January 13, 2023
Hello Radiant Community,
Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite is one of the most tragic and funny characters in all of cinematic history.
Poor Uncle Rico is stuck in the past. Living by himself in his old van, he makes videotapes of himself throwing footballs, dreaming about what could have been.
In one scene, Rico is sitting with his cousin Kip on a porch eating and throwing steaks at passersby’s. At one point, he looks off into the mountains and whispers wistfully:
“Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would’ve been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind. Back in ’82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile.”
Uncle Rico is gripped by a story. His is a story of loss — of what could have been. He imprisoned in that story. He dresses like it’s 1982, he has never moved beyond 1982. He even asks Kip about finding a time machine to get back there.
We may not be stuck in 1982, or in the past at all, but as certainly as we are human, we are living inside a story.
So the question is not whether you are living in a story, but what story are you living in? What is the story you tell yourself about yourself? About God? About your future? About your past?
The Bible challenges all our stories and tells a different one. The word of God breaks in upon our little narratives and offers a grand and beautiful one. In this alternate story, we are invited to participate and find life — wider and wilder than we previously imagined.
But how do we practically “enter” this story? The Bible is a complicated and ancient collection of books — how does it tell a unified story relevant to my life?
How does it offer a deeper hope than my preferred narratives? What about disappointment in my story? What about hope? How do I read it well?
Come hang out and worship with us this Sunday at 5pm! We’ll ponder these questions and more as we continue our teaching series on the Bible.
CALENDAR (see below for details)
1/15 – Home Church Communities restart
1/19 – Radiant Middle School gathering 7-8:30PM at ELC
2/12 – Pre-game Worship Gathering – 1PM
4/21-23 – Men’s Weekend at Mission Springs (Registration now open)
HOME CHURCHES WILL BE STARTING WEEK OF JANUARY 15th
Our Home Church groups are smaller communities that meet during the week where we learn to practice the simple way of Jesus. No experience required, all are welcome. We usually share a meal, read scripture, and consider what God is up to in and through our lives.
This is a great time to consider plugging into a home as we will restart groups in mid-January. If you are interested in learning about available groups and what group might be a good fit for you contact Zach at zach@radcov.org
RADIANT MIDDLE SCHOOL GROUP
Mark your calendars and invite some friends! The Radiant Middle School group (6th-8th grade) will be meeting on January 19th from 7-8:30PM at ELC. Questions? Contact our youth director, Ulisses Vasquez – ulissesv@outlook.com
PRE-GAME WORSHIP on 2/12
We are going to move our worship service on Super Bowl Sunday from 5pm to 1pm. This will be a one-off time change. Why do this? Well, we want people, disciples of Jesus, to be hanging out with friends and family during a ridiculously culturally significant event — which happens to start at 3:30pm. Our thought is this: instead of competing with the game, why don’t we use the day to have a special pre-game worship gathering where we consider the spirituality of sports in our culture? Or to consider how do we party with others like Jesus partied? So we are going to make this day fun — we’ll move worship into the fellowship hall and do a Nacho bar. More details to follow. By the way, just so you know, it will be the 49ers in the big game!
YOU’RE INVITED TO PRAY
Every Sunday a group of folks pray for the Radiant community from 4-4:30 in the ELC office. You’re invited to join. It is always a good time seeking the face and voice of God together. No need special skills or experience required. Just show up.
MEN’S WEEKEND (4/21-4/23) REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
The Men’s Weekend at Mission Springs will soon be here, April 21st-23rd, 2023. Early Bird Discount of $25 – register before February 15th!!!
We look forward to your joining us for a time of worship, fellowship and growing in your faith journey as we go ‘Back to Basics’. This is an event put on by our regional denominational conference. More information and registration can be found here.
Also — John Fowler has four spots at his private cabin in Mission Springs for those interested in going. This will reduce your registration costs. Contact John at 209.345.5854
BAND APP
One way to connect at Radiant is to join our BAND APP group. Think of this as a sort of Radiant message board — our own little social media space. People can extend invites, share about needs and resources. Please join us! https://band.us/n/adaa739aX4Rca
Grace and peace!
Zach
