Segue Dallas

“David told Saul, “I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.” And he took it all off.” (1 Samuel 17:39).

After David removed the armor of his King, Saul, he then was able to move!!! That’s what we need isn’t it? Movement! If we remain still too long moss and algae start to grow. We become like old statues that need a good power washing. So, movement is good but what kind of movement? Running in place seems pointless so in what direction should the movement take us?

So far, we have this:
1. take the armor off that doesn’t fit
2. move

At times the direction we need to move in is clear and we MUST embrace that believing that, regardless of the outcome, we will have followed our trusted friend Jesus and it will all have been worth it. Other times, the direction is unclear but we know that movement is necessary to avoid stagnation. At this point we need perspective. In order to gain that needed perspective we must move to a higher place in order to see the big picture - a bird’s eye view of sorts. This REQUIRES us to step back, disengage from the norms of life, and allow ourselves to see things we have missed due to our tunnel vision.

In my life and in the life of Segue we are in the stage of gaining perspective. It’s VERY refreshing. Things feel new and intriguing. Sure, there’s some pain in leaving certain familiar things behind but when those familiar things don’t fit anymore it’s much less painful to leave them behind than it is to continue dragging them along.

June/July/August 2009 3100 Main Street Dallas, TX 75226 SegueDallas.com

We were recently given a prophetic message from a friend in Iowa. He only gave us 2 words, “Saul’s Armor.” That’s it! Saul’s Armor. Remember how David went to the battlefield and accepted the challenge to fight Goliath? Saul insisted that David wear Saul’s armor so David tried it on but it was awkward, bulky, cumbersome and it just didn’t fit. David took it off knowing he couldn’t fight while wearing all that metal. We’ve been talking and praying about what that means for us. It’s been an interesting process to say the least. There have been a few things we’ve identified from the past that were certainly “Saul’s armor” for us. But that’s the past. What about now?

One thing that has been a BEATING for us recently is how we pay the bills. We’ve talked to experts, prayed, tried many things and it’s all felt awkward, bulky and cumbersome. We quickly and clearly identified this as “Saul’s armor”. We’re not sure what our next step will be, however, we are certain that we will find some stones and a sling that will fit us just right.

For the first time in the 3 year plus history of Segue, we are facing the possibility of not having enough money to make it through the month. I’m not worried. What good would that do? God has ALWAYS taken care of us and I KNOW that he will continue to do so. It seems we’re in a season in which we have 2 options: worry or trust. I choose to trust knowing that God really is faithful. He really does do what he says he will do. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will creatively operate to shift funds to us for the good of the Kingdom. We only need about $5000/month to operate and what’s that to the God who speaks worlds into existence? Thanks for your love and encouragement! Kevin

See our blog for more details about Saul’s Armor and Segue at SegueDallas.com

The Real Me by Marc Traynor

If I strip away my ego, envy and lust-
All the humor that hides my emotion.
If I allow the Lord to refinish and refine myself,
Allow the great carpenter to make me as He created me.
Against the grain I have gone but that does not show the true character of the wood.
When I give up my harsh varnish
My super glossy finish trying to disguise the splintered and rough surface.
When He strips raw, His hand sands down-
Not with wide strides, not with a sander but with the precision of a scalpel mapping out the grain with the attention to detail so small, invisible to everyone else but He knows the layers, He knows the path, and He understands how I have grown. The patterns, the journey and the struggles all tell told in the grain.
When He is done the wood is smooth and soft,
Details glorious and the wood shows its true design. My love becomes His.
I can truly care without expecting anything in return.
My humor is not to mask but to invoke true joy.
The grains and patterns of my life and journey are only the beginning.
Once He applies the stain the colors of my soul reveal the god-given encouragement to inspire others along their journey
Demonstrating the faults that hinder others not to tear them down but to strip out their impurities to reveal the hidden beauty disguised under their glossy finish.
When He seals the finished product the final barrier to prevent the return of my fears-
Fear of not being accepted.
Fear of not being liked.
Fear of knowing I am not worthy.
So in turn, I will accept and guide all those who come into contact to know and to feel God’s Grace and Acceptance.

Many of you have already heard me talk or write about Saul’s armor and how it relates to Segue so I’ll try not to repeat myself too much here. It’s just that this is SO significant for us that some things are worth repeating. In April, a friend said he had heard 2 words from God for Segue. You guessed it! Saul’s Armor. When you read the story in 1 Samuel 17 (esp vs. 32-50) you find that Saul’s armor simply did not fit David and he could not function well while wearing it.

For the Segue community this made SO MUCH sense! We have been at this - officially - for over 2 years and there have been MANY cases of Saul’s armor in our journey. One of the most awkward things we did was to have a “launch”. We had already been gathering weekly for a while but, we had very well intentioned leaders, and other people we respected telling us that we needed to make it official. It felt weird from the beginning but we don’t know any better and just figured you have to do this if you want to start a church. What did we know? The launch, we were told, should be a big celebration and we should invite lots of people and make it a REALLY big deal! That was strange. We downplayed it as much as possible and told a lot of people that they couldn’t come unless they were planning to commit to the Segue community. We allowed ourselves to have this huge buildup with all these expectations of new people coming and guess what? That didn’t happen. Why? Because this whole launch thing was Saul’s armor for us. We didn’t know how to describe it at the time. We just knew it felt odd and untrue to who we are. We are committed to being an organic part of the community. Wether or not our friends ever come to the Segue gathering, we still love them. They are still our friends. It’s not about them coming to “our thing”, it’s about loving people well.

One of the things that has become Saul’s armor for us is how we pay the bills. There was a season in which many people outside the Segue community saw the value of it and gave enough to support me and my family. About 9 months ago things started to shift. Less and less gifts have come from outside the Segue community. Many of the people of Segue give regularly but we’re a small group and it’s not enough to support my family of 6 - especially with 2 in college. We don’t really desire to become a large church - that would probably be the ultimate in Saul’s armor for us! Because we believe SO STRONGLY in loving people where they are, we aren’t constantly inviting people to come to our gatherings. We are very secure that our true “success” is measured by the degree to which we follow Jesus and not by some man made system of counting things and/or people.

Back to the money . . . we’ve realized that we must be more and more involved in the neighborhood because we love the people. They are GREAT friends to us and we want to be great friends to them as well. So things appear to be shifting . . . our gatherings MAY soon become more simple - smaller groups meeting throughout the neighborhood weekly and a large corporate gathering less often. These are rumblings of change and we are still in the beginning stages of this process so at this point these are only ideas about what we think God might be saying to us. With this, I (Kevin . . . the “pastor”) am looking for a full time job. I’ve been waiting tables part time at St. Pete’s in Deep Ellum for over 2 years now. Jana works at The Container Store part time and we have a salary through Segue. It seems that it’s time for that salary to end or at least be significantly decreased. Since that is the largest portion of Segue’s monthly budget this would free us from Saul’s armor in the area of money! How great would that be? Not having to rent a space to meet every single week and not having to pay a staff person . . . our expenses would be minimal.

Staff . . . I recently spent a 24 hour period fasting and praying and the Holy Spirit asked me to write down things that people have added to the church and to the gospel. The list was long but the one thing that stood out to me was staff. I don’t have to be on staff at a church to be a pastor! I suppose I’ve known that but never to the point of being willing to live it. So hey, anybody know of a job for me, cause I could really use one.

Hell
derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered:
(1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning “to ask,” “demand;” hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered “grave” thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.).
In thirty-one cases in the Authorized Version this word is rendered “hell,” the place of disembodied spirits. The inhabitants of sheol are “the congregation of the dead” (Prov. 21:16). It is (a) the abode of the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job 24:19; Ps. 9:17; 31:17, etc.); (b) of the good (Ps. 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13, etc.).
Sheol is described as deep (Job 11:8), dark (10:21, 22), with bars (17:16). The dead “go down” to it (Num. 16:30, 33; Ezek. 31:15, 16, 17).

(2.) The Greek word hades of the New Testament has the same scope of signification as sheol of the Old Testament. It is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19), with gates and bars and locks (Matt. 16:18; Rev. 1:18), and it is downward (Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15).
The righteous and the wicked are separated. The blessed dead are in that part of hades called paradise (Luke 23:43). They are also said to be in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22).

(3.) Gehenna (a garbage dump in the valley south of Jerusalem), in most of its occurrences in the Greek New Testament, designates the place of the lost (Matt. 23:33). The fearful nature of their condition there is described in various figurative expressions (Matt. 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 16:24, etc.).

Revelation 20:11-15 After the judgment, those whose names are not found in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire – symbolic?

Could it be that the fire is for purification? Such as “fiery trials” or to be “baptized with fire”?

http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/hellfire2.htm
argument that all will be saved and that much of the bible’s mention of hell has been distorted and mistranslated

Let me know what you think. I’m really interested to hear your thoughts. We’ll discuss this further Sunday night May 24 as well.

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April/May 2009 Newsletter

Friday April 17 - Sunday April 19 is going to be momentous for Segue.  Among other things, Jonathan Reuel, an artist and leader of leaders from Virginia, will be challenging us in some very creative ways.  Here’s the lowdown:

Friday April 17

7:30pm Concert/Fundraiser/Segue Opportunity in Texarkana, TX

Saturday April 18

6:00pm Deep Ellum Art Walk deepellumm edia.com

Sunday April 19

1:30pm Creativity Workshop @ Space lead by Jonathan

5:30pm Segue Gathering lead by Jonathan

Newsletter for Feb. and March 2009