Emmaus Life Eugene

07/08/2022

Hi Friends, tony here. Hope you had a great 4th of July with friends and family. Looking forward to getting back together with you all this Sunday! This is is week two of The Lambs sabbatical so that is why the email is coming from me.

We have committed to spending this sabbatical time time in seeking the Lord and praying about fresh vision on how the Lord wants to lead our community. Specifically we are asking for vision from the Lord on how Emmaus can be “On Mission” as a community. That being the case we are going to start this time by looking at Matthew 14:13-21 on Sunday:

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
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Questions to think about
Why do you think the “Crowds” followed Jesus out to the solitary place? What were they looking for?

What are some ways that You are being called to feed the world individually? Spend a little time the next couple days thinking about what your “bread and fish” are?

What do you feel like holds you back from feeding the people?

What are some ways that we as a church community are being called to feed the world?

07/01/2022

Hello friends! We will not be meeting together this Sunday. Have a wonderful and safe Independence weekend and we will see you again on the 10th!

06/26/2022

We’re looking forward to seeing you all for Big Table in the morning!

07/29/2021

Emmaus Fam! This week we will be discussing teaching/preaching/learning and how it should play out in our church. Take some time to meditate on these scriptures and consider what role these things have played in your own journey with the church. See you on Sunday!

What role does teaching and learning have in the church? Has the church placed too high an emphasis on “good teaching” without a similar emphasis on “good learning”? How do we know if a person is being taught well and learning well?

“Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. ‘The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’ Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.’”
Matthew 23:1-10 MSG

“The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”
John 14:21MSG

“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 MSG

“Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.”
Proverbs 1:7 MSG

“God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life is one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot. Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way. Affirm your promises to me—promises made to all who fear you. Deflect the harsh words of my critics—but what you say is always so good. See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways!”
Psalm 119:33-40 MSG

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do beset by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
Philippians 4:8-9 MSG

“Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.”
Colossians 3:16 MSG

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

Scott Lamb <
Emmaus Life EFCA

Welcome to Emmaus Life

07/22/2021

Hey Emmaus friends! Just a reminder that this week is Big Table! We will be eating together and sharing what is happening in our lives with one another. If you are in town (we know that many of you are off doing great summer stuff) please come and sit around the table for a while and share a meal and conversation with your friends. See you at 10am @ Petersen Barn!

07/15/2021

Hey friends! This week we are talking about the Bible and it’s role in our lives and the church. Here are the scriptures and a couple of process questions for this week! Come with some thoughts and questions of your own! See you on Sunday at 10 am!

“Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But who’s delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

“By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.”
Psalm 119:105 MSG

“‘I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.’ God’s decree. ‘For as the sky soars high above the earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.’”
Isaiah 55:8-11 MSG

“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 NIV

“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 MSG

“[Jesus] didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. ‘I took on the troubles of the troubled,’ is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!”
Romans 15:3-6 MSG

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he appeared to Peter, and to the twelve.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-5 NIV

“There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”
2 Timothy 3:15-17 MSG

“God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”
Hebrews 4:12-13 MSG

What is the Bible? What is its purpose in the church? What role does the Bible play in your daily life? What motivates you to read the Scripture? Do you often feel guilty about not reading it often enough? Where does that guilt come from? What role does the Bible play in the church?

07/07/2021

Hey friends! This week we will be discussing PRAYER when we gather on Sunday. Take a look at these scriptures and see what pops for you. Ask yourself a few questions like:
Do I pray? When do I pray? What do my prayers feel and sound like? Is prayer difficult for me? If so, why? Do I feel guilty about not praying enough? Do I only pray out of obligation? Does prayer feel more like a good-luck charm or something that I do in the hopes that something bad doesn’t happen to me? When I tell people that I am or will be praying for them, do I mean it? Who taught me how to pray? When did that lesson happen and does it still inform my prayers today?
Hope to see you Sunday at Petersen Barn 10am!

Jeremiah 33:3 MSG:
“This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as GOD: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’”

Matthew 6:5-15 MSG:
“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

‘Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.’

In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.”

Luke 18:9-12 MSG:
“He told this next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income. Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’ Jesus commented, ‘This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.’”

Romans 8:26-28 MSG:
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG:
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

1 Timothy 2:1-3 MSG:
“The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”

06/23/2021

Big Table this Sunday!
Our hope with Big Table, as always, is to create space in our busy lives to slow down, and enjoy a moment or two with those that God has put in our way. Bring a blanket, chairs, some food, and a few friends. Also, there will be pancakes.
10 am at Petersen Barn Community Center.
Do yourself a favor and be there!

06/17/2021

Hey Emmaus fam! Take a moment to read over these questions and scriptures and try to be honest with yourself as you work through them. See you on Sunday!

What is a disciple?
What is discipleship?
Can you think of a time in your personal history as a member of a church that you were intentionally discipled by someone? If so, what did that feel like and how did it happen? If not, why do you think that it wasn’t something offered to you?
Have you ever intentionally discipled someone over a span of time? If so, what brought it about and what did it feel like to intentionally invest in someone? If not, what has prevented you from doing this?
What are the obstacles that stand in the way of this happening now?
What is our responsibility as parents in discipling our children?
Do we see raising our children as discipleship? If not—why not? If so—what does it look like?

“You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17 MSG

“Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.”
Proverbs 22:6 MSG

“Attention Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 MSG

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

“God authorized and commanded me to commission you: God out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them for baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 MSG

“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat;
I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
Mark 8:34-37 MSG

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
John 13:34-35 MSG

“The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”
John 14:21 MSG

“Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life; by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use. Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.”
1 Timothy 4:11-16 MSG

“Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips not drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, trustworthy in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around.”
Titus 2:1-8 MSG

06/11/2021

Hey Emmaus Family! This week we are talking about Hospitality. Here are a few questions and scriptures to think on and process before we meet on Sunday:

Why is hospitality an important function for the life of a church? What does it produce in us and in others when we express it? How do we know when we or someone else is being hospitable? Are only some people gifted with hospitality or is it something that all of us should practice? Who is someone you know who is hospitable? What characteristics do they show that make you think that?

“Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love. Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you. Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of s*xual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit s*x. Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, ‘I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,’ we can boldly quote, ‘God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?”

vs 16 “Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of ‘sacrifice’—that takes place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.”

Hebrews 13:1-6&16 MSG

“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!”
1 Peter 4:7-11 MSG

“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.”
Romans 12:11-16 MSG

“We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts the Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
Matthew 10:40-42 MSG

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

05/27/2021

Hey Emmaus People! BIG TABLE IS BACK! I cannot tell you how excited I am that we are able to do this. Big Table has been one of Emmaus Life’s most shaping characteristics. Years ago when we started Emmaus Life we thought: Shoot, at church we talk about what it looks like to fellowship and eat together and hang out—what if we just set aside one Sunday a month to make sure we are doing just that? Big Table was born out of a hope that in the midst of our busy lives we might just take a few moments to sit across the table from another persons and share about what is happening in our lives. There have been many thoughts, feelings, hopes and struggles shared across the table.
In this last year I think that Big Table may be one of the things that I have missed the most. We are so blessed to be able to bring it back!
It will be a little different as we are still being cautious because of COVID, but we are going to sit down and eat together. It will be a picnic style hang out. Everyone is responsible to bring their own food and drinks. We will still be providing self-serve coffee. Bring a blanket, some chairs, and some brunch style foods to sit around and talk and eat with your friends. If you feel up to it, please bring someone along with you that you know is needing some community. Big Table is a great place for people to start.
See you Sunday!

Scott Lamb <
Emmaus Life EFCA

Welcome to Emmaus Life

03/07/2021

WE NEED YOUR HELP! On March 27th Petersen Barn will be hosting the Bethel Community Plant & Seed Share. We will be providing the raffle prizes for each time slot as well as covering the cost of a live band for the event. We would like to highlight local nurseries and businesses through our raffle prizes. Below are the items needed to fill each gift basket. We will need 5 of each item. Please comment below with what you would be willing to provide. If you would prefer to donate money instead just let us know that your donation is for the raffle prizes and we will buy the necessary supplies. Thank you for helping us bless our community!