26 AUG 2014

18 AUG 2014 · Luke 16:1-15 is one of the most difficult--and disagreed upon--parables in the New Testament. But it also holds some intense lessons about how the world is, and how Jesus wants us to work to make it! It's not about "buying" your way to popularity and good standing, but about living in a way that shows you stand with the Kingdom of God.

11 AUG 2014 · It's always a temptation to look for the path of least resistance to get to where we want to go. We are enticed to choose ease and convenience rather than a path of discipleship. Jesus shows us that looking towards "hype" rather than heaven is not the path. Getting people's attention is temporary, but getting them to accept the way of the Cross is honest, real, and eternal.

4 AUG 2014 · So what is the true nature of temptation: The call to turn towards a sinful act, or the much riskier call to turn away from God? We all carry massive guilt because we don't obtain more of what the world calls "important". We strive to be the best parents in the neighborhood, have the nicest house on the block, or obtain the most prestigious job. But every turn we make towards these things creates more stress and guilt, because they take us further away from God. If we want to deal with temptation, we need a definitive turn towards God.

28 JUL 2014 · Anyone else in the world have problems? Yeah, most of us do. The issue is, how do we choose to approach our problems? Will we turn to our immediate needs, comfort and security first? Or will we truly allow the Word and Spirit of the Lord to pierce our hearts? Preparation for God's path cannot be followed by an immediate turn back towards ourselves.

21 JUL 2014 · If you grew up in a traditional Baptist church, you know hymn #644 "Count Your Blessings". But the Living Christ warns us that we need to spend less time counting, and more time SHARING our blessings. Having much is not a call to clamp down and hang on to what we have. Instead, it is God's challenge to let go and do more to share what He has provided.

16 JUL 2014 · Sometimes in scripture, we find difficult and challenging passages. But we also tend to make things more difficult than they truly are. Luke 5:34-39 is one of those passages. Jesus takes his culturally loaded parables and strings them together to give us the simple truth: Don't miss great opportunities by holding on to ancient traditions.

7 JUL 2014 · What was the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist? If we learn anything from it, we can gather that we all need people, and we all need help! John needed Jesus, and Jesus needed John. Part of our walk of discipleship is learning to know and appreciate the people that God puts in our lives to move us forward. Perhaps we should learn to ask questions and stop to wait for real answers, rather than missing the opportunity to truly know one another.

15 JUN 2014 · There are two visions that we need to see for the future: The Harsh Realities and the Exciting Possibilities! This is a presentation of how God can work in both of those. Our challenge is to "Find out where God is working; and then, join Him there!"

11 JUN 2014 · "This too shall pass" are the four truest, happiest, and saddest words in our vocabulary. Change is inevitable in all parts of life, and hurt is often a product of those changes. How do we let the Spirit of God lead us through the "hurts" to a healthier path? Psalm 23:5 leads us to some answers.