Stephen Strange's Weekly Sermon Blog

God is Watching Us From a Distance?

2011-12-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

You know the other day I heard a song by Bette Midler entitled, “From a Distance”. In the song it says, "God is watching us, God is watching us, God is watching us from a distance”. You know this may be how we feel but on Christmas Eve we are reminded that tomorrow all of that will change. Christmas Day Jesus came so that God would be right in the middle of things. God became the incarnate. He came to dwell among us. He came to be Immanuel, "God is with us". He does not watch from a distance, he reduced himself to become human so that he could dwell among us and save the world. God is right here in our midst, he showed up at just the right time. So this Christmas morning as you watch the morning unfold and unwrap presents remember that God is not at a distance but that he is right there in your presence and your midst. God is watching us, God is holding us, God is right here in our presence.” Maybe that is how the song should be rewritten.

Questions:

Do you feel that God is with you or that he watches you from a Distance?

Why do you think it is important that God did not stay in heaven but came here to be one of us?

Prayer
God thank you for stepping out of heaven and stepping into our world. Thank you for loving us and being right in the middle of our lives. Jesus thank you for coming into the world and changing my life. Merry Christmas to you.

Being A Christmas Child

2011-12-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

"There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
- Erma Bombeck

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 18:2-4

Do you remember how excited you used to get on Christmas Eve when you were a child? You could barley sleep in anticipation of what Christmas would soon bring. There is no better time to be a child than during the Christmas season. You get to visit with Santa, attend parties, and finally wake up on Christmas morning to receive the gifts that have been left. You know this may be the very reason that Jesus calls us to become Children. You see when we become like Children we are able to have a simplified faith that accepts what comes our way. We are also able to receive the gifts that God has intended for us to have. You know maybe we all ought to become Children in order to truly celebrate Christmas.

Do you remember how excited you got when you were a Child?

What does it mean to have Child like faith?

God,

Please help me to have the faith of a child? God give me the gifts that you have for me and let me receive them. God thank you for the gift of Jesus and the gifts that believing in him bring.

The Watering Trough

2011-12-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Luke 2:7
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Away in the manger no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head

You know when we think of a manger we think of a hay feeding trough. But this trough may have also been used to water the animals. Have you ever thought about the very place that the Savior laid his head was also a place that contained water? This is one way of looking at a rational for infant baptism. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to Baptize my son of Christmas Eve. You know I thought about how Jesus was brought into a place that contained water and I thought you know this baptism is because God loved us so much that he sent his son to lie in a manger. You know that manger was to emphasize that Jesus came for all and that every time we witness a baptism we can remember the way that Jesus snuck into the world. This Christmas remember your baptism and think about the manger. Have a Mary CHristmas!

Questions:
Have you ever thought about the manger?

Do you remember your Baptism? WHat did it mean to you?

Prayer:
God, thank you for my Baptism and thank you for the manger. Thank you for the simplicity and yet the significance of Jesus' birth.

A Strange Way to Save the World

2011-12-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Luke 1:30-33
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

What do you think the angel Gabriel thought when God gave him the task of telling Mary that she was going to give birth to a Savior. I wonder if Gabriel got together with his buddies and told them how strange this was going to be? You know a few years ago, I did an Advent Sermon Series entitled, "What a strange way to save the world”. You know the truth is that this was truly a strange way to save the world. You know this the way God operates. I am so glad that God chose a strange way to save a Strange person.

Questions:

Do you think that the way God saved the world was strange?

What would you have done differently if you had to save the world?

Have you accepted God’s strange way that he saved the world?

Prayer:

God
Thank you for saving the world in a strange way. Thank you for saving me from the strange world done here.

Disturbing the Peace with the Peace

2011-12-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Luke 2:8

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christa the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This week we got the opportunity to see the kids do a children’s program entitled, “not-so-silent-night”. The play has the shepherds that visited the Baby Jesus on trial for lying and disturbing the peace. The play was funny but it really made me think about how our faith is put on trial all the time. You know the shepherds were never the same after they ran into the Christ child. They could not contain what they had seen. Can you imagine a baby making such a lasting impression on these full grown men? This is the effect that Jesus has on someone when they run into him. You know when you are changed the way the shepherds were changed you cannot help but to tell people about the Savior and disturb the peace. Hey this Christmas disturb the peace by telling everyone about the peace. "Mary Christmas".

Question
Have you told anyone lately about Jesus?

Why did seeing the baby Jesus change the Shepherds?

How can you disturb the peace by sharing the peace?

Prayer,

God thank you disturbing the peace by sending your son to bring peace. God let me be like the shepherds and spread your word throughout world. God thank you for sharing the birth of a king with the common shepherds.

Have you Played Your Best for Him?

2011-12-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Psalms 98:4

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

You know this week I got a great gift from my daughter Lily. She is our musically inclined; artisy child and she loves it. This week she had her Piano Recital and she played my favorite Christmas Carol,"The Little Drummer Boy". She not only played it but she memorized it as her gift to us. What a great gift she gave us as well as all of those who were in attendance. You know when I think about the Little Drummer boy I realize that there was no actual drummer boy or scripture to back it up. But this made up story has great significnace for us and our realtionship with Christ. It is about giving God the one gift we can give back to him and that is the gift of using our gifts and talents so that we can serve him. You know when we give our talents back to the Lord, we are not only giving him a gift but we are giving a gift to all of those who surround us. What will you give to the King? Will you play for him?

Just like the little drummer boy Lily played her best for us and for God. Have you played your best for him. pa rum pum pum pum?

Questions:

What gifts could you use to give back to God? Are you using them?

Have you played your best for him?

Prayer:God let me find my best and play it for you. For it is the gift that I can give back that not only blesses you but others.
Amen.

FIlling the manger mean filling out lives.

2011-12-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Scripture:
Psalm 66:12 "We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place with good things"

While putting up Christmas decorations I discovered that the manger and the nativity people that go in it must have been packed in separate boxes. I put the manger on the mantel as I searched for the rest of the nativity. That empty manger seemed to draw my attention every time I passed it. As I looked at the empty manger I was thinking how empty our lives would be if Jesus had never been born in a manger. It would be the same hopeless existence day after day. FInally at the end of life what reward would we have? Thank you God that you filled that manger with eternal love and hope through Jesus. Put Jesus in your manger.

Submitted by LeAnn Moles.

Ransomed

2011-12-17T06:27:00.001-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 1:22-23

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

This week I have been listening to the David Crowder Christmas Cd. I must tell you this might be the best Christmas CD I have ever heard. The one song that I keep playing is the song, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". You know at the end Crowder keeps saying, "he is coming". Here is the question are you ready? You know every year whether you are ready or not he is coming. He is coming to ransom us from captivity. Is that not the weirdest statement, what is it that we need to be ransomed from? I mean when we think of ransom we think of being kidnapped and held against our will. You know the same could be said of us thought in our everyday life. We have been kidnapped by our self centeredness and sin. Jesus came to pay a ransom for the sins and to save us from ourselves. You know whether we accept that he is coming or not he is. The other thing is that whether we accept it or not Jesus has paid our ransom. You know “Emmanuel" means God is with us. Not matter whether you are ready are not he is coming but the truth is that he is already with us.

Questions

When do you feel God’s presence the strongest?

What comes to mind when you hear the word Emmanuel?

Prayer:

God thank you for providing a ransom even before I knew I had been kidnapped. God your ransom has freed me from my captor.

While you were Sleeping

2011-12-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Scripture: I Corinthians 15:6
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.

If you were in Bethlehem the night of the Messiah’s birth would you have missed it? I few years ago, Casting Crowns came out with a song entitled; “While You Were Sleeping". The song is about missing the birth and other things because you were asleep. I mean we assume that most people were sleeping or they were just so busy in Bethlehem that they missed the birth of a king. But you know we miss births all the time, right now while you reading this 3 babies have been born. You know I think that I would have missed the birth or at least not paid attention to it. But the fortunate thing for us is that we have a second chance. I mean we get to show up for this Birth every year. We get to play what ever role we want to play. We get to find ourselves in the story. You know that is what Advent is all about. It is about preparing us to stay awake and to celebrate the birth of a king. You know, I think that this really puts into perspective what it means to be re-born and to not miss what the Messiah’s birth meant.

Questions
Do you ever forget things that are important? Name a specific event that you missed?

Have you ever fallen asleep and missed something?

What role do you want to be in the Christmas story this year? Why?

Prayer
God help me to stay awake and to not miss the brith of Jesus. there have been some years where I have fallen apart and missed the birth of Jesus. God help those around me that have fallen asleep to realize that they can be reborn in Christ. Amen.

A Used Crib

2011-12-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

Scripture:
Luke 2:7
The scripture says that Mary "brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger..."(KJV)

A few years ago when we were on a mission trip to Jamaica there was a young man that we were working with that was expecting his first baby any day. One day while we were out working he expressed that he was worried about where he was going to put the baby at night because they had no crib to put the baby in. They expressed that they were just going to put the baby in the bed with them but that he worried that he may roll over on the baby in the night. (you know how first time parents think) So, I decided that they needed a crib and we went on a mission to find a crib. Now in America you just go down to the local Wal-Mart and purchase a Crib but in Jamaica it does not work that way. He looked high in low and finally found one used crib at the local market. We purchased that crib and you would have thought that we had given this family a million dollars. I wonder what Mary thought as she lay Jesus in the manger. I think sometimes we think that it would have been a bad thing to lay the savior where animals ate but the truth is that God provided a crib for the savior. Just like we were able to provide a crib in Jamaica, God made provisions before Mary even got there. You know God always provides, he may not provide the way that we want or give us specifically what we ask for but he provides. He provided a used crib in Jamaica and a feeding trough in Bethlehem. You know the truth is that Mary and Mark were just glad that God provided a crib to lay the baby’s head in.

Questions
Have you ever asked God to provide something and he did but it was not exactly what you ask for? explain?

Do you think that Mary was just thankful to have a place to lay baby Jesus or do you think she complained?

What are you thankful that God has provided this Advent season?

Prayer:
God may we count our blessings. We are so thankful that you have provided. God you always know what we need and thank you for your provisions. Thank you that you chose to lay Jesus in a manger it makes the story that more special.

That Monster of an “Innkeeper"

2011-12-14T05:07:00.001-08:00

Scripture: Isaiah 53:3

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

You know forever the monster of the Nativity story is the Innkeeper. I mean lets face it, we think of the Innkeeper in comparison to a Bin Laden, or Lee Harvey Oswald. We all contemplate what monster does not let a pregnant lady in off the street, to give birth to Jesus. I mean lets face it, we all would even give up our own room to accommodate someone who was in labor, wouldn’t we? You know I think maybe we are quick to point the finger but the truth is that we walk by people in need all the time. I heard on the news yesterday that Birmingham ranks as one of highest for children that are homeless. So maybe we are not much different from the Innkeeper. You know maybe the Innkeeper already had other handicap clients or child bearing women inside. Maybe he had already made accommodations for some that were left out in the cold. The truth is that we will never know what his situation was. The other fact is that he had no way of knowing that this was the Messiah. But putting all that aside he did find them a place. It was not the choice place but it was the place that God had ordained for the Savior to be born. It was God’s way of showing us once again that he does not do things the way that we would do them. You see by God doing these things he proves to us that nothing is impossible with him. You know maybe the Innkeeper was not a bad guy maybe he was just like you and me.

Questions:

Do you ever sacrifice for other people? How?

What has always been your attitude toward the Innkeeper?

What other things has God done that you would have not done that way?

Prayer,

God forgive me for being mad at the Innkeeper because most of the time I am the same way. I do not want things to inconvenience me. God forgive me for walking by the least the last and those that are lost. God thank you for not doing things the way that i would do them.

What are they here for?

2011-12-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Luke 2:8-12

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

One of the most significant things that God did during Jesus' birth was that he led the most common folks around to be the first visitors to see the Messiah. Have you ever wondered what Mary must have thought as the shepherds appeared at the stable entrance? The first thing is that shepherds were not usually the first visitors on the scene when a baby is born. To be quite honest shepherds never left their flock because it could mean their job. The second thing Mary must have wondered is why the shepherds? I mean could you not have sent me a midwife or nursing specialist. Instead, she got these smelly, unshaven, big burly men. She must have also thought what could these men possible be bringing me or the baby? But it did not take her long to realize that they were not there to give a gift but to receive a gift. So often the reason we get excited about Christmas is because we get to go shopping for the perfect gift for that special person. But you know maybe we ought to approach Christmas the same way that the shepherds approached the Christ child. We need to come with the anticipation that we are going to receive a gift. You know it just seems strange that these men would leave that stable completely different than when they arrived. But that is what Christ does when we truly find him, he gives us the gift of a new life. When we reach the manger we are totally changed because we have encountered the Christ Child.

Questions:
Why do you think that God sent the Shepherds first?

Do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts? Why?

Have you been changed from meeting the Messiah? How?

Prayer:
God, thank you for coming not only for the distinguished and popular, but thank you for coming for the common folks. Most of us are just common. The reason you came to the shepherds was because you came to save the lest of these. God, I want to receive the gift that you have for me and I want to be changed.

GPS:Glorious Positioned Star

2011-12-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 2:1

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

I few years ago Laura bought me a GPS for Christmas. She figured that I needed directions to where I was going because I would never stop and ask for directions even when I was lost. You know sometimes I get so mad at my GPS because it tells me to go one way when I know there is a different or shorter way. You know sometimes I even find myself arguing with the GPS, like it can argue back. You know the GPS can also be very useful in helping me find my way when I am in unfamiliar territory. You know the Christmas story also included a GPS. It was a "Glorious Positioned Star". You see God wanted to direct the shepherds and the wise men to the Christ child so they could find the Savior. You know the tree that we have in the basement has a star on top of it. It is a real fancy glittery star that plugs in and is illuminate. When I think about it maybe we put the star on the tree to help direct us to the present under the tree. You know what the shepherds and magi would also find a gift under the star. It would be the world’s gift from God in order to save them. God put a GPS above the birth place so we could find a gift. The most important gift that we could ever open our hearts and receive.

Questions
Have you ever argued with your GPS?

Why do you think the shepherds and the wise-men followed the star?

Are you following the star in order to find the gift?

Prayer:
God thank you for sending the first GPS so we could find our way. It was then the gift that we found under the GPS that truly helped us to find our way. God when I get of course help me to get back on track.

The Unexpected Delivery

2011-12-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 1:19-20
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Can you imagine how Joseph felt when it was time for the baby to be born? I mean he had never really even gotten to know Mary. (at least in a intimate way) Because of the pregnancy, he had secretly thought about divorcing her but decided to stick by her after being assured by an angel. But there were going to be some issues to work through. He was going to have to accept a child that was not his. He was going to have make many concessions for this untimely pregnancy. I often wonder what the conversation was like on the way to Bethlehem. I mean did they discuss the angels that had visited them or the significance of the child to be born? You know I think the most awkward position was not finding any room in the inn. Not because Joseph was not used to being outside but because of the baby’s delivery. I mean can you imagine being an unqualified male and having to deliver a baby? I mean there was no mid-wife to be found so it would be his responsibility to make sure that everything went smooth with the delivery. I can hear him saying, “God I agreed to help but could you not have least gave me a clean room and a mid-wife to help". But Joseph did not waver he remained obedient and faithful to his role in bringing Jesus into the world. You know I am glad that Joe stayed faithful!

Questions

Has God ever called you to do something that seemed absurd?

Why do you think that God choose Joseph?

Would you be able to carry out the task that Joseph was called to carry out?

Prayer:

God,

Thank you for including Joseph in the birth of your son. He offers us a lot to learn about what it means to be faithful and obedient. God help me to find you even in the absurd.

Journey to (Rosebud) Bethlehem

2011-12-10T06:18:00.001-08:00

Scripture:
Luke 2
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

Many years ago now, back when I was in youth ministry I need a female chaperon to go on a mission trip. I had searched high and low for a female leader and driver but things kept falling apart. My wife came to me and told me that she had prayed about it and that God was leading her to go. There was just one problem with that and that was that she was really pregnant. ( and I mean really pregnant) She was also far enough along that they were limiting her travel in case Savannah decided to come a little early. There was also a third problem the place that we were traveling was to Rosebud, South Dakota. It was going to be a two day 12 hours in the car journey. The other problem was that where we were staying had a little medical clinic but the nearest hospital was over an hour away. But Laura said, “that when the Lord tells you to go, you go”.
You know Mary had to travel and she was really pregnant. But you know when God calls you to do something, you do it. I wonder what the conversation was like on this journey. I often forget that the journey was not done in a car but it was done on foot. You know the journey had to be tough but often what God calls us to do is tough. I am sure there was some complaining and some tears but they had been called to a task.
You know we are also on our way to Bethlehem. There is lots of preparation that needs to take place in order for us to get there. There are presents to be bought, cookies to be baked, and parties to be attended, yes we are on a journey. Sometimes we rush right to Bethlehem and we miss what God is doing through journey. You know that trip to Rosebud really showed me what obedience to God looked like. The trip was not easy but it was rewarding Let’s travel to (Rosebud) Bethlehem.

Questions
Have you ever been called to do something that was going to be difficult? what was it and how did you handle it?

What do you think Mary and Joseph talked about on the journey?

Has your road to Bethlehem ever been a struggle? If so, how?

Prayer,

God I am on the road to Bethlehem. Sometimes this journey is tough but I know that you are traveling with me. God sometimes you call me to do things that seem impossible but I must remember that you are traveling with me. God sometimes I am in doubt and it is here that I need to remember that you are traveling with me. Amen

Promises; Promises

2011-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Scripture:
Romans 5:7-11
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

I asked Jesus how much He loved me
He answered "this much"
Then He stretched out His arms and died for me.

Do you remember when you were a kid and you would say, "I promise?" I promise to be good, I promise not to do that again, I promise I will be there. Promise, Promise, Promise. Now sometimes you made good on that promise and sometimes you broke that promise. You know Christmas is a time to realize the promise that God made with us. You see God promised to send us a gift that would save us from our sin. You know I wonder if Mary and Joseph talked about the fulfillment of the promises as they looked upon the baby Jesus. You know Mary and Joseph had risk everything in order to bring this child into the world. But they must have also thought that God was risking everything by bringing his son into the world. This son would one day reach his hands out on the cross and in doing so would stretch one arm toward God and one arm toward us and he would connect us with the holy of holies. This Christmas make a promise that you will accept Jesus into your heart. Accept the Gift that God not only promises but also delivered on. Have a Mary Christmas.

Questions:
Have you ever made a promise? what was it? did you keep it?

Has anyone ever broken a promise to you? How did that make you feel?

When and how have you accepted the promise that God made to you?

Prayer
God because you made a promise; I will also make a promise; I promise to accept the gift that you provided at Christmas. The gift that loved me so much that he stretched out his arms and died for me. I ask him into my heart today and I thank him for connecting me to God with his outstretched arms.

Putting Pride Aside

2011-12-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 1:20-21

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”

You know one of the greatest faults of men is that they are prideful. I mean the reason men have such a hard time admitting that they have done something wrong is because they are full of pride. Afterall, it was pride that was the true fall of mankind. I think that is what is so amazing about Joseph in the Christmas story. He swallows his pride in order that he can follow out the will of God. You know Joe knew that people would talk behind his back. He knew that his parents would question his decision to carry out the marriage to Mary. But more than that Joseph knew that he would be the adopted parent and not the actual father of Christ. You know what Joe was really doing was paving the way for many surrogate and adopted fathers in today’s society. There are many kids that have been put aside or abandoned by their fathers. This is where others have stepped in, put their pride aside and have helped raise children that were not necessarily their own. Thank you Joseph for paving the way.

Questions:

Did you grow up with a surrogate/step/adpoted parent or someone that filled in the gaps?

Why do you think that Joseph decided to follow through with his plans?

Do you have a hard time putting aside yoiur pride and admitting that you may be wrong?

Prayer

Dear God,

Help me to put my pride aside. It is my pride that keeps me from being the person you have called to me to be. thank you for those step fathers, coaches, teachers, and others that have stepped in to be a father figure in abandoned children's lives. God thank you for being a father to the fatherless. Amen.

Praying for a Stranger

2011-12-07T04:57:00.000-08:00

Scripture:

Luke 2:14-18
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

A few years ago I went to the hospital to see a new baby boy that had been born to a family in the church that I was not familiar with. I went to the receptionist and ask for a room number and she gladly obliged. I then went to the birthing room suite and began visiting with the proud new parents. They looked very astonished that someone from our church was there to visit them. We began the small talk that you do to find about someone when you are not really familiar with them. It was during that small talk that I found out that I was in the wrong room. I had not looked at the right number on the room and had entered into a total strangers room. I began to apologize when the mother asked if I would pray over the baby anyway. A complete stranger praying over the baby, really? I was honored to pray for this precious new gift. I wonder if that is how Mary felt as the shepherds came to pay her a visit on that starry night? I wonder if she felt awkward or if she was honored to have someone visit the Messiah. You know I bet that one of those shepherd knelt down beside that baby and prayed. A complete stranger praying for a baby now that is odd. But you know that baby would not remain a strange and the truth is that now all people pray to that baby. Let me ask you when you kneel at the altar are you praying to a complete strange or are you praying to someone that you know?

Questions:
Have you ever been talking to someone like you know them only to find out that they were a complete stranger?

What would have been your prayer as you knelt at the manger?

Is Jesus a stranger to you or is he a friend?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for being my friend. I am sorry that I sometimes treat you like a stranger. You came into the world in a strange way but you did so that all could come to see you at the manger. God thank you for including the shepherds and thank you for including me.

Packing for a Journey

2011-12-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Luke 2:4-6
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

One of the things that takes lots of preparation is getting ready for a trip. Every summer when we travel to Michigan or Kentucky we pack the car to the tilt. We sometimes forget that the kids need a place to ride. I used to always joke that when we traveled we need to just rent a moving truck. But it is not only packing the car that needs preparation but also planning the gas stops, restroom breaks and times to stop and eat. When traveling there is always lots of talk and chatter in the car. There is also the old added question, “are we there yet”. I wonder how prepared Mary and Joseph were as they prepared their journey to Bethlehem? They had to go there so that they could register in the census but they also traveled that road because that is what was prophesied. Can you imagine what they talked about as they traveled the road? I wonder if like my family they started the trip off with a prayer? I wonder if they prayed for God to make the paths straight and the way easy. I wonder if they prayed that they would find a place to stay? You know when we ask God to go before us; he will. He will prepare the place that we are going before we ever get there. Now some may say but what if they did pray for a place to stay? I mean was there not any room in the Inn? No, but God still prepared a place for them to stay. And it is because of that place that they stayed that for years we have had kids act out the nativity scene. If there had been a room available then can you Imagine how boring our Christmas pageants would be? God knows what he is doing.

Questions:

Have you ever had to pack for a trip? How well do you have to prepare? How well do you pack?

Do you pray before you leave on a journey?

Has God ever changed your plans and now you have a better story to tell? What is it?

Prayer:

God,

Prepare me for the journey of life. God go before me each and every day. God as I prepare let me be flexible enough to adhere to your agenda. Many times it is your agenda that creates the best memories. Amen

Silent Preparation

2011-12-05T06:09:00.001-08:00

Scripture: Luke 1:76
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

This week we are focusing on the word “preparation". Have you ever thought about how important preparation is to every thing that you do? If you are in school you have to prepare by studying. If you are on a sports team you have to prepare by practicing for an upcoming game. Advent also forces us to prepare to many things. Last week, we had just finished thanksgiving and that next Sunday we were having an advent event at our home and so we had to quickly prepare the house for the event. You see many times being under the gun or within a timeframe causes us to get busy with our preparation. So now that we realize that we have to prepare for Advent the question is how do we prepare spiritually for the coming Jesus? Mary needed a time of preparation so she went away to be with her cousin who was also with child. Mary knew that this time would give her a time for the adjustment that was going to take place in her life. She knew that this would allow her to get still and to be with God. You see to prepare the soul for the coming Christ it is not a busy preparation we need but one that includes solitude and getting alone with God. This advent season make sure that you do not just stay busy with preparation but that you also take some time just to be with Jesus.

What do you spend the most time preparing for?

How do you prepare for the Advent season?

What are you doing to prepare you heart for the coming Christ?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Help me to prepare for the coming Christ. God I know how hard it is for me to get still and to get quiet but I realize how important for me to spend time with you. God preparing for things in my life are important but preparing the spirit is also very important. God thank you for preparing the way to salvation before I was ever born.

Breaking the Bad News

2011-12-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Have you ever had to break bad news to someone? Mary had to break the news to Joseph that she was pregnant. Can you imagine how tough that was going to be? There is no doubt that she played out every scenario that she could imagine over and over in her head as she prepared to break the news. How would he take the news? Would he desert me? Would he ruin my reputation by talking behind my back? You know there were a lot of unknown variables to breaking such shocking news to someone. But you know God gave her the courage and the comfort to take the news to Joseph. You know the truth is that when we need to face the unknown God prepares us but God also prepares the place before we get there. You see Mary had comfort because she had turned over her fears and anxieties. When she said, “yes" to God she not only said yes but she said, "that she would do it God’s way". The bottom line is this what ever you are facing, God will be there for you.

Question:

Have you ever had to break devastating news to someone? What were your feelings? What was the outcome?

Do you pray before you have to face the unknown?

Have you felt God’s presence going before you when you faced crisis or situation?

Prayer:
Dear God,

Thank you for going before me in situations I must face. God I know that you are always with me because you promised to never leave of forsake me. God I know that you are instrumental in working through all the situations of my life.

On or Under the tree?

2011-12-03T17:04:00.001-08:00

Scripture: Galtians 3:13
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

I happened to be traveling around town today and I noticed that a lot of people had purchased their Christmas trees. I saw many that had been slung on top of people’s cars and then tied down. I also read on Facebook that lots of people had put up their trees and decorated them today. You know everyone decorates their trees differently. Some chose home made ornaments vs. store bought ornaments, some chose tinsel and others garland, some chose colored lights and some select the clear lights. Some chose to put an angel on the top and others put a star on top. Many would argue that it does not matter what the tree looks like, it just matters what goes under the tree. You know one of my most treasured memory as a child was waking up early to discover the presents that had been left under the tree.

You know as I was preparing my sermon this week, I realized that the greatest gift I had ever received did not appear under the tree. I realized that the greatest gift I had ever received came upon a tree. Mary stands at the foot of the cross and it is there she sees her son hanging upon the tree. She realizes that this is the prophecy that had been promised and that it was now being fulfilled. She wondered would people receive this gift that had been placed upon the tree?

Questions

What is the greatest gift you ever received under the tree?

Have you ever thought about Jesus being the gift that came on a tree? WHat does that mean?

Prayer:
Dear God,

Thank you for all the gifts that I have been given. Thank you for al the gifts I have given away. Thank you for the symbols of Christmas that remind us of your love for us. Thank you for your special gift of your son that gave his life on a tree. Amen

What is this Gift for?

2011-12-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 2:11

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Have you ever received a strange gift for Christmas? I am not talking about the hideous Christmas sweater or the argyle socks. I am talking about something that you had no idea what the people were thinking when the purchased this gift. (assuming they did not make it) One person tells of getting an ash tray shaped like a coiled rattlesnake and she did not even smoke. Another tells of a ten pound can of black olives she received and she hated olives. Then we all remember in "The Christmas Story" when the lamp shaped like a leg is unveiled. You know Mary also got some strange gifts at Christmas. She received from the Magi, the gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Now the gold represented a precious gift and was the sign of royalty. The frankincense was used as a burning incense that was supposed to help carry prayers to God. But the Myrrh, why the Myrrh, it was use for embalmment of a body. You see Mary would not understand what that gift represented till the day that she stood at the foot of the cross looking at her mangled, beaten, broken son. It was there that one of the soldiers offered Jesus a sponge filled with vinegar and myrrh. This concoction has to help alleviate some of the excruciating pain that he was feeling as he hung there for the sins of the world. Mary thought back to this strange gift that was brought by the magi and she realized that it was for this moment that this gift was given. What was a strange gift at the time now made all the sense in the world. Mary realized that her son must die so that we could have eternal life. What a strange gift, and what a strange way to save the world.

Questions:
What is the strangest gift yo have ever received? given?

Think about the gifts that the magi brought and what each represented to the life of Jesus?

Talk about how sometimes thing must die before they can be reborn.

Prayer
Dear God,

Thank you for strange gifts and the strange way that you chose to save us. You sent the Magi as a sign of what was to come. Now as we look back we can see how your plan unfolded and how you had us in mind the whole time. I am sorry when I do not accept the strange gifts that you present. Help me to receive the greatest gift of all the gift of your sonn who died just for me.

After the News

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

You know when you are first given news there is the initial response and then there is how you handle the news that you have been given. I sometimes wonder how Mary handled the news that she was pregnant. I mean after the initial shock wore off what went through her mind? I suppose the first thoughts surrounded what a huge responsibility that this was going to be. I guess then she worried what people would think. She envisioned people talking behind her back or shunning her in public. She imagined that Joseph would probably desert her and that her parents would be hard pressed to understand. But she still said yes. You know when we stand up for our faith we are many times made fun of or ridiculed. Recently, there has been a lot of buzz in the news about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebo. You see Tim not only believes in faith but he lives it out. Some people even say that he flaunts his faith. There are some who say he should tone it down a bit and others that even say that the football field is not a place for religion. But he does not hide it, he continues to praise God in the midst of opposition. You know Mary did the same. There was no hiding this from the world. In a few months, she would begin to show. People would know she was not married and people would talk and yet she still kept the faith. This Advent season stand up and stand out for Jesus. Let your light shine for the world to see. Hey why not flaunt your faith?

Questions

Have you ever been ridiculed for your faith?

Have you ever been ashamed to share your faith? when and why?

How will you let your let light shine this Christmas?

Prayer

God do not let me hide my faith. let my light shine into the dark places of this world. God when people make fun of me or ridicule me for my faith, let me understand that you are with me. God in the midst of persecution bless me and help me to remian steadfast in my devotion to you. God thank that Mary said yes and now help me to say yes.

No Room in the INN (Heart)

2011-11-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

No Room in the INN Heart

Scripture: Luke 4:2-7

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

This past week I heard a pastor read the Christmas story and express that there was one thing that bothered him about the Christmas story and that is the point that when they get to there destination, there is no room for Mary and Joseph at the Inn. You know many times we approach the Advent season the same way. A few years ago while serving one of the larger churches, I looked at my December calendar and realized that every day of Advent but two were filled up with a party or appointment dealing with the holiday season. I looked at Laura half way through the advent season and said, “ I can not wait till Christmas is over”. You see the truth was that I had made no room in my Inn. I had filled my schedule and over booked but made no time to invite Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus into my heart. There was not room at the Inn. How often do we do the same thing? We check our schedule to see if we can get in one more party or parade. We shop hard and frantically for the right gift for the right person. We run as hard as we can trying to get as much as we can out of the festive season. Then we get to the end of the season and we realize that we did not make room in the Inn for what was important. This Christmas when Mary and Joseph knock on your door tell them to come on in that you have plenty of room for them in the Inn.

Question:

Do you need to take somethings off of your busy schedule?

Have you ever got to the end of the Christmas season and felt empty?

Will you invite Jesus into your heart again today?

Prayer:

Dear God,
Help me to clear my busy schedule so that I can experience the true gifts of Christmas. Help me to always make room for your son because he is the greatest gift I have ever been given.. The world tries to set my priorities but God I want you to help me set my priorities. Let me make room at the Inn.

Fear Not?

2011-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Fear Not

Scripture: Luke 1:30

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Can you imagine an Angel coming to you with the news that you have found favor with him and you are going to carry his son? What kind of emotions would this drum up? You know when we think of Angles we tend to think of them in terms of bearers of bad news. In fact, to see an angel invokes fear and not comfort for most people. When Gabriel approached Mary he said to her,”
fear not”. Now I presume that we have all seen the movie Scrooge and have seen the depiction of what the ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future looked like. This entire cast of ghost where pretty scary looking creatures. But when Gabrielstood in front of Mary he must have had such radiance around him that it gave her a sense of peace. In the scrooge movie every time a Ghost would appear it brought fear and trepidation but Gabriel brought ‘shalom”. You know it is that same calming spirit that we need to become aware of during this Advent season. You know the holidays can be trying and troubling for many people because of past traumatic events. But we need to realize the radiance of God that surrounds us. We need to say the words, “fear not”, for it was good news that the angel brought to Mary and it is good news that God continues to bring to us today.

Questions:

Are you experiencing peace in your life right now?
What is it that you fear most during this Advent season?
Will you give your concerns to God right now and “fear not”?

Prayer,

God your radiance was such that Moses could not even look it
your presence. Your radiance was such that when Jesus and the disciples came off the mountain their clothing glowed. God it was your radiance that enveloped over the portable tabernacle in the wilderness. God may that same radiance surround me and my family during this advent
season.

Is This My Son?

2011-11-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

Date: November 28, 2011

Scripture: John 19:25-27

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to his mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt as she watched how they treated her son? What had hedone? Her mind flashed back to the day when she would hold her son in her arms and sing him to sleep. She thought back to the day when he took his first steps or when he learned to read and write. What had he done? Is that really my son? She then thought did he not heal the blind, the lame, the sick and the demon possessed? Had he not brought peace to a chaotic world? Mary stood at the foot of the cross and looked upon a broken body and Jesus looked down and said, “John behold your mother”. You see even in the midst of his pain and suffering Jesus loved others. You see in order to see the significance of Christmas we must start at the end. You see the birth is really all about the death. Mary knew this was a sacrifice but it did not make it any easier. But she knew that it was the only way. He was the sacrifice that would atone not only her sin but the sin of the world. Another promise that she held onto was that she would see him again. But in the mean time John would take care of her.

Questions:

Has anyone close to you ever been taken away through death?
Who is it that you cannot wait to see when you get to heaven?
Have you thought about the Hope of the Resurrection?

Prayer:

God as I stand at the foot of the cross I see that Christmas and Easter are a package
deal. I see that because of the birth there would be a death. God thank you
for loving me so much that you gave your son to be born but I thank you even
more that he came to die for my sins. God thank you for these gifts.

Advent Devotional: Day 1

2011-11-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Wish List

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-9

1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you! 3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 7 No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to[b] our sins8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.

The first thing that we always have our children do during the Christmas/Advent season is to make out a wish list. They sit down with the Toys-R-Us ad and compile a list of 10 to 15 items that they hope that Santa will bring. Now, I am not saying that wish list are all bad but what are we teaching our children when we do this? Are we teaching them to set unreal expectations throughout the rest of their lives? Have we lead them to an attitude that expects entitlement throughout there lives. I mean maybe Christmas is not so much about what we expect but maybe more of what God expects from us. What if we were to sit down and make God’s wish list for what he expects from us? What would that list look like and what changes would we have to make in order to live them out? In the scripture today, we find that the people feel that God has turned his back on them. So they go to the prophet Isaiah and ask him to speak to God and ask him to remember them. But the prophet has a different approach. He starts off by reminding the people about God instead of reminding God about the people. You see it was not God who had forgotten the people it was the people that had forgotten God. Oh they may have prayed when the going got rough or they have even attended worship a few times a year but the truth is that they had really forgotten who God really was. This Christmas let us remember who God is and all the things that he has done for us.

Prayer: God you come first and everything else should come next. God we have forgotten what is important to us and we have developed a wish list of material possessions. God help me to make a wish list of things that I can do for you and let me live them out.

The Apostles Creed

2011-09-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

Last week we started our series on the Apostle’s creed. We talked about why do we even need a creed. Then we talked about what we truly believe in. We started with the first statement “I believe in God the Father, almighty, creator of heaven and earth”. You see the essential belief in Christianity starts with a higher power, that higher power being God. He not only created the earth, he created us. We also talked about how we view God as a father. This means that even if we do not have an earthly father we still have a heavenly father that loves and cares for us. This week we are moving to the first statement about Jesus. "And in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary”. This week we will look at why the virgin birth is so important in one’s belief of Jesus. We will examine why God chose to bring Jesus into the world the way that he did? I hope you will join us as we talk about this segment of the creed.

Putting Satan Behind

2011-08-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

When I was a little boy and I would get in trouble I often used the statement, “The Devil made me do it.” Now I am not sure that the devil really makes you do anything but I am sure that temptation is always waiting for us every step of the way. The devil when I was little seemed like the appropriate person to blame. This week we look at an exchange between Jesus and Peter. (Matthew 16: 22-23) Jesus has just told the Disciples that he must be put to death in order that his mission be carried out. Peter then rebukes this statement by saying never Lord, this will not happen to you. It is at this point that Jesus uses this phrase on Peter, “get behind me Satan”. So in the span of one chapter, Jesus goes from Peter you are the rock that I will build my church upon to get behind me Satan. How does this happen? You see Peter is thinking in terms of the carnal being where Jesus is thinking in a spiritual level. Jesus knew that if he was going to be Savior then he must endure the long harsh suffering that it would take to bear the brunt of our sins. There was no easy route or road that would suffice for the penance of our sins. Jesus was reminding that Satan that he could not get to him even through those that were closest to him. Have you ever notices that some of our best friends can be our biggest challenges to faith. You see Jesus wants us to put the things of earth behind us and to look at the eternal things. Jesus uses the “get behind me Satan” statement to put in perspective priorities. This week we will talk about in worship how many times we need to use this statement in order to get our priorities straight and to fix our eyes on what is most important.

Hounded by Faith

2011-08-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

How persistent are you? I mean when you really want something do you continue to go after it or do you throw in the towel and give up? If there is one thing to be said about my children, it is that they are persistent. They will ask you something over and over till they get an answer. Another thing about them is that they do not forget something that was promised to them. If you made a promise then you better follow through or you will be hounded till the promise is fulfilled. This week’s sermon is about a lady who was persistent but was persistent for a good reason. This lady had a sick child. The Scripture (Matthew 15:22-28) says that the daughter was possessed by a demon. Now if there is one thing I know about a good parent it is that if they have a sick child then they are going to the furthest extreme to make sure that their baby gets help. Now the story that we are dealing with has many strange twist and strange dialogue in it. The woman who approaches Jesus is a Canaanite lady, this is ironic because the Jews were direct enemies of the Canaanites. Another strange twist in this story is that Jesus at first completely ignores this lady. So what does she do, she pleads with the Disciples to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter but they will have nothing to do with her. So she re-approaches Jesus and he calls her a dog. She then turns this statement around on Jesus and because of her faith, her daughter is healed. Join us this week in worship as we untuck this story and investigate how a persistent faith can aides us in life.

2011-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a few weeks as we have had three different programs: VBS, Poppa’s John Garden (presented by our Summer Day Camp Kids) and the youth lead worship (with Garrett Preaching). This week in worship we are going to be talking about the story of Peter getting out of the boat and walking on water. You know when I first heard this Scripture, I used to only focus on the part where Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink. But then it dawned on me that Peter was the only one that was brave enough to get out of the boat. There were 11 that sat in the boat and probably said, “What in the world is this Idiot doing?” You know many times we sit in the boat and criticize those that have gotten out of the boat and attempted to "walk on water". You if we are going to change the world then we must learn to take risk and to venture out in the deep water. You know Peter may have been criticized but out of twelve people he is the only one that can say, "I got out of the boat and for a brief moment I actually walked on water". This week we will look at what it means to take risk so that we can actually walk on the water. See you on the sea!

Been there, done that!

2011-06-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

You may have heard this statement over and over. People will brag about doing something and then someone says, “Oh I have been there done that and wore the T-shirt.” You remember a few years ago Mountain Dew had a commercial that showed people sky diving, surfing, parachuting, and participating in many other high adventure sports. This commercial makes the people participating look like there is nothing to doing these adrenaline heart-stopping adventure sports. It also shows them acting bored after doing some of these things until they receive the neon green, caffeine packed, citrus powered soda. So this week what do we do with a generation that has "been there and done that"? What do we do with a generation that is so over-stimulated and programmed that they cannot be still for simply 5 minutes. In today’s Scripture Jesus says, “come to me all you who are weary and need of rest.” You know God from the beginning of time carves out a day for us to rest. He says, "for six days you should labor but rest on the seventh day". But we as American people do not even slow down long enough to rest for an hour. We are trying to gain our next "been there, done that t-shirt". This week in worship we will look at how to carve out time fro a sabbath day. We will also look at what not resting or having a Sabbath will do to not only your health or spiritual well being.

Free At last

2011-06-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

What has you imprisoned? I mean many times we find ourselves in some prison that we did not even know that we were creating. For some it is the prison of sin, addiction, or maybe even attitude. But Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we have been set free. You see Christ did not only forgive our sins on the cross but he also set us free from the power that sin has in our life. When I first became a Christians in the 90’s I used to listen the Contemporary Christian Group D. C. Talk. They had a song that I would listen to over and over. The title of the song was Free-at-Last (it was also the title of the album). You know Paul knew what it was like to be set free from being a slave to sin.

2011-06-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

You remember the famous quote from the movie “The Blues Brother’s”. They would go around saying, “We are on a mission from God”. You know I found it funny but the truth is that we are all on a mission from God. Just a few weeks ago a band of Special Operation forces went into Afghanistan and assassinated Bib Laden. The name of the group was "Seal Team Six" and they are a very special trained group of Navy Seals. They had one mission in hand and that mission was to take out Bin Laden. You know we were all given a special-ops mission by Jesus. He gave us the mission known as the “Great Commission”. This mission was intended to be carried out by all Christians. We were to take the good news of Christ to a lost world. We were not given the task of assassinations but the task of assimilation. Notice that the “Great Commission" tells us to make Disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If we are going to make disciples we are not just going to sweep in, in the middle of the night , and then retreat without anyone knowing we were even there. (I think this happens sometimes on short term missions trips) No in order to make Disciples we must invest in someone. We must be strategic in helping someone to grow in Christ. This means that we must invest and spend time in a relationship with the one we are Disciplining. This week in Worship we will learn how to be Clandestine Commandos.

Life Water

2011-06-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38).

A few years ago while in Jamaica on Mission trip, I got really sick after drinking some gatorade that was mixed up with local well water. The Jamaican people drink this same well water all the time but never get sick. I soon learned that the reason that I got sick was because my body had not yet built up an immunity to the parasites that were in the water. The fact is that in America we take for granted being able to grab a bottled water or turning the faucet on to grab a cup of clean water. The fact is that more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. In many countries people are forced to directly drink from contaminated rivers, wells and streams filled with bacteria, pollution, and parasites that create all kinds of life threatening viruses. Simply providing clean safe water for third world countires could reduce deadly diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid fever in half. To give you another prospective of the problem of drinking water consider this 4,000 children a day in developing countries die because they do not have access to clean drinking water. This week we are going to look at how Jesus says that, "he is the water of life". Jesus is actually the pure water of life both here on earth and eternally. There is no contamination or sickness to be found in this pure water of life. The truth is that when you have Jesus in your life your heart will overflow like a spring. This week we will look at how to be a spring of water overflowing for the world to see.

Confronting Others

2011-05-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you tell someone something in confidence and they promise not to say a word, the following day a mutual friend of yours comes up to you and comments on the situation that was told in confidence? What is the proper way to handle this situation? Well, in Matthew 18:15-20 we are given the key to resolution between two Christian people. You see many people take this Scripture out of context and think that every person that wrongs us should be removed or kicked out of church. The problem with this is that not everyone is involved in the Christian community. This scripture is referring to those that are in your family or congregation. This is written for those that you are tightly in with. Jesus addresses the fact that if someone wrongs you then you leave your offering and go make amends with them in Matt. 9. But this scripture in Matt. 18 deals with forgiving those who are in your community. If someone sins against you or wrongs you that is not involved in the church community then you must handle this situation differently. But is this person is part of the Christian community then this scripture gives us the formula for being able to reconcile our differences and the strengthened the community. One of the reason that Jesus addressed this issues is that he knew that where there was a congregation of people there would be backbiting and gossip. Most of the situations that occur in the church is because of abuse and poor communication. This could be referred to as the "he said, she said" syndrome. Another issue in the Christina community is the gossip that occurs between members. The Scripture is specific that if someone has wronged you then you confront them. If they do not adhere to the confrontation then you take a person or two with you as a buffer. If they still refuse to listen then you address the issue as a whole Christian community. If they do not apologize and agree to make things right then they are to be removed for a period of time but hopefully will be reinstated after making amends. This week we will look at how this concept could be used not only in the church but in the workplace and in your family. See you this Sunday!

Marriage Forgiveness

2011-05-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

I do not care who you are, everyone has unique and filed up family dynamics. There is really no such thing as a perfect family. Many times we fall in love with someone but we wish that they had come from a different family background. We know going into a marriage that there is going to strife but bad family dynamics can wreak havoc on a marital relationship.. A few weeks ago we talked about forgiving family members and how difficult that can sometimes be. This week we are going to look into one element of the family and that is one's spouse. How do you forgive the one that you are married too? A second thought will be how do you forgive the one that you are no longer married to. Now some of you may be thinking why would I need to know this? I am not married. Well the reason is because you may know someone that needs this knowledge. Another case may be in your own family there are unresolved tensions and hurt feeling stemming from a marriage collapse. Forgiveness in marraige not only deals with the husband and wife but deals with the whole extended family. We will look at Colossians 3:12-15 this week as it gives us a recipe for being able to forgive the one that we took our vows with. Join us this week as we discover another valuable lesson in forgiving.

Forgiving and Forgetting

2011-05-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

You know I am always forgetting things. Some would say that I am a very forgetful person. I am the worst at forgetting people’s names. (as well as remembering them) I will bump into someone out in public and they will act like they have known me for years. They will call me by name and yet for the life of me, I cannot remember their name. Then sometimes there are bouts with forgetting dates and important events. One year, I was so busy with life that I forgot about my wife’s birthday till the day before. Now when you forget a birthday that late on a Saturday night you are in big trouble. Then there are the times where I forget where I put my wallet or left my keys. Yes, the truth is that it is easy for me to forget things. Well, all but one thing. I have a hard time forgetting when someone crosses me or hurts me. I often ask the question why can I forget so many things in life but I cannot forget when someone does me wrong? Then to add more hypocrisy when I sin or wrong God I ask him to not only forgive me but forget the sin that I have committed. Because I know that if God was to hold my sins against me there is no way that I could ever enter the gates of heaven. But you know what? Because of “God’s Grace” I do not have to worry about him forgetting my sins because they are already covered. Jesus did that on the cross. So the question is: if God can forget my wrong doings then why can I not forget the wrong doings that others have committed against me. This week we will look at how we can get to a point where we not only forgive but forget what a person has done to us. I hope you will join us for the third part in this forgiveness sermon series.

Forgiving Self

2011-04-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

This week we are going to start a four week sermon series on “forgiveness". What is forgiveness and how does it affect our everyday life? We will also explore the different kids of forgiveness and why some types of forgiveness are more difficult than others. This first week I asked the question is it easier to forgive others or your self? The more I pondered this the more it became apparent to me that this depends on what you have done in your past. You know Paul had to constantly remind himself throughout the scriptures that he was a new creation. He had to forgive himself and all that he had done in his past in order that he could move on with his future. Once Paul had forgiven himself he was able to be used by God. Join us sunday as we look at how we can forgive ourselves so that we can help move the Kingdom of God.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

V is for Victory

2011-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

I remember a movie not to long ago entitled V is for Vendetta(2006). The movie was about a man who retaliates against the government for the harsh treatment of the people. You know if anyone had a Vendetta then it should have been Jesus. I mean if anyone should have arose from the grave to take vengeance upon the people it should have been the King of Kings. No one deserved to be treated the way that Jesus was treated. But instead Jesus resurrection represented that "V is for Victory". His victory was over the way people treated other people. His victory put a stop to the corruption of the law that the piety had put into place. His victory now meant that all people would be able to receive their share of the Kingdom. You see Jesus was the only person to ever conquer death. He did not come back to life he was resurrected. You see people that are brought back to life die again but Jesus would never die again. You see he became a new being, and by doing this he gives us the promise that the same will be available for us. Our victory is in Christ. I remember as a child singing "Victory in Jesus" on Easter morning but I never really understood what a Victory that really represented. Join us Sunday as we close out our Holy week celebration with a Victory celebration of the one who died for us and gave us hope. I hope that you will join us as we once again revisit this victory.

From Crucifixition to Paradise

2011-04-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

So we have seen the depictions of crucifixion but have we really ever thought about it? Crucifixion was the most humiliating and most inhumane way to die. It was used to invoke fear in all who witnessed it. Jesus was made to pay the price for our sins but there is more to the crucifixion than Jesus just hanging there dying for our sins. There were two thieves hanging right next to Jesus. These two common criminals were hanging there because they had committed crimes and deserved their punishment. You know those criminals represent the decisions that we have to make. One of the criminals rejected Jesus because he was not the King that had been promised. He hung there not thinking about repentance and forgiveness. No he was only thinking about himself. He said, "He saved others but now he cannot even save himself" How often is that the kind of Jesus that we are looking for? We are looking for one that can provide us with the earthly desires. But it is the other thief that really understands who Jesus really is. He first admits that he is a sinner and deserves to die. He is just like you and me, he is broken and helpless. But he understands that Jesus is the real deal. He understands that his kingdom is not here on earth but it is in heaven. He says, “today will you remember me in paradise”. He is not asking him to let him go there he is only asking him to remember him. This week we will look at the crucifixion and we will ask the question. Which of the criminals do we represent?

Mocked and Made fun of!

2011-04-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Can you recall the most embarrassing time or event in your life? Can you recall a time when you were made fun of or was ridiculed for something that you believed in? This week we find Jesus in front of the Roman soldiers. Now the Roman soldiers were not known for being fair of kind, they were know for being cruel and merciless. They had a particular hatred toward anyone that was not like them and trust me the Jews were not liked by them. So it is now their opportunity to scourge/flog Jesus at the request of Pilate. The solders would each take turn beating Jesus with rods, sticks and finally a cat of nine tails. But there would also be utter humiliation for Jesus. They wove together a crown of thorns to mock Jesus sentence of being, "the King of the Jews". They also put on him a purple piece of clothe to mock his royalty. Then they stripped him naked and made him embrace his death instrument: the cross. You know as I read this account in the Gospels, I can not help to think that the humiliation was even greater than the pain. Here was a man who was being put to death for being exactly who he was called to be. He was being humiliated for me and you. This week we will look at how this humiliated Savior still had grace and forgiveness even for those stripped him , beat him, mocked him and crucified him. Join us as we look at this portion of the last 24 hours of Christ.

Mob Mentality

2011-03-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

The cries went from “Hosanna" to "Crucify him” in the stretch of 5 days. How does something change so drastically in such a short amount of time? I mean had this man not healed the sick and feed the multitudes? Had he not intrigued them with his teachings in and outside the temple? So what makes a person change their option of a righteous man? The answer to that question is mob mentality. You see we as humans like to fit in or be in the majority. Just like last week as we studied the Sanhedrin, it said in Mark 14 that all found him guilty. I find it hard to believe that all 71 agreed that Jesus was a fraud and liar. Did not one think that maybe this was the man to fulfill the prophecy? The problem stems from us not wanting to speak up or speak out because we will look bad. To speak against the majority means that we are not cool or in the poplar crowd. So not one spoke up on his behalf. So during this time it was a custom to release a prisoner during passover. So Pilate schemed a plan that would free him of the responsibility of having Jesus put to death. We found the most hardened criminal that he was holding and presented him to the crowd. He knew that the crowd viewed Barabbas as a thug and despised him. He thought given the choice they would surely free Jesus and send Barabbas to the hill of the skulls. But mob mentality set in with the crowd. When Pilate asked what do you what me to do with Barabbas the crowd said,”set him free”. Then he asked what do you want me to do with Jesus and one person whispered "crucify him”. It was not long before others began to chant "crucify him". Then the whole crowd shouted with hate, “crucify him”. You see the mob mentality had set in and now the prophecy of Isaiah 53 was being fulfilled. Jesus would be put to death and Barabbas would be set free. Join us this week as we look at Jesus before Ponticus Pilate.

bound but not gagged

2011-03-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been blamed for something that you did not do? I must tell you growing up I usually had done something so it was just assumed I was always guilty. But I used to get so mad when I was blamed for something that I did not do that I would come out fighting. It was at this anger point that I would begin to justify or to attempt to prove my innocence. I mean no one likes to be blamed for things that they did not do. Another question that we will ask this week is have you ever had to prove your identity? I hate when I go into a place and show them a drivers license with a picture on it and then they ask for another form of ID. This week in worship we are going to investigate what Jesus was being accused of and what was his true identity. I mean have you ever thought about what got this sinless servant crucified? You see crucifixion was reserved for only the worst of the worst criminals. It was public humiliation that was imposed to hopeful curve the peoples rebellion and criminal thoughts. But what was it that Jesus did to deserve the punishment of a murderer? The other question that we will examine this week is why did Jesus not speak up and confess his own innocence? One reason he did not speak against the charges may have been because what they are trying him for, he really is. How could he deny that he was the son of God? How could he deny that he was the atonement? If he had done that then he would have been a liar but he knew that by saying, "I am who you say I am” he would be accused of treason and blasphemy. Jesus was innocent and yet they found a way to get him killed. Join us this Sunday as we investigate the charges that Jesus was brought up on and how that lead to the crowd yelling crucify him.

Week #2 Blood, Sweat And Tears

2011-03-13T17:41:00.001-07:00

I remember when I was growing up ABC had a sports program called the "World Wide Series of Sports". They had in their promotional video a statement that said, “to know the agony of defeat”. That was the first time I had ever heard the word “agony". You know I really did not realize what the true connotation of that word represented. In ministry, I have noticed that the word agony is associated with so much more than just losing a game. The word agony is used to describe the worst situations and suffering that a person can endure. To live in agony means to have little or no peace of mind, In this weeks scripture we see that the Lord has finished the Seder Meal and is now headed to the garden to pray over a soul that is full of agony. Now this agony was so intense that it actually brought Jesus to experience hematidrosis. This is a state where the body is so overwhelmed that you actually sweat drops of blood. Why would someone that already knew their fate be in such agony? The other question that we will tackle this week is why did the disciples who seemed to witness that Jesus was in such agony fall asleep on the watch? This week we move from the last supper into the garden of Gethsemane. We will look at why Jesus had to face his fears in the garden. We will see the most humanity Jesus ever exhibited in the Bible. I hope that you will join us as we work on the next 3 hours of Jesus’ final day here on earth.

24 hours that Changed the world: The Passover Meal

2011-03-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

You know every family has certain rituals and traditions that help them to recall certain events or important milestones. In our family, we do certain things through the advent/lenten season to help us to recall significant things that made these holidays special. But none of our traditions can match that of the Israelites and their remembrance of the passover and seder meal. This passover/seder meal had many strict instructions and elements for every Jewish family member. Each of these elements represented how God had brought them out of their bondage and slavery. The meal was a reminder of the covenants that God had made with them but it was also a reminder that they must hold up their part of the covenant. This week in worship we will start out our 6-week series that traces the last 24 hours of Jesus’s life. We will start this week with the Thursday before Easter Sunday in the upper room. We will explain what this meal meant for the disciples and also how it has tremendous meaning for us still today. I hope that you will join us as we journey to the upper room and investigate how Jesus made the Seder meal even more rememberable.

"Son Power"

2011-02-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

Today a word thrown around a lot in the news is the word “SUNPOWER”. We are always looking for new ways that the “sun" can power as well as create new energy sources. We now have solar panels that catch the sun’s energy and provide enough energy to power a whole house. But this week in 8:30 worship we are going to talk about a different type of “SON POWER”. Jesus gathers up Peter, James and John and heads to the mountains, it is on this mountain that we see Jesus encountering a source of power that will carry him all the way to the cross. But the Disciples also realize that there is great power radiating from the son of God and they are hoping to harness it. At first they wanted to keep that power right there on that mountain and keep it for themselves. But a power source that is hidden can really never reach its full potential. Jesus ermines them that true power is in the power to give your power away. The disciples had a decision to make they could stay on that mountain and bask in the power that they had witnessed or they could return to the real world. But the truth is that they often went back to that mountain in their mind to regain the power that they needed to sustain their faith. You know the truth is that we have that same power that was available disciples. We have son power! Join me this week at 8:30 as we talk about the power of the transfiguration.

This week at the 1o am service we will be lead in a worship experience by our new Encounter Worship Band. This will definitely be a different worship experience so be prepared to be blessed in a unique way.

Being Judged

2011-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

If you were to turn on the television in the mid-afternoon you will quickly be inundated with shows that are full of courtroom drama. All of these shows contain people that show up to court with a complaint against someone that they have lived with or were married too. These people truly hate one another and lobby their complaints hoping that a judge will rule in their favor. These are some of the programs that you would see in the afternoon: People’s Court, Divorce Court, Judge Judy and Divorce Court. You know what is funny about these shows is that people actually go on the show and let a complete stranger judge them. I find this so ironic because if you ever try to comfort someone that may be living in sin or making bad life decisions and they say to you, “don’t you judge me”. This week we will clear up the farce that has been passed on from non-church member to church member that you should not judge someone. “Christians shouldn’t judge”. The greek word for “to judge"is krinw. This word actually has three meanings: to evaluate, to decide, or to condemn. The first two can actually help build someone up but the problem is that most people use the judging card to condemn people. This week we will look at how Paul was trying to promote unity in the church in Corinth. Paul addresses this issue of judging but gives us some great advice on how to allow God to be our sole judge in the end. I hope that you will join us this week as we look at this hot topic.

Fight or Flight

2011-02-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever known someone that had a short fuse? I mean a person that got angry at the drop of a hat. You know I grew up with an explosive personality. It did not take much to just totally set me off. You know as I look back at those explosive episodes I have so many regrets for the way I acted and the people that I hurt. You know Jesus addresses the issue of an explosive attitude in the Be-attitudes located in the book of Matthew. Jesus gives us great advice on how to handle anger and rage. Jesus says, "that if someone strikes us on the right check we should turn and let them strike us on the other side". He also says, "that if someone ask for your shirt give them your coat also". As I read these words this week, I became aware that this is so counter cultural to the way we are taught. He have been taught that if someone strikes you you strike back, if someone wrongs you then you sue them, if someone cheats you then you have ever right to take something of equal value from them. But as Christians we must be different. Jesus uses this hyperbole in Matthew to teach us that our goal as a Christian people is to take the higher road of the road less traveled. Jesus speaks of us moving toward perfection just like our father who is heaven. Now when we hear this most people immediately say, "that is impossible". But the truth is that we must have a goal to shot for and the top goal for Jesus was perfection. This week in worship we will look at how to contorl our anger and handle things in a Godly manner.

Discipline #7 Submission

2011-02-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

The word submission is a word that often raises anxiety and invokes anger in some people. You see people think that the word “submission" is a term used so that people can exploit and rule over other people. Many people believe that submission means that some one is subservient to another person. There have even been religious organization, denominations and cults that have exploited this term to help keep females or people of other races from having leadership positions. But this is not really how God intended the word submission to be used. The word is really to be used as a Spiritual Discipline to God. You see when someone is submissive they also become dependent on the person that is assuming the responsibility. God is the entity that wants that responsibility. You see God knows that when one is submissive then they are not likely to believe that they can do everything on their own, instead they are dependent on him. You see God wants a partnership with us in every aspect of life. When we submit to God, we submit to his authority. When we do this we once again move closer to Christ. Remember in the garden Jesus says, “not my will but your will be done”. You see even the King of Kings had to submit in obedience and partnership with Abba. Join us this week as we conclude our series on Disciplines for a New you for a New year. We will learn what submission really means and how you can apply it to your life.

Discipline #6 Service

2011-01-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

You know we all expect great service when we venture out to a restaurant to eat. You know the problem is that good service is sometimes hard to find. Most of the time we leave the restaurant with a full belly but also complaining about the service that we have received. How do you think that our service to Jesus ranks? I mean if God were to give us a tip what would it be 10%, 15%, or maybe 20%. You know one of the disciplines that helps us grow closer to God is the "Discipline of Service". Now service comes in many forms but must first start close to home. If you remember Jesus modeled this service discipline when he took off his outer cloth and wrapped it around his waste. He then preceded to serve his closest friends by washing their feet. Can you imagine your boss or your mentor coming to visit you and rolling up his/her sleeves and washing your dishes? What would you do? Most of us would be totally embarrassed by such servanthood. You see if we learn to serve at home then it just comes natural for us to move from serving those within our own house to serving others by building houses. You see it is hard to do missions if one does not first know how to serve those around you. Join us this week as we take an in-depth look at how to serve.

Discipline #5 Evanglelism

2011-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Scripture: Acts 8:30-31 ³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. ³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

When I was growing up the word “Evangelism" had such a negative connotation. The thought that came to my mind when I thought of Evangelism was a cheap suited televangalist saying, "send me some money and I will grant you salvation.” The other fearful thought I had when challenged to do evangelism was going into a public restaurant standing on a table and yelling, "Do you know where you would spend eternity if you died tonight". You know the more that I have thought about evangelism the more I have realized how far from reality these ideas of evangelism really are. You see evangelism is an investment in someone who is seeking answers. Forever, we have been told that evangelism requires us to scare someone into the kingdom of heaven. I saw a sign the other day on a church billboard that said, “Jesus will scare the hell out of you.” Not exactly the warm fuzzy evangelism that Jesus taught. Now even thought I do fear spending eternity away from my savior that is not the top reason to evangelize. You see in college I had people that where not there to judge me or to tell me I was going to hell. You see I had been told these things my whole life. No instead these people invested in me and had answers to my intriguing questions. You know evangelism is not as much about preaching as it is about investing in someone that you truly love and care about. This week in worship we will look at what evangelism means as a discipline. We will also be taught how to engage in evangelism and then challenged to put this discipline into practice.

Discipline #4 Solitude

2011-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

The question on job applications is how good are you at multi-tasking? How many things can you do at one time? I mean technology has made it it where we can bank, watch television, order a birthday present, be on a conference call and read a book all at the same time. I mean were not cell/smart phones and laptops suppose to make our life easier? They were suppose to easy some of our work so that we could spend more time doing the things that we love to do. They were going to give us more family time and more time away from work. But somehow they have done just the opposite, they have allowed us to never leave work or be at place where we can be unreachable. We have almost become a slave to the phone and other electronics. If it rings even in the middle of an important conversation we feel that we have to take it. Maybe what this world needs is a little more solitude. Now with having said this, many of you are saying what in the world is “solitude" and where do I get some of that? The reason that many of us do not know what solitude is because we have never been able to practice it. Solitude is being able to get still and quiet so we discern the mind of God. The problem is that most of us are so busy multi-tasking that we have no idea how to just get still and listen. This week we will look at the spiritual discipline of Solitude and how Jesus modeled it for his Disciples. We will learn how Jesus wants us to spend less time doing and more time being.

Discipline #3 Prayer

2011-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Communication is the most important part in any relationship. When couples do not communicate they find that they have trouble with there relationship. The same could be said of people that do not communicate frequently with God. Prayer is the gateway to our relationship with God. It opens door and leads us in the directions that we are suppose to go. The act of prayer is more than a one-sided conversation with God. The problem with some peoples prayer is the same as the problem with there communication, it is superficial and shallow. You see many times our prayers are no different than ordering food at the Chick-Fil-a drive thru. We pull up give are order and then expect someone to complete our order. If they do not get it right then we complain and throw a fit. The problem is that this is no way to prayer. The truth is that prayer should not be about our needs at all because God already knows what we need. Instead, our prayer life should be a constant conversation with God. I watch so many people spend tons of time communicating through text messaging. The reason is because even when they cannot talk they want to have constant conversation with another human being, We can have that same relationship with God. Prayer is being in synch with God and talking to him about everything. Jesus taught us how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer but many other places through the scripture we see him in a different form of prayer with his “abba” father. This week we will examine the spiritual discipline of prayer. We will look at what prayer does and why God wants to talk with us.

Discipline #2 Study

2011-01-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

Last week week we were challenged to think about the discipline of fasting. My prayer is that some people will take fasting seriously so that we can hear the testimonies of how God can work through the discipline of fasting. This week we will move to a discipline that is more familiar to most of us. This week we will look at the discipline of study. Now, no matter what level of education that one has achieved everyone has had to study for a test of some kind throughout their lives. We have to develop ourselves into being life long learners. But most of the time what we study is only self interest and hobbies. But we are also called to be studiers of Christianity.

Jesus was constantly studying not just the “torah" but people. Christianity is not just about a one time event where we say “yes" to Jesus and then move on. No, we must invest our time into studying about him in order to know more about him. The Bible is the perfect book to make a life long study tool. The Bible is often referred to as the: "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth". You see through study we grow in our relationship with Christ but we also learn lessons in life. In addition to the Bible there are several other books and studies that can aide in your spiritual growth. I hope that 2011 will bring a new sense of study to every Lakeview Family member. This week we will look at the Discipline of Study and how it can aide our relationship with Christ.

7 Disciplines for a New Year

2010-12-22T20:11:00.001-08:00

This year we are going to start the year off with a sermon series entitled, “7 Spiritual Disciplines for a New Year”. We are going to look at how these Disciplines will help us with starting off the New Year right. Every year we make resolutions but what if we chose disciplines instead of resolutions. We talk about Discipline all the time but what are spiritual disciplines and how can they help us live a more Godly life. I mean you would think that living a more Godly life be at the the top of the list of our New Year’s goals. This first week we will look at the discipline of “fasting”. The discipline of fasting scares us to death because it means that we have to give up eating or some other daily occurrence/habit. But the truth is that God wanted fasting to be painful so that people could fully rely on him to get them through the self- imposed test. We are going to challenge each person in our congregation to fast one day a week for the next 2 months. Basically, the fast will go from dinner one night till dinner the next evening. If for health reasons maybe you can give something else up. This whole series will challenge each of us reach for another level in our spiritual growth. i hope that you will join us as we examine these 7 disciplines: fasting, study, prayer, solitude, evangelism, service and submission.

The Perfect Presentation

2010-12-20T04:28:00.001-08:00

Scripture: Luke 2:22-40

This whole Advent season we have been talking about the perfect gift. We set the precedent up front that Jesus was the perfect gift. We described the prefect gift as the giver who puts something of himself into it; and the gift is suited to the needs of the recipient. We have described the attributes that the baby Jesus ushered into the world as he was brought down the staircase of heaven and placed in the manger. This week we will look at the presentation of the perfect gift. You know when you present a gift you want it to be wrapped and bowed perfectly. Last week I was at a wedding and I was amazed at how exquisitely most of the gifts were wrapped. These gifts looked to good to even be opened, you could literally just stand there and admire the wrapping. But we all know it is not just the presentation of the gift but what is in inside the box that truly matters.

After the days of purification had taken placed Mary wrapped her exquisite gift up and went to the temple to dedicate this child to God. But this was more than just a presentation it was a way of presenting the light that had come into save a world that was filled with darkness. It is amazing to think that a baby that snuck in the back door of the world would be the one to bring such light into the world. There was a man at the temple that had waited to witness the light. Simeon had been told by God that the great light was going to enter the world. He had actually waited in anticipation for the great light to enter the world. His life long waiting had been answered, he was now consecrating the great light that would shine to a world living in the darkness and blanketed by sin. You know this perfect gift was presented to God but the gift was for us. Join us this Sunday as we talk about Presenting the perfect gift.

The Perfect Gift

2010-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

This Advent Season we have been talking about the" perfect gift". He know that Christ is the perfect gift but we have been breaking down the attributes of the perfect gift. The first week we talked about the gift of peace. The next week we talked about the unmerited gift of grace and how the birth of Christ brought that to all people. Last week, we talked about faith and the way Mary believed even though she could not see the outcome. This week we will examine what makes the perfect gift. A perfect gift has two components: The giver puts something of himself into it; and the gift is suited to the needs of the recipient. When our loving God was brooding over this sin-scarred world filled with warring, selfish, corrupted people, he must have pondered at length over how to express his love to the world. What would get the peoples attention? He had sent the people what they had asked for he sent them Judges, Prophets, and Kings. He had given the people the law and had even given them leaders to lead them through the wilderness. Now it was time for God to send his perfect gift. The gift that had been on the shelf. The gift of his only "begotten" son. You know this gift met both sides of the perfect gift. God not only put something into the gift; he put his whole self into it. He became what the Bible describes as "Emmanuel". (Meaning that God is with us) The second part of this gift was that it was something that we really needed. As a matter fact it was the only gift that would save us from our sins. Are you prepared to receive the perfect gift this week? If not, we need to get our hearts right because we want to find ourself at the manger. We want to be one of the shepherds. We want to experience the perfect gift.

Gift #3 Faith

2010-12-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine being told you are going to be carrying the King of Kings? I mean you are a young peasant girl that has no stature or status. Now take this into consideration; not only would you be carrying the Messiah but you are an unmarried teenager. I mean what will all the neighbors say and how will I break this news to my parents. Mary could have said "no". She could have come up with a whole variety of reasons that she was not qualified to carry the Son of God but instead she accepted the task at hand. But it was not really a task; it was more of a gift. Mary looked at this debacle as a blessing. How could she see this intrusion as a blessing? How could she turn this shady situation into a mission? The answer to these questions is simple. She recognized the gift of "faith". She believed in this faith so much that when she came into the presence of her pregnant cousin the baby that Elizabeth was carrying leaped in her womb. This means that Elizabeth also had the faith to beleive that Mary was carrying the Messiah. You see many times we are asked to have faith but we know the whole story. In this situation, Mary and Elizabeth did not have all the answers but instead they just believed. They had faith that what God had told them would come true. You see Mary had been given the perfect gift of "faith". This week we will unwrap the third gift of the Advent season. This week we will open the gift of faith. Faith is beleiving in what we cannot see. You know Christmas is filled with Carols that we sing to express our faith. Mary also expressed her faith in a song. A song of faith in what she had been promised.

The Unmerited Gift

2010-11-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Do you remember singing every Christmas the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"? When I was a little boy, I always hated the verse, "he knows when you been bad or good so be good for goodness sake". You know growing up I knew that I had not been that good. To tell the truth, I had not even been a little good. I remember people would tell me I was going to get a stocking full of coal and a bundle of switches under the tree. But every year I got up early on Christmas, looked under the tree and to my surprise Santa had left me several unmerited gifts. You know I had not really been deserving of any gifts and yet there sat grace under the tree. You know as I have gotten older, I have realized that there was another unmerited gift that I have received. I am reminded every year that Jesus was an unmerited gift. You know, God did not wait until the world was good before he sent his son. No, he sent his son in the midst of a sinful world, as a matter of fact he sent his son to justify those that could not save themselves. This week, we will talk about the perfect gift of grace. Last week, we looked at the perfect gift of peace and this week we will unwrap the gift of "Grace". Now this is a gift that we cannot give away but we can experience and show other people what this unmerited gift has meant in our lives. "For while we were still sinners Christ died for us" Join us this week as we unwrap gift two in our series entitled, The Perfect Gift.

The Perfect Gift: A Child of Peace

2010-11-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 11:6-9....."a little child will lead them"

I like so many people love playing the game "dirty santa". In this game people wrap gifts and place them under the tree, then they draw numbers in order to see the sequential order the gifts will be opened. The gifts can then be stolen by others, forcing that party to give up their gift and open another unwrapped gift. Some of the gifts that are opened are good gifts (the ones people want) and some of the gifts are gag gifts but the fun part is the surprise of seeing what is underneath the wrapping. This Advent season I am preaching a sermon series entitled, "The Perfect Gift". Just like in the game of dirty santa we all like to open gifts. We pick a gift up and shake it and sometimes we feel around it and then guess as to what it is. We are all hoping that it may be just what we have always wanted. The perfect gift for the recipient as well as the perfect gift chosen by the giver. This first week of Advent we find a Scripture that deals with the prophecy of peace. In this scripture, the writer uses the analogy of animals that are predator and prey. In the scripture, he gives us a vivid visual of these animals (predator vs. prey) co-exisitng peacefully. You see the prophecy mentions that a child will be the one that will bring "shalom" or "peace" to the earth. You see Jesus was the child that was talked about in this prophecy. One of the things that he would bring would be the spirit of peace. When you read this scripture it sounds so outlandish. To be able to stick your hand in a vipers nest and not get bitten. But this is the kind of Jesus that we serve, a Jesus that can bring about the impossible. Our Jesus is able to bring peace among those that once hated one another. He was able to offer salvation not only for the Jews but also the Gentiles, who coexisted but not peacefully. The only problem with this prophecy is that most people missed it. They did not see how a baby could bring forth peace. It is funny because most people totally missed the perfect gift. Join us this week in worship as we continue to look at how this perfect gift can bring peace into your life.

Thankful Deeds

2010-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

I Timothy 6:18-19

¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Why is it that so many people in the world have such a hard time doing good deeds for others? We are one week out now from Thanksgiving and yet so many are so self-absorbed that they rarely stop to give thanks for the things that they have been so blessed with. This Sunday at Lakeview PUMC we will celebrate first fruits Sunday. It is a time when we make our yearly pledges and promises to God. Many people dread this Sunday because it seems that they are signing up to pay a bill. But the truth is that a pledge is a commitment to honor God with giving him back the first fruits of what he has already blessed us with. I use this First Fruits Sunday around Thanksgiving because it is the time that we ought to be most thankful for what God has given us. Thanksgiving is also time for us to truly be rich in good deeds. It is not that good deeds are what earn us into heaven but they take the focus off of us and put them onto the less fortunate. This week begin to ask the question what am I thankful for? Then come and celebrate first fruits Sunday with us and then stay and have lunch with us as we celebrate as a family.

Which tent are you in?

2010-11-08T18:04:00.001-08:00

We are the most blessed nation in the world. We have more choices of food, houses, entertainment, and transportation than anyone else in the world and yet we always want more or different. It would seem that we would be very content with our lives with all the choices and resources that await our choosing. I mean we really have so much to be thankful for and yet most Americans seem to be living in the midst of discontent. We are always looking for something else. The house that we once labeled as our "dream home" is no longer big enough for our family or located in the right school district. The car that we drove off the lot was the coolest thing that we ever owned, is now less than adequate to our liking. You see we are bombarded with choices everyday and we are the victims of consumer persuasion. This week we will be looking at Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. In the letter, Paul's is writing from prison and yet he is writing about how content that he has been with life. Here is a guy that has been beaten, shipwrecked, robbed, imprisoned, and lost everything he worked for and yet he is content. The reason that he is content is because his contentment is found in simplicity and not in material thing. When we simplify life we have more time for Jesus, more time for our family, and more time to invent in our relationships. This week we will look at how we can become more content with our lives. We will also answer the question what tent or you in? Content or Discontent?

American Waste

2010-10-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last week we talked about how the American Dream can turn into a Nightmare. This week we will look at another reason that we find our economy in such pitiful shape. The reason that we are in such bad shape is because Americans are super wasteful. Now I am not only talking about our waste of just natural resources but also about our financial resources. In a lot of ways, we can all identify with the Prodigal son that Jesus mentions in the story of the Lost Son. In Luke 15, it tells us that the Prodigal son went away and squandered away all that he had inherited. The prodigal son was only concerned with today, there was not even a thought of the future. Now Jesus could have picked many different sins but chose to use the sin of material and monetary waste. You see as Americans the more we have the more we seem to waste. If you do not believe that we are wasteful look at the amount of storage units that we fill with things that we not longer use. Another way that we waste is to look in our closets and see how many clothes we bought for just one occasion or perhaps bought and never even wore. You see odds are that at some point we were frugal and had to watch every penny we spent. Then one day we woke up and had more money than before and we began to buy more. We no longer had to worry about pinching pennies because we had extra money and lines of credit that could get us immediate gratifications. The problem is that the more we were given the more we could have invested but instead maybe we wasted or squandered our resources. Maybe that is Jesus' point in the prodigal son, maybe the biggest waste was not that the son wasted the money but that he did not invest it.

The American (Nightmare) Dream

2010-10-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

You know somewhere along our schooling we probably learned the statement from the Declaration Of Independence that reads "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". From this statement most of us develop what is known as our concept of the "America Dream". The "American Dream" is the promise of freedom with the chance of prosperity. I mean that is what everyone is looking for, is it not? To have a 6 figure income, a model spouse, a 5 bedroom house, plus a SUV and Luxury car in the garage. To also have least two children that excel in everything they do, especially athletics and academics. Then throw in a country club membership and large 401k to retire. You could even throw in the possibility of exotic vacations and a beach house. I mean we all have some notion of what our "American Dream" looks like to us. I mean somewhere in High School or College we begin to carve out and dream about what our future would look like and the things that we want to achieve along the way. Now let me ask you, are you living that dream? Have you achieved the pinnacle of your dream? You know odds are that most people's lives looks very different than what they planned. In some cases, I bet your dreams may have even turned to Nightmares. This could be because of a failed relationships or loss of jobs. For some it could be that you have accumulated lots of stuff but still have this emptiness inside and longing for something more fulfilling. This week, we will begin our yearly stewardship campaign. This year we will be talking about what is "enough"? I mean how much do we need to live and how much should we give back. We will look at where to truly find our happiness and then on the last week we will bring our pledges to the storehouse. I hope that you will join us for this 4 week worship experience. This week we will look at when dreams become nightmares.

Hopeless or Hope

2010-10-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

You do not have to look hard today to find bad news. Just turn on the news or read the latest headlines and you may get that hopeless feeling that the world is in bad shape. Some may even refer to the world as being in the Hopeless state, a state that is beyond repair. But this view of the world is really no different from the view that people had in the beginning of time. the truth is that how see the world is truly what our view of society looks like. Do we really think there is no hope for the world? This weeks scripture is from the book of Joel. Now we do not know a lot about the prophet Joel but we know that he was writing to the people in the midst of a famine, draught, and a plague of locust. To be honest their future looked absolutely dismal but the prophet Joel wanted to give them hope. You see in today's world we really only have two choices: to have "hope" or to be "hopeless". This is the same thing Joel was presenting to the people. You see he is saying that the future is going to be better. I have never been to a graduation where the valedictorian speech did not include that the future was going to be better than the past. The speech also usually includes the promise of hope, vitality, and riches. So what happens between our graduation and life? This week we will examine that question in the Biblical view that Joel wrote about. This week we will see whether you see the world as hopeful or hopeless.

Soul Scanner

2010-10-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

You know from the time we are very young we try to hide things from our parents and others. For some it may be a failing paper or unsatisfactory report card. For some it may be pornographic material or cigarettes that have become habit forming. For others it may just be white lies to keep people from getting hurt. The truth is that we hide things because we are ashamed of them . We really do not want people to know who we really are and what is hidden inside our lives. Some find it even easier to lie than to tell the truth because the truth is the revelation of who we really are. These days it is easy to even play a facade and make up someone who we want to be by making up a false identity online. Brad Paisley had a top hit "Online" about this a few years ago. The truth is that we try to hide ourselves from people hoping they will not discover who we really are. But you know growing up my mother used to say to me,"you may hide it from me but you will never hide it from God." You see God is "omniscient" which means that he is "all knowing". You see to be omniscient not only means all knowing but also aware and understanding of everything. You see the truth is that we cannot hide anything from God. In retrospect, our lives are an open book and everything is laid right out before God. This week we will look at a Scripture where Paul is telling Timothy not to be led astray by those who have hidden agendas or alternative motives. He also tells Timothy that God is the great soul searcher. He knows our hearts as well as our minds. Having this information should lead us to want to do the right thing as well as share God's love with others.

This weeks Scripture reference: I Timothy 3:14-4:5

Planning to Surrender

2010-10-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a boxing match where the white towel hits the floor announcing a surrender? You know when we say, "yes" to Jesus in a way we are throwing in the towel. But our towel is the black towel of sin and iniquities. When we surrender to Jesus we give him everything both good and bad. But many times we find ourselves taking back what we have surrendered. For some we refuse to give God the sin that surrounds our lives. For some the sin is so habitual and hurtful that to give it to God would just be embarrassing. For others we want to keep our good qualities and talents so that we can serve the world and make lots of money. We may pray for God to strengthen these things talents but not so that we can serve him. You see when we throw in the towel it is a planned surrender. This is huge lesson in humility. It is learning that apart we are nothing but with God we can do anything. So how does this total surrender take place. This week we will examine the Scripture from Luke 14:25-33 that addresses this calculation and total surrender. Now I must forewarn you that this is a tough scripture to unpack. The scripture is about us estimating the cost of surrender and then after surrendering picking up our cross and following Jesus. Join us this week and invite someone to come along with you.

Why Church? Money Matters

2010-09-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have a strong feeling that the economy is in the shape that it is in because we have been greedy. I do not think that many people would argue that point. But the question is why do we not see more people turning the tide of giving. Many people actually stop giving to the church all together during a down turn economy. I think we could turn the tide if we would prioritize and give back to God what is rightfully his.

The number one movie this week is "Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps". It makes since that a society entrenched with greed would want to see a movie about getting rich. What is it that causes money to have such a hold on our lives. I mean when you really think about it. Money has no intrinsic value. It is a piece of paper or a number on paper that supposedly tells you what you are worth. So why would people that do not attend church say that the reason they do not attend church is because the church is always asking for money? I think that Martin Luther said it best when he says: "everyone goes through three conversions, the conversion of head , the heart and then the conversion of the pocketbook". This week we will look at what Paul's definition about giving really constituted. Paul was encouraging others not to give to help others but to give in order to free themselves. You see Paul knew that if one could let go of their money then they could let go of other things. He knew that money would bind them and hinder them from experiencing the Kingdom of God to the full extent. I Timothy 6:18

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share... This week we will look at how people should not complain about people asking for money but rather look at how people and the church both benefit when money is handle properly. You see a cheerful giver really is just a cheerful person; they are a person who does not give because they feel obligated; they give because it brings them joy. A giver is a person that is truly mature in there faith. Join us this week as we examine the true meaning of "Money Matters".

Why Church? Money Matters

2010-09-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Fork in the Road

2010-09-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you get to the fork in the road? I mean the place in life where you are now starting the last half of your life. Your children have been reared, you are looking at retirement and most of your dreams have been fulfilled. It is at this point in your life that you are at the fork in the road. This week we will examine what one man did when he got to this place. Al Sikes was sitting in a board room staring at a bible verse written on the board when he had a premonition from God. He begin to ask the question, "what have I really done with my life?" Not in terms of success or business but in terms of what have I really done for the Kingdom of God. He also began to ask the question have I taken the broad road or have I taken the narrow road?
This week our guest speaker will be Al Sikes and "man" does he have a story for you. Come and hear how this man's whole life took a 180 in the direction toward God. Hear how he explains that he felt that his whole Christian life had been somewhat of a facade that he had created. Part of the reason that it had been a facade was because of the road that he had picked to travel. I like to compare Al's awakening to that of Bob Buford who wrote the book Halftime. You will definitely have a new perspective after Sunday of what it means to live the second half of your life.

Why Church? Real People

2010-09-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

This week we will tackle an answer that people give as to why they do not attend church. I have heard this answer on more than one occasion. People many times say, "I am not going to church because it is full of Hypocrites." You know what is funny is that research says that people state that they never attend the Church because of Hypocrisy but no one ever says, "I am leaving church because it is full of hypocrites". Most of the time a person leaves the church because they feel that there needs are not being meet. They cite that there is a church down the road that has better programs or more bells and whistles. They also sometimes state that the pastor is not there cup of tea. Some research has even shown that pastors are next in line after politicians to catch all of the criticism. So the question is this: Is the church really full of Hypocrites? My answer is that the church is full of "REAL PEOPLE". Are they sinful people? Absolutely. I do not think that any person comes into the church thinking they are more righteous or without the realization that they are sinners. Now some of the members may hide behind religion but the most people are just people struggling to get through another week. The truth is that everyone that sits in the pews is a sinner. Now some may admit to being a hypocrite but they do not mean that they were intentionally trying to deceive someone. What it really means is that they did not follow through on there good intentions or that they had sorely blown something that they had promised. The truth is that the church is full of people just like you and me who are fellow journeymen and women. They have the same struggles that we have and they have the same sinful nature that we have. The truth is that the Church is full of real people. Why Church? Real People.

Why Church? Mentors

2010-09-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

We have all had people in our lives that have invested in us. I like to call these people "mentors". One of the reasons that we should attend church is because it is full of mentor type people. These mentor types are male and female, young and old. I will say that there is more wisdom in a church congregation than almost anywhere else. The church is full of people that have struggled and yet have persevered. There are some that have had a total change of heart and have turned there whole lives over to Jesus. There are some that have actually died and yet for some strange reason were brought back for a purpose. There are members that are experts on raising children and others that can teach one to mightily pray. There are some in the church that are masters with business and money matters. You do not have to look around long to find a elder that can teach one how to truly be a humble servant. Now the word mentor is never mentioned in the Bible but we see many examples of Biblical hero's training up others. The truth is that everywhere we look in the bible we see characters training others to continue to carry out the mission of God. Now some of you may not think of yourself as a mentor but I think that God intends for every one in the local church to mentor someone. I also think that everyone that comes in the church can find someone to mentor them. This week we will look at how effective a congregation can be when they take time out to mentor one another. So this week join us as we look at Why Church? Because it is full of mentors.

Leaving 99

2010-08-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

If you had 100 pennies and lost one would you turn the house upside down looking for it? What about if you had a hundred dogs and one went missing would you beat on every neighborhood door to find it? Now I know I am stretching it here but what if you were responsible for 100 kids and one went missing? Would you amber alert the world to let them know and then search endlessly till that child was found? This week we start a new sermon Series entitled: "Why Church"? This sermon series will tackle the question as to why are there so many unchurched people? People that we work with and people that we live next door too have no church to call home. They have no community to help them when their life is turned upside down. I mean we literally live in a world that is dying and may end up in hell and we act as if we do not even care. This week we will be looking at why a shepherd would leave 99 to find the one that is lost. It really does not make sense to the world but it made all the sense to Jesus. The truth is that someone came looking for you or you would not be a believer today. This week we will answer one of the four questions WHY CHURCH? To get you started would you leave 99 to find one?

The Real Dirty Word

2010-08-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

This week I will be on the Birmingham Emmaus walk with several of our church leadership team. So I would first solicit your prayers for the leaders as well as the pilgrims on this walk. David Luke a new minister who transferred from South Georgia this annual conference will be preaching in my stead. David is helping start a new church in the Ross Bridge area. He has helped to start other churches and new worship services. David is a very engaging speaker that will challenge to think about Christianity in a whole new way. David Luke will be using Luke 14:26-33. The title of this sermon is "the real dirty word". In this scripture David will tackle the issue of what it truly means to be a disciple. You will not want to miss this week. In September we will start a new series entitled Why Church? Look for more blogs and Facebook updates.

Re-marriage: Is it continued sin?

2010-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

I was one day asked a question as to whether a remarried person continued to live in sin after the marriage. We live in a society that is ravished by divorce. It is so easy these days to get a divorce. There are some lawyers that specifically practice divorce law. Many times they seek to ruin one of the affected parties by taking everything they possible can. No matter how you look at it divorce hurts. But what about the question at hand? If a divorcee remarries are they living in "repeated" adultery. To say this, would be to say that divorce is the "unpardonable" sin. But we all know that the "unpardonable" sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 12:31-32). So what is the Biblical take on this question of divorce? Well the first thing is that there are really two different camps of divorce. In the Old Testament only a man was allowed to divorce the wife. Now in the New Testament we see a change has taken place and women could also petition for divorce. So where do we see God's take on Divorce in the Old Testament, we see it in Deut. 24 “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something improper about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house”. Here the words used for “something improper” is ervat debar. Now is Hebrew "ervat" means "naked" or "sexual immorality" and the word "debar" means thing, cause or reason. So in can be interpreted “a reason of sexual immorality,” So in Matthew 19 we see the Pharisees questioning Jesus about divorce. They want to know whose side Jesus is on when it came to divorce. You see there were two different rabbis that debated what the grounds of divorce ought to be. A renowned teacher Rabbi Hillel misinterpreted the meaning of the Hebrew phrase to mean “any reason” and not just “a reason of sexual immorality.” He even went so far as to say that if a man did not like the way his wife made the bread, he could divorce her. His teaching, because the culture had a very low view of women, was very popular among the Jews of Jesus’ day. Another well-known teacher, Rabbi Shammai, spoke out against the Hillelite train of thought and taught that" ervat debar" refer solely to sexual immorality. So what Jesus does here is speak in a Hyperbole. He over exemplifies the consequences of divorce to show how devastating divorce was. He really leans in the way Shammai saying that sexual misconduct was a reason for divorce. But we must also know that Jesus talked of redemption and the kingdom of God being at hand all of the time. Jesus came to redeem the lost and the divorced. This week we will examine this Biblical teaching more in depth to see how someone that has been divorced and then remarried can also be redeemed.

Raising Children God's Way

2010-08-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

We all know that children are a gift from God. Sometimes this gift can be a blessing and sometimes it can be a a real struggle. We live in a world now that many children have a hard time distinguishing between right and wrong. They have very little guidance and structure as to how they should live a Godly life. We live in a world where the model, "Leave it to Beaver" family no longer exist. Many children are growing up in a single parent home and some are growing up without both parents. This leaves the grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives to raise the children. This also puts significant pressure on schools, churches and community organizations to help train children to be God loving adults. This week we will look at how the Christian community can help in the process of raising children to become true believers of Jesus. It really does takes a "village to raise" a child but more than that it takes the church to raise a child. The church is set up as a community and that was intentional so that we could band together to help one another. But one of the problems that we are running into these days is that it is hard to distinguish the world form the Church. The church needs to be more than just a safe place for children and youth, it needs to become a place where children and youth are taught to fear God and care for other people. It is a place that children need to learn that God loves them more than they could ever imagine. It needs to be a place where they feel the power of the Holy Spirit, as people pray for them and care for them. It needs to be a place where they feel that they can be themselves and share their shortcoming and the sins of their lives. It needs to be a place where they experience love and yet are held accountable. How can we become a community of believers that help are children with these things? Well the truth is that the whole community of believers must pull together to help raise Children God's way. Join us this week as we learn more about how we can all take part in raising the gifts that God has given us.

Family Matters Part #2: Growing Old Gracefully

2010-08-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

We all know that it is eventually coming. We dread it, we try to hide it and some even run from it. We may even cringe the first time we hear someone say to us "yes sir or yes mam". It is here that we discover that we are old. We never thought we would get here but now we first realize that we are in the midst of the final Chapters of our earthly life. But growing old and getting old do not have to painful, as a matter of fact they can really be the best years of our lives.(Sometimes Known as the Golden years) I heard a retired Church member say a few weeks ago that God has kept him more busy in retirement than he was while he was working full time. You see God can use the old as well as the young to build his Kingdom. The Scripture I am using this week comes from Psalms 71 and it is David who realizes that he is getting older. He realizes that he has made many mistakes and that he has had some really good years and some really crummy years. But the Scripture is also about David being totally dependent on God. It is also a plea for God to continue to use him. Just because David is growing old does not mean that he does not want to continue to do God's work. You see the one thing that we never retire from is our faith and our willingness to serve God. The one thing that I think is missing in most Churches today is the young people seeing the value of what wisdom they can glean from the older people. On the other hand I think that so many older people fear the younger people because of the technopolgy that has taken place in society. This week we will visit what the older people can teach the younger people and we will teach the younger what they can learn from these seasoned veterans.

Family matters

2010-07-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

This week I will kick off our August sermon series entitled "Family Matters". This is a four week series that will cover marriage, growing old gracefully, raising kids, and finally divorce. I asked a few weeks ago what people wanted me to preach on and the family topic was frequently suggested. This week we will cover the idea that marriage was created by God for the unifying of two people to become one. The problem is that many people no longer see marriage as a life long commitment. The commitment actually is not so much about marriage as it is about our commitment to God. We live in a society that really does not like to commit to much of anything. The problem is that when we have lack of commitment toward other areas of our lives it is easy to not commit to our spouse or family. God created us to be committed to him and to be committed to one another but we have replaced commitment with comfort. We are very susceptible these days to the quick easy life many times forgetting about the commitments that we have made to God and to each other. This week we will look at how a total commitment to God can lead to us being inseparable from our spouse and our family. I hope that you will commit to being with us this week.

Vacationing

2010-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

This week as I am vacationing in Michigan with Laura's family everyone will be in my thought s and prayers. This week Garrett Harbuck will be preaching for me and I am very excited. I trust all of you will be there to support him. He is young and inspiring and he also has a great heart for Christ. I have watched him grow up since he was in my youth group, while I was serving at Riverchase UMC. He has a great testimony as well as a true heart for ministry and for young people. I hope everyone will continue to pray for him as he seeks whether God is calling him into full time ministry and what we can do to make that happen. Matt will be leading the praise and worship this week. He has many surprises for you during the service that will lead you into a place of worship. Matt has already received the call to ministry and has God written all over his life. Please continue to pray for him as he will soon be choosing a seminary to attend. I hope that everyone plans to be with us in August as we start our series on "Family Matters". Garrett and Matt you are in my prayers and I hope that the Lord uses you to bring people into a relationship with the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

High Sea's Expedition

2010-07-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

This week we are in the middle of V.B.S. and wow what fun we are having. We are using the group curriculum, "High Seas Expedition". This week I was thinking about all the stories that took place on the "seas" in the Bible. I was recalling all the teaching and calling of the disciples on the sea of Galilee. I was recalling the storm that Jesus rebuked in Mark 4 when the disciples had lost all faith. I was thinking about how Jesus called Peter to walk out on to the Sea to meet him. I was then reminded of how Moses parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape to freedom. Then there is the time when Jonah is ask to sail to Nineveh but catches a boat in the opposite direction causing a great storm to wreak havoc. You know the seas can be a treacherous and sometimes lonely place. But we always have someone to support us and to get us through that person. One of the stories that the children will be learning about this week is from Acts 27 where God comforts Paul in the midst of a storm. Paul was no stranger to storms. He had all kinds of storms to come up in his life. Most of storms in our lives do not happen at sea but most of them happen in everyday life. But are we prepared when these storms hit? I remember a few months ago we took the youth white water rafting and before you can get in a boat you must first learn about the PFD, that is the personal floatation device for all you non-white water people. The guide shares how this device can be such a life saver in times of trouble. Well you know God can be a PFD in our life, in times of trouble he is our lifeboat and great rescuer. This week worship will include lessons and songs that the kids learned from VBS, it will be a great week to come and enjoy the children as they help lead us into the presence of God.

Viral Church

2010-07-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

To have a virus is usually considered a bad thing. I remember a few years ago I came down with strep throat. I have never been so sick in my life. For four days I was bed ridden. I literally could not get up to do anything. I have to say that this is the worst I ever remember feeling. I remember when I went to the doctor, he immediately gave me a shot and let me know how contagious I was. He then told me that I had a horrible virus to stay away from everyone because I was highly contagious. But in advertising there is a marketing scheme know as "viral marketing". If you are not familiar with this term odds are you have been a part of it. In viral marketing the consumer or customers promote the product with reckless abundance. Facebook is a great example of viral marketing. I know many people that would say, "what do you mean you are not on Facebook, it is the greatest things since a slice of white bread." The next day that person would have a Facebook accounting. You see if companies can convince companies that there product is the best then the consumers will do all the advertising they need. So what if the church did this, what if we got so excited about our product that we presented it everywhere we went. You see we have a product and that product is Jesus. So the question is has Jesus became viral in our churches that we look for every opportunity to market him. I think that our churches are great marketing tools but no matter how much advertising we do it is critical that the people market the church. We just need our people to go out and sell the product. Jesus' disciples had a great viral marketing scheme and because of that we have the church as we know it today. We need to become a church with a viral infection that spreads like wild fire.

True Freedom

2010-06-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

We talk about freedom and/or the lack there of, a lot these days. We are in constant debate over whether we have this as a right or whether our rights are being taken from us. We debate the bailouts and the power that the government should have or not have. But in reality our freedom is truly found only in one place and that is Christ. This week we will once again celebrate Independence Day. (This year is unique because it actually falls on Sunday.) A day when America declared freedom from the tyranny of oppression. America declared a freedom of rights and ultimately a freedom of religion. But this Sunday as we worship we also can celebrate our freedom that is found in Christ. This week, we will be using a passage that Paul wrote to the church at Galatia. (Galatians 5:1, 13-25) Now Paul knew what it was like to be a slave. He knew what it was like to be tied to the law with no way of choosing to live freely. Then something happen to him on the way to Damascus, he was blinded to the point that he could see. Paul found Jesus and found a new freedom. So often, when I talk with people about becoming a believer they shy away from it because they feel that in order to believe in Christ means that you become a slave to a dull and boring life. The realization is that if you are bound to sin then you really have no freedom. It is actually Christ that frees us and leads us to an Independence. This week we will examine how Christ can set us free from sin and lead us to use the gifts of the spirit. Come this week and recommit yourself to a new found freedom in Christ.

Facing the King of Fears

2010-06-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been faced with confronting someone and it brought such fear in your inner being that it made your stomach turn? I mean you just somehow knew that the outcome was not going to go well and not only that you were scared of the person that you needed to confront. I guess today, I must confess my greatest fear and that is the fear of confrontation. I have always come off as being bold and brash but the truth is that I hate conflict. I hate it so bad that I will avoid it like the plague until I have to face it. The reason that I hate conflict is because it seems to send me into a rage. I am a flight or fight type of person. Now over the years with God's help I have gotten better at handling conflict and coming to a resolution but I am still a work in process. The story that we will use this week, will help many of you who have the same fear as I have, the fear of confrontation. In today's scripture we meet a queen named Esther who had to face ultiamtley the King of all fears. She had to confront the King that was about to do a great injustice on her people. She had to devise a plan that would save her people even if it meant that she must die in the process. This week we will examine how in God will stand with one even when the cards are stacked against you. We will see how a queen that faced her fears and took a stand changed everything.

Defenseless Position

2010-06-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found yourself in a defenseless position? I mean you want to do something but your hands were tied. Maybe your hands were tied because of your lack of resources or knowledge. Then there are times when we find ourselves defenseless like returning from a shopping excursion to find that someone has broke into our car and stole all the contents. We all have situations in our life where we have been violated and have felt very defenseless. Today, we see the story of Daniel in the lions den. Daniel was an old man when this story took place and he had been in a leadership position for many years. Daniel was what we may label as an oxymoron because he was an "honest politician". But many of the people around him despised this because they were not honest. Not only were they dishonest but they were very jealous and vindictive of Daniel. So Daniel found himself in a defenseless position because those that used to be his friends had now turned on him. These so-called friends then went to the King with a decree that would not allow him to bow a pray. Now this decree was only for thirty days but Daniel was accustomed to praying three times daily. Daniel could have prayed in private for thirty days or just taken a sabbatical from praying but Daniel refused to let this decree keep him from spending time with his God. Instead of finding himself in a defensless position he went to his constant position and that was on his knees in three times daily for prayer. You see Daniel knew that when one was on there knees then they did not have far to fall when they get knocked down. You see even when we find our self defenseless we have the greatest weapon available and that weapon is prayer. The story for Daniel does not end with his prayer but goes on to play out in the den of a lion. It is here that we see that all the prayers of this faithful old man are heard. This week we will learn that we do not need to fear when are defenseless because we have the same power that Daniel had, we have the power of prayer. This week we will examine how this can help us to be lion chaser rather than lion's dinner.

Standing for Something

2010-06-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

I often quote my late college football coach because he was one of the wisest men I had ever met. One of his most famous quotes, later became a country song. The quote went like this: "you have to stand for something or you will fall for everything". I hate to say it but I think that this world today is a "fall for anything world". One of the things we fear is not fitting in so rather than take a stand we cower in fear. This week we will see three young men to not only took a stand but risk there life in order to take a stand. They refused to deny the God that they loved. Now some say that there is strength in numbers and maybe because there were three of them taking a stand was a lot easier but regardless they all stood for something and by doing so they changed the world and the people around them. So often rather than try to change the people around us we give in and let people change what we believe in or stand for. So the question is why in a world where we have the freedom to worship freely do we not even take a stand for what we believe is right and just. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three teenagers who could have been at the top of the food chain, they could have been in charge and living large. They could have gotten anything that they wanted by just bowing down to an idol. I mean it was not that they had to worship the idol they just had to pretend to be worshipping the idol. But these teenagers, yes that is right teenagers refused to surcomb to the peer pressure that society had pressed on them. They knew that the consequences would probably mean death but here is the thing they were not scared. They were certain that God would be with them. They were willing to take a stand because they were lion chasers and risk takers. This week hopefully we will be inspired to hear how we can take a stand in the midst of a society that is pulling us in every direction.

What Are you Scared of?

2010-05-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

2 Samuel 23

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²¹ And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. ²² Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.

This week we are starting a new sermon series entitled "Fear Not". This series will address the fact that we live in a world that scares us to death. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they have quit living a normal life. Every where we turn we hear headlines about powerful acts of nature, famine, financial crisis, rumors of war, and stories of tragedy. So what are we to do in a world that scares us to death? Well the answers to these questions are right in the Bible. This month we will examine Old Testament characters that faced their fears and came out unscathed. We will look at how we can learn some valuable lessons that will help us to have a lot less fearful attitude in this world. This week will will look at an almost ridiculous story about a man who chased a lion into a cave to fight him. Now I do not know about you but if I saw a lion and it ran away I would definitely not chase that lion into cave. As matter of fact I am sure that there is not a person alive that does not have a least some fear of a lion. I remember taking the kids to the circus this year and watching as one of the lions went after the lion tamer. I remember thinking to myself why in the world does this man chose to climb into a ring with 7 lions. I mean, I am thinking if this man does get eaten my kids will be scared and need therapy for the rest of there lives. But this week we will talk about Benaiah, a man who rose to the top of the military ladder because he faced his fears. A man who discovered that with God on his side he could do amazing things. Now I am not going to suggest this week that you purchase an admission ticket to the Birmingham Zoo and climbed in to fight a lion. What we are going to discuss is how when you face your fears you can actually become a story teller. We will discover that the opposite of fear is really boredom. In a world that surrounds us with fear we will learn how to attack the roaring lion. So what are you afraid of? Join us this week for worship.

When Jesus gets personal so do we.

2010-05-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

John 12:3

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

The last four weeks we have talked about obstacles to faith and what happens when we realize that "it is personal". You see when our obstacles are reduced our questions do not really matter as much. The two essential questions that we should be asking is "who are you Jesus and what can I do with this?" When we asked those questions then all other questions really do not matter. We do not really care that all of our questions have not been answered. We realize that even if they were answered we would just develop new ones. When we put our questions aside we realize that not only does Jesus want to get personal with us but we also want to reciprocate this by getting personal with him. This Sunday we will look at the story of the women who anointed Jesus' feet. This women used perfume (a year's worth the salary) to anoint Jesus' feet. Some saw this as a waste but Jesus saw this as personal. This was as personal as anyone had ever been with Jesus. It was here that this lady spared no cost or even the possibility of being chastised. This lady broke ever norm and custom that had been established. This women took a risk because she had learned from Jesus that it is personal. Now we may never be able to wash Jesus feet or even buy Jesus a meal in person. Even though we may not be able to do this to the physical form of Jesus, we can still do all these things. Remember Jesus says, "for if you have done for the lest of these you have done for me." This week we will learn that because Jesus made it personal we can also make it personal.

Two Questions?

2010-05-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

This week we will examine our fourth installment of "It"s Personal". This week we will examine the obstacle of believing, "we do not deserve grace". One of the obstacles to faith is that people feel because of the their previous sins, they are doomed or cursed by God. In some circles of Christianity this is a wide spread belief. Some people think that if a child is born with a handicap or an aliment then it is their previous sins that caused the child to be this way. Last week, we looked at a story of a man that had been blind since birth. In the story the Pharisees asked the question "who sinned this man or his parents?" You see when something bad happens we often feel that we are a giant "Voodoo Doll" and that God is sticking pins through our life. You know this is such a fallacy in people's theology. The Bible actually says, "if God is for us then who can be against us?" This week we will prove that God can use anyone for ministry and that our previous sins do not mean that our future is going to be tainted and obscured. We will examine a man who was known as the persecutor of "the way". This young man was named Saul and his sole purpose in life was to exterminate followers of Christ. These followers known as believers of "the way". and they were worshipping in the synagogues. As they were worshipping Jesus, Saul was rounding them up and persecuting them. On his way to stamp out the Christians he was called by Jesus to not only quit persecuting believers of the way but to also join "the way". Now here is the problem with this if anyone deserved to be cursed it should be Saul. I mean after all this is a guy who not only does not believe in Jesus but wants to kill those that do. So what happens to this man? Does he doubt whether he is worthy? Does he begin to tell God all the reasons and obstacles that he has? No not at all. Instead he ask two questions? He asked, Jesus who are you? and then he asked him "what really happened after the crucifixion?" You see these are the only two questions that we really need to be asking. Because when we get to the bottom of these two questions all the other obstacles just shrink. Join us this week as we examine how Paul not only worked through his questions but became the most prolific New Testament writer of all time. It may be that you are also able to work through your obstacles.

It's Personal Week #3: Undeniable

2010-05-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen something miraculous but could convince yourself that it actually happened? You saw it happen and you experienced the outcome but you just cannot wrap your mind around it. Maybe you work from the reverse and have been told that something is impossible but you have witnessed it. If you have ever tried to convince someone of a miraculous event you know how hard it is to convince the naysayers. You can tell the story over and over again without gaining any support. In this week's scripture Jesus heals a guy that has been blind from death. (John 9) After the healed man shows himself to the religious authorities they refuse to believe that he was really healed. They come up with every excuse as to why it could not be the man who had been blind since birth. They say, "it only looks like the guy". Some others say that the man was really not blind but had a temporary aliment. I mean they have seen this blind guy everyday and now they fail to believe that a healing could take place. You see sometimes even when the undeniable miracle happens it still does not remove our obstacles to faith. When you read the scripture you learn that it is not the miracle that they doubt the most but the person who performed the miracle. You see sometimes miracles are hard to believe because they did not happen to us. Lots of times our obstacles become bigger when someone else is chosen to have their obstacle removed. This week we will examine why even though the leaders could see the evidence that a miracle had taken place they would not allow for their obstacles to be removed.

Coming to terms

2010-05-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we examined what the obstacles to faith included and that they will probably never be removed. We talked about the fact that you will not become a Christian because your big obstacles will go away but because they will shrink. When those obstacles shrink Jesus will become personal. When Jesus becomes real to us then our faith moves from a category to personal. This week we examine what it means to come to terms with our own faith. Sometimes we pray for things and then do not receive them in the time or the manner which we think they should be received. This sometimes creates a doubt and even an obstacle to our faith. You know many of us believe that we are allowed to tell God how it is going to be and what our agenda entails. The truth is that God comes to us on his terms and not on our terms. The story this week is about a man who tried to push his agenda. He had a promise from God but it was not working according to his time. When things are not working as we planned we tend to create our own obstacles to God. He had waited so long for God to come through that when God finally did answer his prayers he was speechless. You know when we surrender our agenda and come to terms with God's agenda we are greatly rewarded. What is it that you need to come to terms with? This week we will help you examine how God wants to fill in the gaps and for you to come to terms with unanswered prayers.

"It's Personal" week #1

2010-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

This week we start our new sermon series entitled, "It's Personal". In this series we will examine how God wants to have a personal relationship with us. This may seem so foreign to us because God seems to be at such a distance. But that could not be further than the truth. You see so often we say, "God if you are real prove yourself to me". But in order to have a personal relationship with Jesus one must also have a faith in what cannot be seen. But how is that possible for a world that demands proof in everything. This first week we will examine Phillip who takes Jesus at face value and decides to follow him but when he shares his new found faith with Nathaniel he receives opposition. So what does Phillip do with this opposition? He invites Nathaniel to come check it out for himself. What happens next ought to give all of us a hope that have friends or family members that do not believe or wish to have Jesus proven to them. Nathaniel meets Jesus and immediately he sees that Jesus is undeniable. This sermon series is what I call "an invitation series". It is an opportunity for you to ask the doubters, those with weak faith and those that have questions to come and meet Jesus. To come with all there doubts and inquisitions and examine whether faith is all that you really need to believe in Jesus. I heard a great quote the other day from a priest that was questioned on how he could have faith and if we ever wished it was proven. "His response is that my faith is my proof and my faith is all I need" Another quote I found read, "To me faith means not worrying". ~John Dewey

The Outsider's Gospel

2010-04-19T06:55:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt like an outsider? I mean you walk up to a group of people talking and you immediately feel a cold shoulder. You feel as if maybe they were even talking about you as you walked up. It is then that you realize that you may be an outsider. You know the gospel was really written for the outsiders, the ones that were despised and rejected. You see Jesus did not pick the ones that scored highest on the SAT or were valedictorian of the class to follow him. He did not run in circles with the popular ones or the ones with all the political power. Jesus hung around with and ministered to the outsiders. The poor and the lowly, the ones that were passed by everyday as they stood to beg for a dime. This week we will examine an outsider of a different sort. In the scripture, we see a person who is very different from the Jews, his name is Cornelius and he is a Centurion. He is also a God- fearing man. In a dream he is told to call for Peter. Peter also has a similar dream which lets him know that he needs to change his exclusive Jewish thinking to invite outsiders to come into a relationship with Christ. How can one Minster to outsiders? How can we change our way of thinking and our way of looking at those that are different that we are? One of the ways that we do this is a key component of our Mission statement, "We do this by taking risk". This new way of ministering was brand new to Peter. It called for him to think outside of his own self. It called him to places that a staunch Jew would never venture. It called for him to change his diet and to see that the rest of the world was just as in need of Jesus as the Jews. He also had to come to the realization that his own people were the one's that were rejecting the gospel that he so desperately held faith too. Peter came to realize that he must minster to the outsiders. This week we will examine how God may be calling us to to do the same thing. To minister to those who are very different. I hope you will join us as we look at the story of Peter and Cornelius.

Living Longer

2010-04-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

Do you know anyone that has ever lived to be a hundred years old? You know very few people in the United States live to be a century old. But in Japan living to a ripe old age is the norm. A 2008 survey revealed that Japan has more centenarians than any place in the world with 36,000 citizens aged 100 or older. In the United States, the ratio is about 10 per 100,000. So what is the key to living longer? But is living to century really that great of a thing. What is the quality of life after that many years of living? This weeks scripture comes from I Corinthians 15. Now there is nowhere else in Paul's writings where there is a more vivid look at the resurrection. You see even some in the ripe old age of 90 people manage to do more than just sit around and wait to die. I have known people in there 90's who have painted, knitted, played instruments, volunteered at the hospital and a few that even ran a 10k race. But the truth is most are no longer capable of doing the things that they once did when they were younger. But in I Corinthians, we are shown that there is more to life than just living a long time on this earth. Christ’s resurrection does indeed lead to our own hope in the future, but a future that is not realized until the return of Christ. You see the resurrection is the promise that one day we will be free from the pain and obstacles that we sometimes have to live through. This week, we will examine two things. The first is that the human body can not last forever but we can sure make the most of this life while waiting for Christ return. The second thing that we will look at is that the Resurrection is more than a metaphor. Because if this was the case then everything we stand for would not really matter. But if this was only a Metaphor, our preaching ministry would be useless (v. 14) and deceitful (v. 15).

Training wheels are coming off

2010-04-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last week on Friday Jackson and I set out to accomplish a mission. He was going to learn to ride his bike without his training wheels. So we set up in the church parking lot and he began the journey that would change his life forever. This little task would change the way that he viewed the world. It would give him more freedom and a way to get to places faster than ever before. It would teach him one of the most valuable lessons in the life. The lesson of when you fall down, you must pick your self up and ride again. So we began our journey. The first few minutes brought about frustration, anger , and even tears. Then on one of our attempts, Jackson made three to four pedal revolutions and then fell to the ground. That is when I noticed a smile and gleam enter my little boys face. He knew that we could do this. The cloud of doubt was being removed. The next try, I balanced him, gave him a push and he rode six parking spots across the lot. He knew at that at this point that he had overcome one of the major hurdles in life, he had let go and trusted. It was not long after riding those six parking spots that he rode around the whole parking lot. Everyone that he encountered that day he told them of his new acquired skill. He was proud that he had removed the doubt and had learned to ride. Now all he wants to do is ride his bike. You know learning to ride a bike can invoke a lot of doubt. Today, we find the disciples surrounded with doubt. They have lost their vision, they have lost their leader, and they have lost their popularity. But Jesus appears to them in the upper room and lets them know that it is time for the training wheels to come off. There apprenticeship is over and now it is time for their ministry to begin. Jesus had taught them every lesson that they needed to know to carry out the great commandment and the great commission. But there is doubt and fear in the locked upper room. Where would your emotional state have been if you were one of the twelve? Would you have been filled with doubt or would you have come to a place of faith? This week we will examine what this encounter in the upper room means in and through our life. Many may even come to worship this week as Thomas, filled with doubt but remember all faith started with doubt. See you Sunday!

What will you find?

2010-03-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Would you be surprised if you reached the tomb only to find the body missing? I know that on almost every holiday my mom visits the graves of her parents. I know that every time that she gets there she knows that the marker and remains of her parents are going to be in that mausoleum. But when Peter reached the tomb he found that it was empty. Here is the thing, Peter approached the grave with an empty feeling. Every thing that he had ever known had been taken away from him. He had denied Jesus three times and now had no idea where to turn. He was dazed and confused. You know today as we look around we may feel the same way. We see things just kind of coming unraveled right around us. We hear of a broken government and a broken economy. He hear of catastrophes and genocide taking place all around us. Many of us because of things that have happen in our life we feel like Peter as he approached the tomb? As we approach the tomb this Easter what are we expecting to find? You know Peter had wanted a King but he found a humble servant. Peter had wanted fame instead he found isolation. Peter had wanted to rule from the throne room and instead he found himself hiding in fear. What Peter had expected was nothing like what was unfolding. So here Peter stands in an empty tomb wondering what is going on. But soon he realize that everything that Jesus had spoken was true. Jesus had risen, he had risen indeed. It was true he had conquered death and was alive. This week you will stand in the midst of an empty tomb and you will ask the same question, what does this all really mean in my life?" Soon you will find out what it means in your life the same way that Peter found out because you will move from the cross to the grave and from the grave to the table. Join us Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, you never know what you might find!

Missing the Main Event

2010-03-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Luke 19
They replied, "The Lord needs it."
35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"[b]
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Have you ever missed a date or something important in your life? Maybe you got so preoccupied with something else that what you were suppose to do just slipped your mind. Then there are things that we miss because we may not know that we are looking for them. One of my favorite illustrations is the story of the boy who missed the circus. You see a young boy heard that the circus was coming to town and he asked his father, "if he would take him"? The father responded, "that the boy knew that this was peak harvest time and there was no way that would be possible". He also indicated that the little boy's mother would also not be available to take him because of all the pressing work to be done. But what the father did promise is that if the little boy worked extra hard he would give him enough money to walk to to the circus and see it by himself. So the little boy agreed and went diligently to work. When the day of the Circus arrived the father gave the little boy the money needed to get into the circus and some money for a treat. The little boy left out extra early to get to the circus so that he could see everything. He arrived at the circus just as they were unloading the circus cars. He stood with other people as they paraded in the elephants and the tigers. He saw clowns on stilts and others walking around with big shoes. He saw dog trainers walking in with a dozen dogs and even a silly car being unloaded. He stood and watched for thirty or so minutes and then he turned and walked back home. When he got back home his father asked,"how was the circus". The little boy responded that it was great. He told the father about how they unloaded the trains and how he had seen the animals. He mentioned that one of the clowns had even stopped and shook his hand. The little boy then handed the money back to the father and said "that the circus had been free." It was then that the father realized that the little boy had not actually attended the circus but he had only seen the prelude which is the parade. He then told the little boy that even though he hay what been amazed by what he seen, he had actually missed the greatest show on earth, He had really only just seen the parade. You see this story can really relate to the triumphal entry. You see some people witnessed the parade of Jesus but they missed the greatest act of love ever exhibited. Some of us may also miss the real reason that Jesus rode into town. He rode in town so that he could ransom his life for us. Join us this Sunday as we explore the significance of Palm Sunday and what we can take from the parade.

Limping In All Out!

2010-03-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal;* but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved,* I do not consider that I have made it my own;* but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly* call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are we “all in” with God, or are we going to “limp in”? If you were told you were never going to walk again what would go through your mind? I read a story this week about Maj. Phil Packer. The Major just limped to the finish line in his first ever marathon. The normal time allotted for a 26.2 mile marathon is 6-6 1/2 hours with most finishers coming in between the 3:30 and 5 hour mark. However Maj. Packer finished in a mere 13 days. See what you do not know is that the Maj. did it all the marathon on crutches all 52,400 steps. In February 2008, he was struck by a rocket blast while serving in Iraq. The blast left him with severe spinal and heart trauma. He is now a paraplegic and was told by medics that he would never walk again but they were wrong. Not only were they wrong about him never walking but he has finished a marathon, he has rowed across the English channel and took on Yosemite’s infamous El Capitan — one of America’s hardest mountains to scale. He scaled this grandeur mountain using only his arms. Now most people without knowing the story would say that the Maj. is limping in but we know that he is limping in with all that he has got. But how does one in this situation get to the point that rather than give up on life they challenge every aspect of life. I think that that the Maj. could also teach us a lot about our Christian walk. You know after we surrender our hearts to Christ we could just put our soul on auto pilot and become the casual Sunday Christian. I mean most people believe in the once saved always saved concept. To be honest about 80% of people that are saved believed that once they have accepted Christ they are done. But then there are 20% who look at the Christian journey not as a sprint event but as a marathon. It is grueling and long but it is worth it. How can we make this pilgrimage a marathon? What can we do to live the life of Christ that Paul lived. This week we will look at the Christian walk from the perspective of a marathon. We will attempt to answer the question, are we limping to the finish line and if we are, are we doing it all in?

2010-03-07T19:42:00.001-08:00

Luke 15:13-20

13A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16He would gladly have filled himself with* the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” 20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

You know there are dumb things that we do that we just hope that no one will ever see. Some of these are just mistakes and mishaps and yet others stem from what I call our human stupidity button. (we cannot help but to push it every once and a while) I remember a few months ago. I was walking back to my car and looking at and admiring a motorcycle that was parked in front of the store, at the same time and I ran right into sign. I hit the sign so hard that I almost knocked myself out. I at first thought that there was no one looking till I turned around and there were these two ladies behind me laughing so hard they needed tissues to dry their eye. I was so glad that I could bring them that much joy that day. I know we sometimes can not help things that we do and then there are others times when something just goes bad wrong. We have television shows (America's funnest Videos) that are dedicated to a great idea gone bad and then captured on video. It is then played for the whole world to see our blunder. There are even web sites that you can go to postyourfailure.com. This weeks scripture is a familiar scripture to most of us. It is the story of the wayward son. It is the story of a father's love and a brothers jealousy. It is the story of the prodigal son. You know this whole Bible story would have made for great reality T.V. This week we will examine this story in snapshots that highlight the brothers failures. I think that we will also find ourselves in several places in this story. I think that we will see how if the world was to catch us on video our lives may not be that much different than this one that we love to criticize and judge. But the truth is even though we have those my bad moments we have a God that says that's alright.