Dwelling Place Church in Seattle

09/25/2021

As much as we want to keep dear people close to us, we want them to follow Jesus more (wherever he might lead them). Tomorrow night we celebrate our friends and partners in the gospel as they take new steps in their adventure of trusting Jesus.

07/24/2021

http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/7/24/living-my-truth

James starts our passage for tomorrow night (James 1:16-21)  with the phrase “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” The Spirit is calling out to us through God’s word to pay attention to our desires that might lead us to lie to ourselves. But more than that, the Spirit is drawing us closer to Jesus so that we might be willing to have our corrosive lies exposed…so that we might find freedom in loving the Truth.

07/22/2021

07/10/2021

Baptism is a story. It is a story of a radical new life that God gives.

It is also a declaration that we have a new Lord: that Jesus is now the one who shapes our lives.

Last week Jill got to tell her story of how Jesus has radically changed her life and how he is now her King. It is beautiful to be a community of people who get to share in the story of what God does in the life of one person!

of life

07/04/2021

Today we get to celebrate new life in Jesus…and how we have a new allegiance to a new and better King!

We are grateful for the freedom to celebrate the new life Jesus shared with us!

And, hey, we will get to eat some great food too!

06/05/2021

Jesus’ invitation is to the fullest possible life with him even if that means that we may lose lesser loves. Behind every crucifixion is a resurrection that makes the loss more than worth it.

Our work might be the primary way we follow Jesus in this way. It might be the primary way he draws us into the life we have always longed for.

More here: http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/6/5/thats-not-where-it-ends

05/30/2021

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Frederick Buechner

What if our work connected with what is on His heart, what he loves? What if we did, along with Jesus, what matters most to him?

Let me say it this way: our work matters most when we have Jesus’ heart in the way we do our work.

More here: http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/5/29/aqrugovceonndagf2tdfhw73l1goz3

05/23/2021

Last week we got to celebrate our teachers at Lawton Elementary with free coffee from .

These teachers and administrators have worked super hard over the last year for our students even though crazy circumstances. To a person, I have seen nothing from them but eagerness to educate our children.

We are grateful for what all our teachers do to serve our kids!

(Sorry that we didn’t get more pictures of teachers but we were talking while they drank their coffee!)

05/22/2021

Reference Luke 14:1-6

Jesus didn't come to fight like they expected. He came to bring rest. It didn't matter if it was a "fair fight" because they weren't even playing the same game.

They wanted to expose the "lies" Jesus was telling to lead people astray. They wanted to tame Jesus or shame Jesus and blame Jesus so that they could keep their position of moral authority in people's eyes (especially their own).

Jesus didn't come to dinner to play that game. He didn't come to quarrel with their theology, but restore their heart.

More here: http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/5/22/hiding-our-unrest

05/08/2021

Can we actually rest from our work so we can rest in our work? In that, is it possible to radiate Jesus' rest so that we can love the restless people around in a way that they would enter into Jesus rest along with us?

http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/5/8/radiating-rest

04/24/2021

Ephesians 5:21 describes the heart of a group of people who work together and relate together under the leadership of the Spirit of God: "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."*

To "submit" is an ugly word to us. We have seen those who have used another's submission to take advantage of them, to gain selfish power over them. It seems unjust. It may even seem un-American.

But, is it good? "Good" like things were in the Garden of Eden "good." Of course, people will take advantage of another's submission. People will think of submitting as weak. We may feel like we will be someone's doormat to wipe their muddy boots on...or ignore altogether. (Really, who ever notices their doormat?)

More here: http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/4/24/defy-our-defiance

04/17/2021

When someone asks us about our work we have to quickly decide if we want to share the real story of how it feels like we are frustratingly running though waist deep water to accomplish what we need to accomplish while feeling like an imposter who doesn't deserve our paycheck or position or to say everything is fine. (Yup, supposed to be breathless)

We don’t live in the Garden of Eden any more, but we were made for it. Because we live outside our home, we feel like everything is off…including our work. We till the soil and plant what we think will be satisfaction, but reap mostly failure, insecurity, toil, annoyance, and futility.  We still want to work a nourishing garden, but have seemingly lost our directions to find that garden.

The fact that our work is no longer “good” like we experienced in Eden is a gift to draw us into seeking something more than Eden…the One whose satisfying beauty was only seen as a reflection in Eden, but makes himself available to be fully known in the person of Jesus.

More here: http://www.dwellingplaceseattle.com/blog/2021/4/17/when-work-isnt-good