Mosaic

Living An Original Life

19 Comments

At Mosaic Inland and the new Berkeley gathering!

WARNING: For those who follow the crowd, for those who maintain the status quo, for those whose highest aspiration is mediocrity.  This message series will be harmful to your lifestyle!  Travel with the Mosaic community as we journey together on a quest toward living an original life.

Small Groups: Discussion Questions

O3: The Graphic Novels

19 Responses to “Living An Original Life”

1. Lisanias Moura
   Oct 1st, 2007 at 2:06 pm

   So challenged!
   If it delivers what it promises, it will be a turn point to my life and of course will affect my congregations. I will remember Erwin in my prayers.
   Lisanias Moura
   Senior Pastor
   Morumbi Baptist Church
   Sao Paulo Brazil South America

2. Elisa Choi
   Oct 4th, 2007 at 6:36 pm

   I truly like the response of living an original life. I think Mosaic is so good because it allows us to connect with others and belong with one another. I really like going to Mosaic and I truly thank you for the opportunity for going.

   Sincerely,
   Elisa Choi

3. sir jorge
   Oct 15th, 2007 at 5:36 am

   The ordinary life.

   That’s what I live, at least I think about it when I sit in my cubicle from 9 to 5. I earned a degree in Interactive Media Design, and now I speak to no one and am locked inside a four wall felt lined prison.

   I learned a trade, and now am married and spend most of my time alone, writing syntax for $13 an hour.

   Is this what I was meant for? I feel inadequate for the service of the Lord since at the moment I’m sitting in silence typing away….that’s my life..in a nutshell.

4. Abigail
   Oct 16th, 2007 at 7:09 am

   It truly is necessary to live a unique life. A life spent loving others and reading the scriptures, praying, and growing in friendship and understanding with the God who created us. Why is it so hard on a day-to-day basis, though? It’s easy to see how important it is, and even to get inspired to do it. Why does our focus shift back to mediocrity so easily? Thank God for God!

5. Mark
   Oct 21st, 2007 at 1:30 pm

   Sir Jorge,

   Even an ordinary life can make an extraordinary difference in the life of others. The best remedy is to do God’s work where you’re at. Look at where you’re at as God’s training ground for where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do for the kingdom.

   Fellow cubicle dweller

6. Sarah
   Oct 23rd, 2007 at 12:42 pm

   Thought the prayers that Erwin prayed at the end of ‘The Lie’ and ‘The Crisis’ were really cool. found myself transcribing them - thought someone stopping by might need to give them a whirl.
   —————————–
   FROM ‘THE CRISIS’:
   Father I thank You for these who have stood in this moment and in the awkwardness of standing up in a crowd and just saying I long for this life.

   And, God I pray for them - not that You would take them from the conflict but that You would throw them into it - and that You would refine them and help them discover in the midst of the crisis that there is more to them than they know. I pray God that You would help them see the metal that they’re made of and that You would strengthen their character. God, give them feet that are rooted and grounded but God give them souls, hearts, minds that God touch the heavens with dreams so big they overwhelm them.

   And I pray God for those that are simply seated right now. And I pray Jesus that for each one of them, that they would find in the midst of the crisis, in the midst of the conflict, as they hear those voices that tell them they are nothing
   and those voices that fear their inadequacy
   and are terrified by greatness
   and God are avoiding failure
   and in the midst of it they are avoiding their original life.

   That tonight God, You would press against their soul and give them the courage to live differently. Give us ALL the courage to walk that path that is uniquely ours.

   I thank you Lord God, I thank you Jesus for calling us out of the box for life and freedom.

   We pray in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.
   —————————
   FROM ‘THE LIE’:
   I just know Lord God there is someone here who is just trapped in a lie. I don’t know if um, you’re there or if you care. I don’t know if anyone loves them or values them. They’re afraid to dream, to believe because they don’t want to be disappointed and hurt again. They don’t think they’re strong enough to take the kind of life You called them to - and I just ask you God right now to speak Your truth into the lie and set them free.

   Jesus, You said that You are the way, the truth, and the life. You said that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free; and, that he whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

   So I ask You Jesus to free us from the lies that hold us captive.
   God free us from the lies that devalue the image of God in us.
   Free us from the lies that demean us and keep us in shame and guilt.
   Free us from the lies that fill us with fear that we cannot become who You tell us we can become - and that we cannot live the life that you’ve put in our hearts to long to live.

   And I thank you Jesus that for everyone who would trust You, that something new begins to happen and the lie no longer has power over them. and they now know what it means to live in the freedom of truth.

   I pray that for each person here; and, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen.

7. Cristina
   Oct 24th, 2007 at 3:38 pm

   The place in my life I’m at feels as if i am under a massive wave emerged in a bottomless, cold ocean, i can see where i ought to be, yet it’s a heart-wrenching struggle to get out, to break free and breathe the sweet air of an original life written for me. I have this picture of me reaching that point where you just screamed your loudest and feel a intense relief of overcoming.
   My breathing at the present seems shorter and shorter as i get closer, i must keep going.

   Not living an original life is as a rose painfully and religiously trying to keep itself from blossoming, holding it in is more painful then living it out and reaching the beautiful fullness.

   Thank you Erwin for this message.

8. Suzanne
   Oct 26th, 2007 at 4:22 am

   Re: The Lie
   Thank you.
   God spoke through you, to me, for my good.

9. Martin Walker
   Oct 27th, 2007 at 7:11 am

   Erwin,

   I enjoyed your message the ‘Lie.’ No, that doesn’t really capture it…

   I’ll keep my rambling short. I lived in C.O for 8 years and recently returned to the U.K. While in the States, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The outcome saw me eventually loose my job, house, education and visa as I couldn’t work. It was ironic, as around the time of my surgery I was really dreaming about a church plant (worked as a church leader). However, I ended up in London on welfare with my wife and two children. Having lived in London for the last four years my dream(s) have slowly been eaten away at by the lies of circumstance (some health stuff too)… ‘I had lost the dream for my life.’ Your message really spoke to my heart…I was stirred by your words, ‘God created me to do something so beautiful that it will take my breath away.’ Better yet, I feel the shout of the dream(s) begin to rise from within once again. This is scary Erwin, as I realize it means reckless abandonment, no control and plenty of what if’s and why’s. Who said trust was easy eh, but its a whole lot better than a lie!

   Thank you for all you do. Be blessed!

10. Carlos Gomez
    Oct 29th, 2007 at 7:36 pm

    Message: Everyone gave
    First message about giving that does not hurt, two approaches I enjoyed: Give, Give!!! not necessarily to us, just give! and produce more so you can give more!!!

    I have shared the mp4 link with a bunch of friends so they can enjoy it, learn through it and start giving also.

    http://mosaic1.edgeboss.net/download/mosaic1/everyone/video/02-everyone-erwin.mp4

    Carlos Gomez
    San José, Costa Rica

11. Shawna Gasca
    Oct 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pm

    I Love Mosaic!! thank you

12. J.W.
    Oct 31st, 2007 at 8:55 am

    Thank you!! This series has been (and is being) a tremendous blessing to me. Erwin’s challenge and encouragement has been great. I’ve heard God once again through this ministry.

13. Joe DesGeorges
    Oct 31st, 2007 at 11:12 am

    Sir Jorge,

    Consider the truth that you are hearing the rally call and are responding to this blog as proof of the stirring in your heart that God is performing. Your time in your job could be the crucible that is preparing you for tomorrow. Keep the faith. God’s mercy is new every morning. He surprises us with his faithfullness if we lift our eyes up take a first … step.

    And Erwin, your “ministry” has resonated in my soul for a couple of years now via your podcast. Thank you so much!!! Be encouraged. I consider myself a podcast mosaic member. (my daughters joke about it). If you’re ever in Boulder CO drop me a note - lots and lots of hot, aromatic, high altitude coffee here.

14. Suzanne
    Oct 31st, 2007 at 7:35 pm

    pulling back instead of going into life full force… that is the ‘glass’ that God will have to detonate.
    The stunt was a great new success for you! :-)

15. Sarah
    Nov 1st, 2007 at 3:29 pm

    Sorry i keep posting the transcribed version of the prayers, but it sinks in better so i have to retype the stuff that catches my ear. Anyway, the closing paragraph is so awesome, and the prayer from “THE CONFLICT” so powerful…what a simple, strong gospel:

    Erwin’s words:
    And I want you to know tonight that no matter what you’ve done,
    no matter where you’ve been,
    no matter how much baggage you’re carrying,
    no matter how much guilt you’ve got,
    no matter how much shame you have,
    no matter how many people do not believe that you can ever be different - not even if you think you can ever be different – you are wrong; they’re wrong. Because if you invited Jesus Christ into your life and the Living God has come to dwell within you -
    You are NOT who you were and you NEED to know WHO YOU ARE because everything you are going to become is already inside of you, in Him.

    Let’s pray together:
    Who are you? Who are you becoming?

    If you’ve asked Jesus Christ to change you, right now I want you to speak into your own soul and say, ‘I’m not who I was. I am who He says I am. I am who God says I am.’

    If you are here tonight and you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ with you life and you are trapped in your own skin. If you don’t like who you are and who you are becoming - then why don’t you become tonight who you were created to be - the person that Jesus can make you to become?

    I thank you Lord God that You didn’t come to reduce the amount of sin in the world. You didn’t come to teach us how to do sin management. You came to change us from the inside out. You tell us if anyone is in Christ, we are a new creation, the old has gone. Behold, all things have become new.

    And tonight we embrace that; we receive that. Even if all the data and all the experience and all the information in our life speaks to the contrary, we, tonight, declare we are not who we were - and all we need to do is become who we already are in You. And so we enter into the conflict even when we are conflicted. And we engage this battle - to allow who You have made us in the deepest part of our being in the inner person, in the inner core - Jesus we will go through the battle of allowing who we are at the center - to come and press against our skin and come out of our glands so that we sweat and weep and breathe this new being, this new self, this new human that we are.

    So may Your spirit bring us to life - that we might live - fully. Help us to know who we are; and be free from who we were. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

16. Matthew
    Nov 11th, 2007 at 7:10 am

    An opportunity for transformation has been revealed through this series, what i once thought couldnt be done is now becomming a far more enlightening/exciting experience than i ever thought possible.

    to Erwin and the crew at Mosaic, thank you for taking the time and effort to supply me with my podcast… it is truly a wonderful gift.
    Again many thanks to all involved.

17. Micaela
    Nov 12th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    Living An Orginal Life
    Thank you for your message and podcasts. I am slowly understanding that GOD cares. But I am slow to grasp his invisable hand. Thank you for your ablity to say “what I need to understand about being a seeker of Christ”. I prayed the prayer to have Jesus Shine in my broken life. Thank you again

18. Geoffrey
    Nov 27th, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    Thanks for the inspiring message telling us to read the Bible more often and to meditate on God’s Word.

    The Bible gives us direction and warnings to guide us in our everyday lives, but we have to read those directions before they can do us any good. In 2 Timothy 3:16–17 we read, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do” (NLT).

    The book God has given to us is more than a step-by-step instruction manual for life. It is also a road map that will lead us to heaven after this short life on earth is over.

19. Divinity Rose
    Dec 12th, 2007 at 7:24 pm

    Why do so many think of how they can serve in the “kingdom’ but fail to see the kingdom all around them? Don’t force yourself to dwell with the mundane, don’t force yourself to “accept that this is what god must want for me” when it makes you feel trapped in a prison.

    what does your heart tell you? what makes you glow inside? What makes you so joyful you can barely go without dancing? THIS THIS is what is wanted. Go and do it.

    the only one who imprisons you is YOU