think about this summer we must ask ourselves how to cultivate such community, how to invite others to be a part of it and how to, more fully, be followers of Jesus. I believe that God will show us the way.

Colossians 1:15-20

2009-02-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

I am part of a really cool mini-church. We are both talking about and experimenting with ways to grow in faith. We recently fasted as a community and now we are memorizing Colossians 1:15-20 just to see what happens. Why don't you join us.

Catlayst Girls' Night Out

2009-02-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

When: Saturday, Feb. 7th @ 3:50 pm

Where: Faith Church, Dyer

What: Seeing the movie "He's Just Not That Into You"

Why: Cause girls just wanna havefun!!

Who: Catalyst girls (and friends)

How: Meet @ chruch & carpool (leave @ 4:10)to the theater(Kerasotes ShowPlace 16 Scereville);movie starts @ 4:50; if you want to meet at the theater call Amy to let her know!!

Contact Amy Citlau with any questions:219-671-6295!!

Conflict

2009-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I live in a Christian community where conflict is normal and I expect it. As a follower of Jesus I, again and again, walk with people who misunderstand or get offended by one thing or another. Not only that, but I misunderstand others, or get offended by what others have to say. This makes Christian life hard and sometimes, I want to just give up.

Giving up, I find, is not an option. But conflict is hard. I admit that I don't always deal with conflict well. The closer the person is (wife, good friend) the more that I am tempted to "go to war". But I am learning and I am growing. Below are a few lessons that I have learned over the last 12 years. Maybe they will be helpful as all of us learn to be the community of Jesus.

1) We must follow Matthew 18:15-17. This is just basic wisdom. If your brother sins against you, go to him. So much hurt, anger and misunderstanding could be fixed by going directly to the one you are angry with. Though processing with a few trusted friends is beneficial and appropriate, anything else verges on gossip.

2) At my best, as I enter into conflict, I remember the words of Paul in I Corinthians 13... Some of the verses that I try to keep in the forefront as I enter into conflict are:
A) Love never gives up
b) Love doesn't strut
c) Love doesn't fly off the handle
d) Love doesn't keep score of the sins of others
e) Love puts up with anything
f) Love always looks for the best
I am pretty sure that if these were the boundaries of conflict on both sides, things would always turn out well.

3) Conflict is healthy. It is my experience that conflict is good and healthy when it is dealing with reality, boundaried by love and informed by biblical principles. Saying nothing might seem better but it doesn't work. Bitterness will take root and you will find yourself imprisoned by thoughts and feelings that can destroy a life. Conflict leads us to die to self and really deal with one another as we actually are. Conflict, when done well, can bring about God's best and it definitely grows us up.

Well, there you go! This has been good for me to get out on paper (is that what you say on a blog!). As I have been reflecting on this I am reminded of part of Philippians 2 in "The Message":
"If you have gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care--then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."

I want this to be my heart. It isn't only about being right, it is also about loving well. I pray that I continue to grow in love in the days to come.

Catalyst schedule

2009-01-26T09:50:00.001-08:00

Hey All!

Last week, Catalyst began meeting for the new year. It was a great night to reconnect and see all of you.

Our next meeting is Thursday, February 5th @ 7pm in the Garage! Please note that there is no meeting this Thursday!

We will continue in our series, "Living in the Story." On 2/5 we will look at how Jesus is the central point of the story and how that applies to us.

I really encourage you to think about friends you can bring and if you haven't been in while, this is a great moment to come and reconnect.

Word!

Ron C.

Needing Christ

2009-01-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

Taken from an essay of Don Williams (get his essay here)
:
"Jonathan Edwards [Edwards was one of the leaders of the Great Awakening in the 13 Colonies before the Revolutionary War. Many scholars hold him to be the greatest intellect produced on American soil. He became President of “The College of New Jersey” which is today Princeton University.]: “ As I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that was for me extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, and His wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thoughts and conceptions, which continued, as near as I can judge, about an hour; such as to keep me a greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust in Him; to live upon Him; to serve Him and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity."

Lord, this morning, I desire for you to visit me. I desire to get my eyes "off of what is right in front of me." I desire "to look up to where You are. That is where the action is."

So many things compete for my attention--job, school, family, worries, anger, joy, guilt. I want to have you center...this morning.

Lord, may it be so.

Amen.

Catalyst ski trip

2009-01-13T16:02:00.001-08:00

I wanted to let you know that the Catalyst ski trip is quickly approaching. The trip will be from 2/20/09 - 2/22/09. It is a real blast and a great way to form community. Ask anyone who went last year.

If you register by Friday, you will receive a discounted price. The prices are:
Earlybird price $70 for Retreat only
After 1/16/09 - $80 for Retreat only
Ski Rental - $22
Lift Ticket - $36
Bus Transportation - $10
(required to take bus to ski) (You are not required to ski, obviously!)

Deadline to register is February 11, 2009

To sign up go to:
www.faithchurchonline.org
(click on the "Catalyst" tab, and then click on "Events".)

Don't let money be an issue; if you have any need, let me know and we might be able to offer a scholarship.

I hope you can make it.

Ron C.

p.s. The Catalyst service resumes this Thursday night at 7pm in "the garage" @ Faith Church.

Psalm 23...A Prayer

2009-01-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Lord is my shepherd
I will not be in want
He will make me lie down in green pastures
He will lead me beside quiet waters.

He will restore my soul.

He will lead me in path of righteousness
for His name sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
for you are with me
Your rod and your staff
they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies
My head is anointed with oil.
My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow after me all the days of my life
And
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen

Catalyst's service is starting back up!

2009-01-07T20:06:00.001-08:00

It's a new year and we are starting a new series: "Living in the Story." On Thursday night (1/15), we will look at "Living in the Story: New Beginnings."

Would you like a fresh start with life,work, and faith? Then come experience new beginnings.

Also, we will continue with our mini-churches that we had during 40 days of purpose. So if you were part of one, this is a great chance to reconnect. If you have never checked out a mini-church this is a perfect moment to try.

We look forward to seeing you.

Prayer: more Dallas Willard

2009-01-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

(This was a teaching/small group lesson I recently prepared).

Introduction (5 Minutes): Welcome and prayer. Today we are going to look at the phrase, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”; it is found in the midst of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6.

Small Group Discussion (5 minutes): I want you to discuss in your small groups what are your initial thoughts about this phrase? What does it mean?

Large Group (5 minutes): I want to read some excerpts from Dallas Willard”s book The Divine Conspiracy (each person will have a copy of the quote).
“The final request [of the Lord’s Prayer] asks our Father not to put us to the test. ‘Don’t bring us into temptation.’ The ‘temptation’ here is not primarily temptation to sin. Trials always tempt us to sin, however. And temptation to sin is always a trial, which we might fail by falling into sin…This request is not just for evasion of pain and of things we don’t like, though it frankly is that. It expresses the understanding that we can’t stand up under very much pressure, and that it is not a good thing for us to suffer. It is a vote of ‘no confidence’ in our own abilities…God expects us to pray that we will escape trials, and we should do it. The bad things that happen to us are always challenges to our faith, and we may not be able to stand under them. They are dangerous.” (The Divine Conspiracy, pg 265)

Small Groups (25 Minutes):
Each small group will be given a scripture reference; they are to use the Dallas Willard quote as a tool to for interpretation. Each group will have specific questions to answer. They will, after their discussion, will come back and report.
Small Group #1
Matthew 26:36-46
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) What does this story say about Jesus?
2) God allows Jesus to continuing suffering, is this the normal way that God acts with humans? Explain your answer.
3) Why do you think the Father does not answer his son’s prayer?
4) Do you think that this account contradicts Willard’s excerpt?
5) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from Gethsemane ?

Small Group #2
2 Kings 20:1-6

1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "
(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) Do you think this is the “normal” way that God deals with his people?

2) What do you think motivates the Lord to give Hezekiah fifteen more years of life?

3) Does this biblical account cause you to agree or disagree with Willard?

4) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from II Kings ?

Small Group #3
Exodus 32:1-14
1 When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what's happened to him?"
2-4 So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me." They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool.
The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"
5 Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf.
Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to GOD!"
6 Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!
7-8 GOD spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
9-10 GOD said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."
11-13 Moses tried to calm his GOD down. He said, "Why, GOD, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"
14 And GOD did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.

(Remember to refer to Willard’s quote!)
1) Do you think God would have destroyed Israel if Moses wouldn’t had prayed for mercy?

2) What do you think motivates the Lord to listen to Moses?

3) Moses prays for Israel that God would not destroy them and God listens. Do you think that Christians can pray that God would not judge evil people and that He will listen? Does it apply to the next life as well? Why or why not?

4) What other observations do you have as you consider the Dallas Willard quote and the account from Exodus?
Large Group Discussion and Sharing (15 Minutes)
Each group will share their findings. From there, there will be then an open discussion about Willard’s quote and whether the students believe Willard’s excerpt.

Closing and prayer (5 minutes)
Allow students to pray. Encouraging them to pray as if what Willard says is true. Encourage them to take time in the weeks to come to think through, imagine what their lives would be like if what Willard says is true. What would change? How would their prayer life change?

Content with second place

2009-01-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

Luke 14:7-11

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In Colossians 3 there are at least two references to being content with obscurity and developing character that is content with second place. In Luke this morning I find the same message being given by Jesus. I pray that on this day I would have the grace to enter into obscurity.

Yesterday, while running, I practiced silence and prayer. It was a grace filled time. What ways can you practice the disciplines?

Monday Morning

2009-01-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

This morning I did a few things to get me on track with the disciplines.

1)--I signed up for Daily Med (Click here to sign up).

2) I read the Luke 13 which is the reading this morning from the Bible reading schedule. This stuck out to me:
"6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

This morning as I connect with the Lord, I have a simple prayer: "Lord, empower me to bear fruit. I want to be pleasing to you and be the person you want me to be."

I pray for all of us that the Spirit will move in our lives.

Be blessed.

The beginning

2009-01-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend I preached on going deeper through the spiritual disciplines. These next few weeks, I will be blogging about my experiences with the disciplines. My hope is that in sharing what I am learning, you will be encouraged and I will be held accountable :).

Feel free to share what works for you and if you have any questions, you can e-mail me at rcitlau@faithchurchonline.org .

Talk to you tomorrow.

Jack and Santa and the future

2008-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

My family and I went to Santa today. Jack, who is almost three, flipped out. Sawyer, who is 9 months, had a blast. It was quite a hoot to watch Jack flip out as families watched in knowing glares.

I will post pictures soon.

Starting this week I will begin posting again on this blog to mark the new year and keep everyone updated with what is going on with me and Catalyst.

Encounter

2008-08-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

No matter who you are, what you are dealing with, or where you are heading in life.... we all lack what is needed to make it and be successful. In other words, we are in need of a power outside ourselves.

Addiction? Relational challenges? Bordem? Mad? There is no other hope or power than Jesus. This Thursday night is about encountering Jesus and the power He has. This night is the real deal.

It is our hope that this night will change your life.

I really encourage you to come, bring your friends and see what God does.

In the end, all we need is to "Encounter".

BBQ Thursday @ 7pm

2008-07-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Word Peeps:
I wanted to invite you to a BBQ that Catalyst is throwing tomorrow night. We just want to hang out and eat. We will provide the hamburgers and hotdogs.... You provide chips, dessert, and drinks!

I hope you can make it. Here is the address (Jordan Gibson's house):
536 Hillside Dr. Dyer, IN
Got Questions? Call JulieAnn at 219-864-0300.

Oh yeah, bring somebody!

Politics and Power

2008-07-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

This Thursday night @ 730pm in "the garage" at Faith Church "12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life" continues. This week we will discuss "Politics & Power."

Who would Jesus vote for? John McCain or Barack Obama? Does it matter? Is choosing one over the other more Christian? This Thursday we see if we can get beyond the rhetoric and begin to get a Christian framework for politics and power.

Our hope is that we can begin a conversation. See you Thursday night. Bring somebody!

No Meeting This Thursday Night!

2008-07-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

Peeps:
We aren't meeting this Thursday night because of the 4th of July holiday. We will meet next on July 10th @ 7:30pm for mini-churches.

Go blow something up.

Word,

Ron C.

Mini-Churches this Thursday Night!

2008-06-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

This Thursday we continue our mini-churches. We will meet in the atrium of the church, get food, and then gather in our respective groups.

If you didn't make it to the first mini-church, no worries. Come this week and we will hook you up.

Word.

Podcasts are up!

2008-06-15T10:44:00.002-07:00

Want to listen to what has been going on at "12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life"? Click Here to download the podcasts!

Bigotry

2008-06-15T10:44:00.001-07:00

Gender, race, and sexual orientation have been touchy subjects for Christ followers for a long time. The way the church has dealt with those different than us has caused a lot of pain and heart ache. The tension is this: how do we love, accept and empower and also be authentic to God's standard that many of us see in His scripture?

This Thursday night, we discuss bigotry. We are going to talk to three Catalyst members: an African-American, a woman, and a man dealing with homosexuality. We are going to have a frank discussion about bigotry, acceptance, empowerment, a biblical world-view and how Catalyst can be a community where a wide range of people are welcomed, accepted, and empowered.

I hope you can come. Bring your friends!

Childcare will be provided.

Mini-Churches Start Thursday Night!

2008-06-10T17:04:00.001-07:00

Peeps:

This Thursday night, Catalyst mini-churches begin. We are really excited to see what God does in these groups; they will be like nothing you have ever experienced. So far 170 people have signed up to be part of one and we can feel the momentum. It is our hope that these groups become a place for you to meet new friends and get real about faith.

I wanted to remind you that the groups will start this Thursday, June 12th at 7:30pm @ Faith Church. If you haven't signed up, just come and we will get you in a group.

We encourage you to come through the front doors of the church; there will be people there to help you get to the right room. If you have any questions, please give me a call or e-mail me.

See you Thursday night!

Word,

Ron Citlau
Catalyst Pastor
219-864-0300

Thursday Night Was Amazing

2008-06-07T05:23:00.000-07:00

Peeps:
Thursday night was amazing; Well over 200 twenty-somethings gathered to see what God is doing: worship was amazing, good teaching (if I do say so myself :)), and profound testimonies. God is on the move.

This Thursday night, June 12th at 7:30pm @ Faith Church, mini-churches start. We have 170 people signed up for these groups. These small groups are like nothing you have ever experienced. We pray and know that lives are going to be changed in the weeks ahead. If you want to be a part of one, there is still time. Get hold of me and we will get you in a group!

If you haven't checked us out yet, our next service is June 19th at 7:30pm in "The Garage" at Faith Church. I encourage you to come, bring your friends, and see what God is doing.

Word,

Ron C.

p.s. In the next few days we will be podcasting the teaching. You will be able to get it at www.catalyst12.com . Look under "links".

48 hours and counting

2008-06-04T05:39:00.001-07:00

A few months ago Catalyst (the twenty-something community of Faith Church) began dreaming. We felt like God was calling us to reach out to those 18-30 in our local community. Doing a little bit of research we found out that there are approximately 40,000 young adults in a ten-mile radius of Faith Church. To us that number seemed daunting. Overwhelming. Not doable.

One day in my office, trying to figure out how 40,000 people fit into our vision, a number popped into my head. 1%. After a little reflection, I felt like the Lord was saying, "reach out to 1%."

400 twenty-somethings. 1% of 40,000. "12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life" is for them. We are trying, striving and praying to create a space where young adults can get real about their lives, get connected to other like-minded friends, and get serious about Jesus. We think that this isn't just our heart but God's heart too.

Tomorrow night, The Garage will be packed with twenty-somethings. If you are 18-30, we encourage you to come and check it out. If you aren't, invite those who are. And more than anything, pray!

We are excited to see what God does.

What is Catalyst?

2008-06-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Too Much Jesus?

2008-05-25T06:08:00.001-07:00

If you meet Jesus, everything changes. I met with a young man a few weeks ago and he said something that startled me. Speaking about Catalyst he said, "It sure does have a lot of Jesus in it and that kind of scares me." It excites me. I know for this young man that He is meeting Jesus in a new way; his life is about to change.

I promise you something, if you meet Jesus everything changes. This is our goal this summer, stealing words from Dallas Willard, "we want to get Jesus a fresh hearing." We want to be relevant, inviting and do our best to make church make sense to a new generation. But more than that, we want to show as many people as we can Jesus.

If you meet Jesus, everything will change. This "new hearing" isn't just for outsiders and seekers, it is also for those that follow him. I don't know about you, but I need something more if I am going to make it. I need the real, breathing, resurrected Jesus.

It is our hope this summer that hundreds of insiders and outsiders, disciples and seekers will meet Jesus. If they do, they will never be the same.

Encounter

2008-05-17T04:17:00.000-07:00

Something I have in my history of following Jesus is a value of encountering Him in community. God is with us always, obviously. But there are moments when He seems closer, when His presence is clearly felt in a unique way in a community. Commonly when this happens revival breaks out.

We as a community are praying that God would pour out His Spirit on the Catalyst community this summer. We want revival--hundreds encountering Jesus in a powerful way. We aren't looking for Jesus tingles or weird experiences; we are looking for the power of God that enables us to change. We want to be like Him.

I have seen it in my life, I see it in many of the lives of those that I walk with, and it is my hope that you see it in your life this summer: the power of the living Jesus, the power to change your life.

I am asking for your Thursdays for the summer!

2008-05-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

This summer we think God is doing something really cool in Catalyst and we want you to be a part of it. How? Give us your Thursdays this summer. What are Thursdays going to look like?

On the 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month we are having the Catalyst service--7:30pm, in "The Garage" @ Faith Church.

On the 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month we are having mini-churches--7:30pm, @ Faith Church. These mini-churches are the heart of our community and where real change occurs. They very well might be like nothing you have experienced in church before: REAL LIFE.

This summer we are starting 5 new mini-churches (they start June 12th); By starting these new mini-churches it gives everyone a chance to get in on the ground level of community and change. Each mini-church will have between 15-25 people in them. And each mini-church is specialized to a specific time of life. Here is a little more info about the groups:

1) Married & Dating: Leaders--Shawn & Kelly Evers, and Kevin & Jamie Bruinsma
2) Mixed: Leaders--Garry Devries, Nick Porter, and Amanda Anderson
3) Mixed: Leaders--Pete Pinkowski, and JulieAnn Vanvuren
4) Girls Only: Leaders--Katie Kapteyn, and Jen Porter
5) Guys Only: Leaders--Jordan Gibson

These groups will last about and hour to and hour and a half. And if you are a part of one this summer, your life will be changed!

If you have any questions about these mini-churches, please e-mail me: Rcitlau@faithchurchonline.org

What Is 12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life?

2008-05-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Make Jesus Christ attractive to all

2008-05-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

"Making Jesus Christ attractive to all": this is the goal of this summer. I get so bummed when people go to a church or a church event and the Jesus they hear about is boring or irrelevant. The Jesus I read about in the Bible is simply the most amazing man that has ever lived.

If change is what you desire, Jesus is where you start. He is the point. He is the reason. He is the goal. He is the energy for changed life. He is the changed life.

If you haven't met Jesus in awhile. Come June 5th @ 7:30 p.m. and meet the man that can change your life.

First Night in The Garage

2008-05-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last night the core of Catalyst met in "The Garage" at Faith Church ("The Garage" is the lower level of Faith Church and where the Catalyst service will be held). Over sixty young adults got to together to talk about the vision of 12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life. It was a cool night. There is such momentum in our community. We can sense that God is moving in our midst. We are excited about it.

Mark your calendars. June 5th @ 7:30pm. Join hundreds of twenty-somethings in "The Garage" as we seek God. Here is the deal: this summer lives are going to be changed; and that includes your life! Come hang out with us.

A Dream

2008-04-29T12:04:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago I had a dream (I think it was from the Lord. Could have been Pizza! ;) ). The dream was essentially a warning. Not getting into the details of the dream, I felt like the Lord was saying that I was trying to do too much on my own; I was invading the enemy’s camp by myself. And he warned that such bravado is fool hardy and stupid. I hear the rebuke! We/I need covering. Catalyst is planning an attack on the enemies camp this summer and this isn’t one man’s effort, this is only going to work with God and his kingdom beside us and lots of prayer. With that as an introduction, here are our prayer needs. Please pray for us. We need it.

Prayer Needs

· Please pray that God would be with Catalyst and its “campaign” this summer. We want Him to lead. We are pleading for His favor and that He would go before us.
· Please pray for the success of our “campaign”: 12 weeks that will change your life. We are praying for 400 twenty-somethings that aren’t connected would get connected this summer. (for more info about what I am talking about, look at www.catalyst12.com .)
· Pray that the enemy would be pushed back. The dream I had was specific about how this could all be tripped up by the enemy’s schemes. Pray for protection for me and my family and those that God is calling to help lead Catalyst this summer.
· There is no doubt a harvest to be had. But just like Jesus said, “the Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Pray that God would raise up workers for the Harvest.
· Pray that the services that Catalyst “puts on” would be “wow.” We want to do everything excellently. Pray that God would empower our creativity and skills.
· Most importantly, pray that God would come in power. Many our lost, lukewarm and bored with life. Pray that the God of Jesus Christ would come in power and rock our worlds. Pray that His kindness would be felt like a steady rain and that it would cause hundreds to turn to him.

Please: Let me know if you receive any inclinations from the Lord or have any wisdom for us. I covet your prayers.

May God be gracious to us all and may we be part of His Kingdom advancing this summer.

What is this anyways?

2008-04-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

When I met Jesus I was in desperate need of change. I was addicted, lost, desperate and alone. I came to Jesus because I had no where else to go. That first summer (a long time ago ;) ) I got serious about following Jesus and my life changed. 11 years later change is still happening in me and I am still seriously following Jesus.

I have been a pastor at Faith Church almost a year and a half (my wife and I moved here from California). In the year and a half that I have been here I have seen dozens of young adults have the same experience with Jesus that I had. They meet him and there lives are no longer the same. Their stories are different from mine. Some were just lonely, others greedy, others addicted, others gay, and others just trying to get by. But the results are all the same: when we met Jesus....Everything changed.

This summer is about getting as many twenty-somethings to experience what we have experienced. This isn't some cute youth group, or just another bible study: we are a community that wants to meet the living Jesus. We want to be like him and have the life he had when he lived on the earth. We want to change.

If change is something you need; come hang out with us. More info: http://www.catalyst12.com/

12 Weeks That Will Change Your Life

2008-04-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

Church experts will tell you that the hardest demographic for a church to keep or attract is the 18-30 age-group. It’s true: many young adults don’t get the church of their parents; they feel like they have different problems, different goals and dreams, and many wonder how church will actually help them live through life’s many challenges.

Faith Church has no such problem! Close to 25% of our church community are twenty-somethings. This is not by accident. We strive to create “spaces” for twenty-somethings to explore faith, Jesus and His Kingdom-Kind-Of-Life. Beyond the weekend experiences (which are always filled with twenty-somethings), Faith Church has Catalyst—the twenty-something community at Faith Church.

This summer, Catalyst is kicking off a new campaign: 12 weeks that will change your life. There are 40,000 young adults in a ten-mile radius of Faith Church; we have a dream for this summer: reach 1% of them! We want 400 twenty-somethings to meet Jesus in a relevant and powerful way. We think He is the answer to every life question and the source of real satisfaction and joy.

Starting June 5^th at 7:30pm, hundreds of twenty-somethings will meet in The Garage at Faith Church and journey together for 12 weeks in the hopes that we meet Jesus. If we do, our lives will be changed.

I encourage you to invite those who are twenty-something to our June 5^th kick off. For more info, check out our website: www.Catalyst12.com or e-mail me at Rcitlau@faithchurchonline.org .

Beginnings

2008-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

On April 9th, Pastor Bob, Charlie, myself, and the core team of Catalyst met to talk about this summer. The result of this meeting was a desire to create a space where we could connect with twenty-somethings who might otherwise not come to church. The result: 12 WEEKS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

Watch this video to get some background on Catalyst and our vision for the future: