This segment of "The Weekly Word", we will be starting the book of Romans.  Me, personally, I love this book!  It is an essential part of our Christianity.  Paul, the author, discusses many theological topics pertaining to our Christianity and the doctrines that we believe.  It is a challenging book that will make you think and encourage you to put feet to your faith. I want to give you all a little background, to get you firmly planted so that you are able to put the book in context and thereby understand it more.

Here are some killer photos from the worship night at finestra caffe.  Worship is a privilege that we, as Christians, get to take part in.  Worship is coming to the Lord of all things and giving Him praise.  And the greatest thing of all is that we get to come face to face with Him just as we are.  There is no "dressing" ourselves up to make Him love us more or be more accepting of our praise to Him.  Our God is glorified when we give Him our praise.  I pray that this worship night doesn't just stop there.  That it was just a "fun" gathering and a "neat" time of worship.  That we don't be a people who worship only when the worship leader leads us in praise.  We should be worshipping Him with our lives everyday.  In the way we talk, laugh, joke, act, everything should be done out of praise and gratefulness to our Heavenly Father.  I will leave you with a quote from a pastor in SLO:

Christianity is a relationship.  It is a relationship between God and you. Like any relationship you have to know one another.  In order to grow and develop a relationship with another person you must hang out with them, spend time with them, learn about them, and let them "get to know" you as well.  It is the same with God.  We have to "get to know" God if we want to develop that relationship with Him.  And the best way to do that is by reading His Word, The Bible.  The Bible reveals to us who God is, and what He is all about.  It is a way that we get an intimate knowledge of Him.

Last night at Paradox we discussed the coming of Jesus into Galilee and the start of His public ministry on earth.  The passage that came from Mark 1:14-15 (if you are just joining us, that is the book that we are going through at Paradox.  And it has been awesome.)

Hello ya'll. i would like to announce the very first ever WORSHIP NIGHT at Finestra Caffe.

Mission Statement

Paradox is a community of college students being transformed by Jesus Christ and used to bring truth, hope, and love to lives in and beyond our college campuses.

Community – We are more than just a building, a name, or a gathering; we are a community of college-aged people. We come as one body from many different backgrounds and stories to live out the greatest journey of all time: pursuing Jesus Christ and allowing Him to transform our lives. It is a connection and a relationship founded upon a common purpose and common passion, which is Jesus Christ. This community occurs in a weekly Worship Service; homegroups during the week, prayer times, outreach events, and just plainly hanging out.

College Students – Paradox is focused on the age group of 18-25 year olds. This is the generation of tomorrow, and the church of today. We feel that it is our privilege and responsibility to equip and train this generation for the most hostile environment in the world, college. We have an exciting opportunity to call out, build up, and travel through this stage as we begin to discover who we are, answer important questions, and realize our potential to change the world in the name of Jesus Christ

Transformation – Our Lord doesn’t desire for us to stay the same. Our desire is to understand God better, hear His voice clearer, and to respond to Him with our lives. God has called us out of this world and into a life of obedience to Him. This transformation takes place through the study of His Word, prayer, worship, service, and missions.

Used to bring truth, hope, and love to lives – We desire to be instruments of God used to carry out His will for our lives and the world. God’s will is for all people to come to a relationship with him by grace through faith in his Son Jesus Christ. Through this relationship the world will have truth, hope, and love. We believe that these three elements are of greatest importance and what this generation as well as the world lacks and needs. This world is void of these essential qualities and we have the solution to the problem, Jesus Christ. We want to be always seeking and trying out new and effective ways to reach today’s generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ will accomplish this mission for the furtherance of the Kingdom.

In and beyond our college campuses – We feel that God desires for us to put feet to our faith and carry out His command of going to the nations baptizing them in the Holy Spirit, teaching them about our faithful and loving God, and loving them by bringing them the gospel of Christ. Our first and foremost mission field is to be to our friends and others who we share our lives with on a day-to-day basis. Our next mission field is to our college campuses, then the surrounding community, and the world. God has blessed us with gifts and talents that He can use to reach those around us who are in need of a Savior. Wherever He wills, we desire to see Him move and respond without hesitation to His leading.

Vision Statement

Our desire is to be completely consumed by Jesus Christ in our lives. We seek to do this through evangelism, edification, and exaltation.

Evangelism
This is an outpouring of our ministry. We have the greatest gift of all mankind, eternal life. We desire to see our colleges, communities, and the world transformed by Jesus and for all to believe that He is Lord. We seek to fulfill the Great Commission that Christ charges the disciples with before He returned to Heaven, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:19-20

Edification
Edification occurs through the delighting ourselves in and meditating on the Word of God, which is the Bible. It is the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Edification also occurs during fellowship times. We believe that as the body of Christ our responsibility is to build up others within the body. Each person is important, unique, and special and we feel everyone has something to offer in the building up of the kingdom of God. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every with it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph. 4:1-16

Exaltation
This is exemplified through worship. God longs for His name to be exalted above all other names. We were designed and crafted for worshipping our Father. Worship is not restricted to just singing but encompasses our very lives. We want our lives to bring praise to the Lord, glorifying Him for who He is and what He does. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

This is the NEW blog/website (for the time being because it is free and blogging is cool!) for the college ministry at Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, "Paradox".  This blog is designed with an emphasis on college students.  My heart is for this to be where students can get connected, challenged, and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray that this blog can touch lives and bring students closer to their Savior.