Podcasts about niv then jesus

261. Edible Theology with Kendall Vanderslice   Kendall's Website   John 6:35 NIV "Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."   **Transcription Below**   Kendall Vanderslice says "Yes, before you ask, that is my true name."   Kendall is a baker and writer whose best thinking occurs as she works dough between her hands; scribbles down thoughts on pieces of parchment dusted in flour, until she can parse them out later before her keyboard. When she embarked on a career as a pastry chef, she found that her love of bread transformed the ways she read Scripture. Fascinated by God's use of food throughout the arc of the Gospel, she merged her work in the kitchen with academic study of food and theology.   As a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois (BA Anthropology), she began engaging questions of food and faith. Interested in commensality—or, the social dynamics of eating together—she studied food at Boston University (MLA Gastronomy). Her thesis on church meals sparked a range of theological questions, leading her to Duke University where she wrote a thesis on the theology of bread (MTS). In 2018 she was named a James Beard Foundation national scholar for her work on food and religion.   She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her beagle, Strudel, her sourdough starter Bread Astaire, and her brood of hens: Judith Jones and the Three Gourmands.   Questions and Topics We Cover: You've studied so much about food and theology . . . are there any favorite lessons or resources that you still think about today? Is there any other science in the bread baking that is fascinating because it also has a richer, deeper spiritual meaning? What's one recipe in the book you're especially excited about?   Other Episode Mentioned from The Savvy Sauce: 47 Relationships and Opportunities that Arise from Using Your Gifts with Founder of Neighbor's Table, Sarah Harmeyer   Related Episodes on The Savvy Sauce: 15 The Supernatural Power Present While Gathering at the Table with Devi Titus Practical Tips to Eating Dinner Together as a Family with Blogger and Cookbook Co-Author, Rachel Tiemeyer Experiencing Joy, Connection, and Nourishment at the Table with Abby Turner Fresh Take on Hospitality with Jaime Farrell   Thank You to Our Sponsor: Dream Seller Travel, Megan Rokey   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribing to this podcast!   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   **Transcription**   Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:10 - 1:22) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    Do you love to travel?   If so, then let me introduce you to today's sponsor, Dream Seller Travel, a Christian-owned and operated travel agency. Check them out on Facebook or online at DreamSellerTravel.com.    We were one of those families who joined in the COVID trend of baking our own bread.   And so, I was fascinated even years later when I came across my guest for today, Kendall Vanderslice. She's an author and the founder of Edible Theology. And I've always appreciated different verses being brought to life, even things that we interact with every day, such as salt and yeast.   But God has richer meanings for all of these. And so, I can't wait for Kendall to unpack these in our conversation today. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Kendall.   Kendall Vanderslice: (1:20 - 1:22) Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here.   Laura Dugger:  (1:23 - 1:30) Would you mind just starting us off by sharing a bit about your background and what led you to the work that you get to do today?   Kendall Vanderslice: (1:31 - 3:46) Sure. So, I have always loved baking. I always, you know, when I was a child, but especially once I was in middle school and high school, I had a lot of anxiety.   And so, when I just ever, anytime I needed to work through any sort of scope of emotions, I would always turn to the kitchen. Working with my hands became this way to sort of ground me and help me find calm in the midst of sort of my mind just buzzing. I was also one of five kids.   So, it was like after everyone had gone to bed and the kitchen was silent, was the only time there was quiet in my house. And so that was kind of always became the source of calm and grounding for me. And so, then when I graduated high school and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, once again, I turned to the kitchen as a way to try and process what I should do.   And long story short, over time, I realized, oh, maybe actually this work of baking is the work that I am called to do. And so, I ended up taking a very circuitous path to get there. I took a gap year after high school.   I went to undergrad and studied anthropology in college. And in that time, learned that I could, my love of food and my love of the kitchen, I could examine not just in the practice of cooking, but through an anthropological and historical lens, looking at how food shapes community and shapes culture and how culture shapes the foods that we eat. And so, from there, I went and worked in professional kitchens.   But I had all these historical, cultural, theological questions kind of buzzing around at the same time. And, you know, I would go from my work at the bakery on Sunday morning. I would rush from work to church and I would receive communion each week with bread dough still stuck to my arms.   And I started to question, what does this bread that I spend my whole morning baking have to do with this bread that I receive at the communion table? And so that just unlocked a whole new path of what I could do with bread and with my baking beyond just in the kitchen and larger understanding how it shapes our awareness of who God is and how God is at work in our lives and in our communities.   Laura Dugger:  (3:47 - 3:58) Wow, that is incredible. And even today, do you want to share a few of your offerings? Because edible theology was a new concept to me, and it's just fascinating what all you have going on.   Kendall Vanderslice: (3:59 - 5:31) Yeah, absolutely. So, my primary program is that I teach a workshop called Bake and Pray. And so, this is a workshop where I teach people how to bake bread as a form of prayer.   So, we look at the ways that bread is at play throughout the narrative of Scripture, kind of what it is that God is using, why it is that God is using bread as the storytelling device in the narrative of Scripture, and why Jesus would give us bread at the center of Christian worship. But then at the same time, we're learning how the actual practice of baking bread can be a way to connect with God, to find rest and to understand God's presence with us in a very tangible form. So, with that, I also have a handful of books.   Most recently, I released a book called Bake and Pray. It's sort of this workshop in book form. It's a collection of recipes, but also a collection of liturgies, so that you have the tools you need to make your time in the kitchen a time of prayer. I call it a prayer book meets cookbook.    But I also have a handful of other resources, a Bible study or a small group study called Worship at the Table, where it's actually helping people gather around the table and understand how God is at work through the table. And I have a podcast that it was a limited run.   There are 30 episodes called Kitchen Meditations. They are short meditations to listen to while you cook, while you're in the kitchen. So, you can understand the food that you eat more fully and also understand how your time preparing it can be a time of worship.   Laura Dugger:  (5:31 - 5:50) I love that. And there's so much to unpack. But let's just start here with all the things that you've studied with food and theology and gone to school for years and put this into practice.   Are there any favorite lessons that stand out and are maybe ones that you still think about today?   Kendall Vanderslice: (5:51 - 6:57) Well, you know, one of my favorite books that helped shape my understanding of food is a book that was written in the 1960s by an Episcopal priest named Robert Carr-Capin. It's a book called The Supper of the Lamb. This book is just a delightful book to read.   I think everybody should read it. Robert Carr-Capin was he was an Episcopal priest, but he was also a food writer and he also was a humor writer. He and his wife wrote a satirical column together.   And so, The Supper of the Lamb is kind of the culmination of all three. It is this beautiful reflection on a theology of food in the table, but it is hilarious as well. And so, it is written as instructions to host a dinner party that is all built around preparing lamb for eight people in four different ways.   And so, it's reflections on kind of, you know, this revelation, the imagery in the book of Revelation on the marriage supper of the lamb, But then taking that to be a very liberal dinner party that he hosts in his home. And it will forever change the way that you think about food and think about the table and think about how God cares about food.   Laura Dugger:  (6:58 - 7:13) Wow, that's interesting. And even a piece of that that you had highlighted before is community, that food draws us together in community. Are there any lessons or reflections you have on that topic as well?   Kendall Vanderslice: (7:14 - 9:03) Yeah, I mean, so I spend my days traveling the country and visiting churches and eating meals with strangers all the time. This is such a central part of my work. So, my first book was a study of churches that eat together as their primary form of worship.   And so, I had the opportunity to research 10 different churches across the country and look at how does this practice of eating together regularly shape their understanding of community, but also shape their understanding of church and shape their understanding of worship. And what I saw in that practice of traveling and eating with all of these churches was that communities that were built around the table, where their primary rhythm of gathering was this practice of eating together and talking together and dialoguing together. It created such resilience within these communities as they faced conflict and tension within them that their commitment to eating together, but then their understanding of these community meals as being intrinsically connected to the communion table, the meal of bread and the cup that they also shared, it shaped their ability to have conversations and wade into hard topics that communities might otherwise try to say, you know, kind of avoid, because what they believed was that, you know, the table that we gather at regularly is a place that can kind of manage and hold on to those tensions.   And it's a place where these hard conversations can arise. But also at the end of each of these meals, we remember that we are going to share the bread and the cup together and that God has told us that we have been made one in the body and blood of Christ. And so, we have a responsibility to care for one another, even as we argue and disagree and have a really, you know, dig into these hard conversations.   Laura Dugger:  (9:04 - 9:58) That is beautiful. And I think of so many things when you say that. I'm in the book of Acts right now, my quiet time.   And so, the early churches, they were breaking bread together daily. You see that as part of the impact, the outflow that came from that. And then just, I think, gratitude as you share, because I wasn't a follower of Jesus growing up.   Our family went to church. And by the time I was in high school, all of my family were believers, including my siblings. I was the last one.   But the church that we went to, we shared a meal together every Sunday. And those relationships are long lasting. Then you hear about what people are actually going through.   It's such a natural way to dive deeper into that fellowship. And so, I love that you've traveled around and studied this. And I'm also curious if you've connected with one of my past guests, Sarah Harmeyer with the Neighbors Table.   Kendall Vanderslice: (9:59 - 10:03) I am familiar with her work, but I have never actually connected with her.   Laura Dugger:  (10:04 - 10:09) OK, you two. I'll link her episode in the show notes, but I think you two would have a lot of fun together.   Kendall Vanderslice: (10:09 - 10:14) Oh, great. Great, great. I know I've seen some of her tables on.   She's the one who builds tables. Is that right?   Laura Dugger:  (10:14 - 10:15) Yes. Yes.   Kendall Vanderslice: (10:15 - 10:19) Yes. OK. I have seen her tables on Instagram, and they look just absolutely beautiful.   Laura Dugger:  (10:19 - 10:37) I love it. Well, I'd also like to talk about your most recent book, because there's one part where you talk about the sacred language of bread. And I'd love for you just to walk us through some significant scriptures that highlight bread throughout the Bible.   Kendall Vanderslice: (10:37 - 19:43) Yeah, absolutely. So, one of the reasons that I love to think of bread in terms of a language itself is because so often we think of our faith as being something that happens predominantly in our minds, that it is the things we believe about God and the words that we say to God. And it becomes this very sort of mental exercise of worshiping God in our heads.   And we forget that the rest of our bodies and the rest of our lives are a part of how we know God as well, that we were created in these human bodies with all of these senses. And it's only through these senses that we get to know the world around us. And it's in getting to know this creation around us that we get to know our creator as well.   And so when we think of our faith as happening something predominantly in our minds, then when we have these moments where we don't feel like God is present, or we feel like we don't hear from God, or we just don't have the energy to, you know, to read scripture every day, or we feel like we, you know, I'm just like praying and praying and praying, and I've just exhausted the words I have to say. Then it's easy for us to feel like we've been abandoned by God, that we're in this sort of spiritual dark place. But Jesus, he calls himself the word, but, you know, Jesus is the word that was present with God in the beginning.   But Jesus also calls himself the bread of life. And Jesus identifies himself as something deeply tangible. And he offers his own body to us in the form of bread at the communion table.   And so, Jesus is telling us that Jesus is present with us in this very tangible form, something that we can mix together with our hands, something that we can taste on our tongues, something that we can feel in our bellies as we digest it. That Jesus is telling us, like, I am with you in this deeply tangible way. And if you don't feel my presence, and if you don't, you know, hear what I am telling you, or you don't feel like I am listening to you, know that you can eat this bread and have this very tangible reminder that I have promised to remain present with you and to remain faithful to you.   And so, the ways that we see this at work in Scripture, once we understand that, you know, bread is not just a metaphor, that bread is actually something very physical and tangible, a way that God speaks to us, I think it changes the way that we see bread show up in Scripture. That it's not just a handy metaphor that shows up every, all over the place in the Bible, but that Jesus is actually, that God is actually doing something through bread itself.    So, the very first place that we see bread appear in Scripture is as early as Genesis 3:19, “It is by the sweat of your brow that you will eat your bread until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken, from dust you come, and to dust you will return.” So, prior to this point in Genesis, we have the creation accounts, we have, you know, that God has created the garden, placed humanity in the garden to tend to this creation, to care for it. And they are intended to, you know, they are nourished by the fruits of these trees, they delight in God by delighting in God's creation.   And God gave them just one restriction, which was a restriction on what they could eat. And so, in Genesis 3:19, we know that they have failed to honor this restriction that God has given them. And we are now learning the ramifications of that fall.   And one of those ramifications is that the soil is going to sprout forth thistles and thorns. That we will no longer just be nourished by the fruits of the trees, but that we will have to labor in this soil. We will have to labor against a creation that works against us in order to have our nutritional needs met.   But at the same time, God offers us this gift, that it's by the sweat of your brow, you will eat your bread. Our bread, you know, doesn't just grow from a tree. The humanity was probably not eating bread in the garden.   But in this offering of bread, that it's by the sweat of your brow, you will eat your bread. Humans are being told, yes, we will have to labor in the soil in order to nourish ourselves. But also, we are being invited to participate with God in the transformation of creation into something really delicious as well.   So, bread is, at the same time, both this picture of the brokenness of creation and yet also the goodness of God. This blessing, this gift from God in the midst of a broken creation. The production of bread, historically, has required a lot of work.   It requires months and months of laboring in the soil to grow wheat, harvest wheat, thresh it, and then grind it into flour. Turn that flour into dough, gather firewood to heat up an oven, and then turn that dough into bread before finally being able to eat it. So, humanity has long known that it is, you know, there is this deep, this incredible amount of labor required to make bread.   And yet also, bread contains almost all of the nutrients that humans need in order to survive. We can live off of just bread and water alone for a very, very, very long time. And in fact, many humans throughout most of human history have lived off of just bread and water for a very, very, very long time.   So then when we see bread show up in other places in scripture, we see it show up as this picture of God's miraculous provision for God's people. We see it show up as a sign of God's presence with God's people. And we see it as a sign of God's promises to God's people that God will continue this work of restoration until we have this imagery of this renewed creation in the book of Revelation.   So, one picture of that is in this provision of manna for the Israelites in the desert. You know, I think oftentimes for us, we read this story and we think the miracle is like, well, I don't know about you, but I've never opened my front door and had bread strewn across my lawn that I could just go out and gather. But we can still picture just walking into a grocery store and having a whole aisle of bread to choose from, right?   For us, the miracle seems like it just appears out of nowhere, but it doesn't seem all that crazy to just have a bunch of ready-made bread available to you. But for the Israelites, the work of making bread would have been nine months or more of labor between growing wheat, harvesting it, turning that wheat into flour, flour into dough, dough into bread. That's work that was not possible while they were wandering in the desert.   And so, when God is providing this miracle of manna, all they have to do is go out every single morning and gather, and they have to trust day after day after day that God is going to continue to provide. So, then we see a mirror of this in the story of the feeding of the 5,000. Once again, I think the miracle to us oftentimes feels like, you know, well, I've never seen five loaves capable of feeding 5,000 plus people.   But still, we can picture a Costco aisle of bread that probably has enough bread to feed 5,000 people. Just the presence of bread enough for that size crowd doesn't seem all that miraculous. But for the crowd who was gathered on the hillside with Jesus, they would have had a much closer awareness of just how much work was required to grow enough, in this case, barley.   One of the accounts says that it was barley bread. So, to grow enough barley to make enough bread to feed this crowd. And at the very least, in Mark's account of the gospel, we see a very direct link to work and how much work would be required to feed this crowd.   Because in the gospel of Mark, it says that it would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread to feed this crowd. So, this distinct connection between labor and hard work in order to feed, to provide the bread for these people. But Jesus circumvents that labor required to either make the bread or buy the bread and just miraculously provides these five loaves to feed 5,000 plus people.   So then on the night before his death, Jesus takes, I think, this imagery one step further. It is not just the labor of making bread that Jesus circumvents in his provision of bread for his disciples. He offers bread to his disciples and says, “This is my body that is broken for you.”   Jesus is circumventing the very work of defeating the curse of sin and death. He has taken the labor of defeating sin and death onto his own body. And he's offering that body back to his disciples and onto anyone who remembers Him in this meal of bread and the cup.   But he's offering to us His body as in the form of bread, as this picture of the labor that Jesus has taken on, the curse that Jesus has taken on so that we can then live in freedom. And so, we're still currently living in this sort of in-between time where we know that Jesus, that Christ has died, that Christ is risen, and we are still awaiting the day when Christ will come again. We're still awaiting this imagery in the book of Revelation where creation is restored.   And I believe our relationship to bread will purely be one of delight and joy and freedom. But right now, we do still experience that brokenness of creation in relationship to bread. But also, bread is still a way in which we can know God, in which we can trust God's promises to us in this very tangible form in which we can believe that God is with us, even when we don't feel it.   Laura Dugger: (19:43 - 22:17) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. Do you have a bucket list of travel destinations? Or maybe you have a special event coming up like a big anniversary, a honeymoon, or even just that first trip to Europe?   If so, you need to call Dream Seller Travel. Dream Seller Travel is located in Central Illinois, but works with clients all across the USA. 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Let them deal with the problems that arise while traveling so you can just enjoy the trip. Dream Seller Travel has been planning dream trips since 2005 to amazing destinations such as Alaska, Italy, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, France, South Africa, Iceland, and more.   Where do you dream of going? You can reach out to Dream Seller Travel at 309-696-5890,  or check them out online at DreamSellerTravel.com. Thanks for your sponsorship.   In line with your brand of edible theology, I'd love to go further into the scripture. That was so fascinating. I feel like you're so succinct in the way that you put that all together.   So, I kind of want to do a deeper dive into a couple of the key ingredients of bread and then have you share their significance both in contributing to food, but also their significance for our own lives. Absolutely. Let's just begin with salt.   Will you share the scripture and insight into salt?   Kendall Vanderslice: (22:18 - 23:20) Yeah. One of the things that I love about salt, I think oftentimes, especially here in America, we have a sort of distorted understanding of the role that salt plays in our food. Oftentimes, we treat table salt.   We usually have table salt that you just add onto your food after cooking it. Maybe you add a little bit of salt while cooking, but for the most part, you just sprinkle on table salt after. And it almost is treated as this kind of added flavor.   But salt actually should not be this added flavor at the end. Salt should be incorporated into the cooking process because salt opens up our taste receptors on our tongues, and it opens up the flavors in the dish. So, salt actually should not be the predominant flavor that we taste.   Salt should be the thing that allows us to taste everything else. And I think when we understand salt in that form, it should reframe our understanding of what it means to be the salt of the earth or to be salt and light in the world. What does it mean that salt is not the thing that itself gets tasted, but salt is the thing that opens up the flavors of everything else around us?   Laura Dugger:  (23:20 - 23:30) Kendall, can you take that even a step further? What does that practically look like for believers really living as salt of the earth?   Kendall Vanderslice: (23:34 - 24:26) I think one of the great joys of the ways that these metaphors at work in Scripture is that we get to continually explore and see what that means for us and where God might be calling us. But I do think that being aware that to be the salt of the earth is to help pull out the best in the communities around us, to pull out the best in the people around us, is just this really beautiful picture of how I think God asks us to work in community. But our job is not necessarily to be the strong presence.   Our job is not necessarily to make sure everyone knows that we are present, but instead our job is to identify and build up and pull out the best parts of the people around us in the communities that we are in.   Laura Dugger:  (24:27 - 24:56) That's so good. I love how you shared that because for me, as you were unpacking it, I was just thinking that we as the salt, when you taste it, you don't want to think, oh, that's salt. You want, like you said, to open it up to others.   And so that's our purpose is to reflect and glorify Jesus and to point to him. So, I'm sure there's countless meanings. Will you also do the same thing and share the significance of yeast?   Kendall Vanderslice: (24:57 - 29:44) Yeah, sure. So, yeast is, you know, also a fascinating, fascinating thing. And we are only really just beginning to understand sort of the microbial world and the role that it plays in our lives, in our bodies, in our world.   And so, it's opening up entirely new understandings of how yeast is at work in scripture. One thing that we have to bear in mind is that the writers of scripture did not actually know what yeast was. We were only able to identify the microbes that are yeast and bacteria in the last 150 years.   And so, prior to Louis Pasteur, humans didn't know what yeast was. They only knew the reactions of yeast. You know, you saw if I mix together, you know, this, if I let this flour and water sit, it comes back to life and I can mix that into more flour and water and it can become bread.   You know, I can mix it in with a lot of water and a little bit of yeast and some hops and it becomes beer. I can mix it in with grapes and it becomes wine. So, we see the reactions, but don't necessarily know what it is that is responsible for those reactions.   So, it is fairly new that we have this, you know, in the scope of human history, it's fairly new that we have this understanding of what are the actual kind of little critters that are involved in this process. And so, I have a really dear friend who she studies theology of the microbiome. So, a lot of her research is all based around, you know, how does this emerging research on yeast and bacteria shape our understanding of what it means to be human?   And so then how does that shape the ways we read in scripture, both passages about yeast and also about what it means to be human? And so it is, I think there's just, it's a field that is ripe for exploration and we are only beginning to scratch the surface of all the beautiful imagery that's at play here. But one of the things that I find most fascinating is that leaven or yeast, it is used as a metaphor for two different things in scripture.   In one passage, it is used as a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven, the parable of leaven, the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into three measures of flour until it leavened the whole batch. But apart from that, yeast is always used as an image of sin, the ways that sin works through community. We have the passage about the leaven of the Pharisees.   I believe there are a few others as well. So oftentimes leaven is used as this picture of sin and the ways that sin sort of multiplies and works through communities. But at the same time, it's this picture of the kingdom of God, that it's this little bit of yeast that slowly multiplies and through its multiplication, it transforms the entire community.   It seems like a strange sort of tension that why would we use the same thing as a picture of both the kingdom of heaven and a picture of sin? And I think it makes more sense when we understand a sourdough culture. So, a sourdough culture is a culture of bacteria and yeast that is used to leaven bread, to raise bread.   So, we all have wild yeast and bacteria living in the air, on the surface of our skin, on the surface of everything around us. This wild yeast and bacteria is what makes the world go round. It's what makes our brains function.   It's what allows our bellies to digest food. It is what sort of makes everything work. And there is always this presence of both pathogenic bacteria and also beneficial bacteria.   That is true within our bodies. That's true sort of all around us. It's true in the sourdough culture that there is always the presence of pathogenic bacteria, but there is also the beneficial bacteria.   And so, to maintain a healthy sourdough starter, you have to feed it regularly. And as long as you feed it regularly and maintain its health, that good bacteria is going to keep the pathogenic bacteria in check. It's when you start to starve that starter that the pathogenic bacteria gets stronger and it overtakes the good bacteria and your sourdough starter goes bad.   And so, I think that's a really beautiful way to think about both how the kingdom of God works and also how sin works in our communities. We live in a broken creation. Sin will always be present.   But when we are digging ourselves, like when we are staying grounded and rooted in scripture, when we're staying grounded and rooted in church community and worship and prayer, when we are maintaining these healthy communities that are rooted to God, then we're able to help keep that pathogenic bacteria, that sin in check. But it's when we do not that it can start to take over and it can spread through a community just as quickly and easily as the kingdom of God can also spread through a community.   Laura Dugger:  (29:45 - 29:58) You just have brilliant answers. Is there any other science in the bread baking that is also fascinating to you because it has a richer, deeper spiritual meaning?   Kendall Vanderslice: (29:58 - 32:22) One of the things that I love, I oftentimes lead these bread baking workshops for groups of leaders, especially church leaders or faith leaders who are oftentimes having to manage just large groups of people where they're constantly facing internal conflict. I don't think anyone who leads a group of people has managed to bring together the people that never have any kind of disagreement. One of the things that I love about bread is that inherent to the structure of bread is tension.   The backbone of bread is this protein called gluten that is made up of two different proteins called gluten and gliadin. Gluten and gliadin have two opposing qualities to them. One likes to stretch and stretch and stretch.   It's what's called the elastic quality. One likes to hold its shape, what's called the plastic quality. When these protein strands unravel, they begin to form bonds with one another and they create this network, this protein network.   That protein network is what captures the carbon dioxide that the yeast releases and that allows the dough to both grow while also holding its shape. The strength and the structure of our bread is fully reliant on tension between these two opposing qualities, these two opposing needs. In order to build that tension in a way that brings strength to the bread, it has to be constantly balanced with rest.   The gluten will let you know when it's starting to get tired. If you don't give it time to rest, then it will just fall apart. It will start to break down on you.   This is something that I think so many of our communities really can learn from right now. That tension is good, that our differences, that diversity in our communities is our source of strength. When these differences rub up against one another and they help expand our understanding of the people around us, our differing needs, our differing convictions, our differing desires, our differing hopes, that can be a source of strength in our communities.   Also, we need to understand when it's time to step away and take time to rest before leaning into those differences even further. I love that bread then is itself this element that Jesus gives us as the sign of our unity in Christ, because it is this picture of our differences coming together and making us one even in our difference.   Laura Dugger:  (32:23 - 32:39) All of this from bread, it's just incredible. Then I even think you write about temperature and scoring the bread. Is there anything else?   We won't get to cover all of it, but any other scientific findings that have been really exciting?   Kendall Vanderslice: (32:40 - 33:33) I think there is so much in bread. I like to say that bread is incredibly simple and infinitely complex. It's made of four basic ingredients, but it can be mixed together in myriad ways.   A baker can commit their entire lives to learning about bread, and they will still have more to learn. We'll never be able to cover it all. I think there's room for endless exploration as far as digging into all that bread has to teach us.   My hope is that this book, Bake and Pray, helps to start to illuminate some of the ways that we see God teaching us through the many different steps in the bread-baking process. I also hope that others will start to get into this practice of baking, and through the practice of baking, they themselves will be able to start to see some of the beauty that God reveals through bread.   Laura Dugger:  (33:34 - 34:38) I just wanted to let you know there are now multiple ways to give when you visit thesavvysauce.com. We now have a donation button on our website, and you can find it under the Donate page, which is under the tab entitled Support. Our mailing address is also provided if you would prefer to save us the processing fee and send a check that is tax deductible.   Either way, you'll be supporting the work of Savvy Sauce Charities and helping us continue to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ. Make sure you visit thesavvysauce.com today. Thanks for your support.   Well, and Kendall, you also have a unique take. You spent years as a ballet dancer, and even with your books, you're just writing about the connection beyond, like you said, just our intellect and our minds to the Lord, but using our whole bodies to glorify God. Can you share some more ways that we can use our bodies to bake and pray and glorify God?   Kendall Vanderslice: (34:38 - 39:09) Yeah, so one of the things that I love when I'm first teaching people about this idea of praying with your body, it is ironic. The whole concept of praying with your body is to try and get us out of our minds and into our bodies. But the idea of praying with our body can feel like a very sort of cerebral or like, you know, the sort of thing that doesn't quite make sense.   And so, the way that I like to help people first get started is through the practice of a breath prayer. So, a breath prayer is a practice of repeating a line of scripture or poetry with every inhale and every exhale. And so, one of the ones that I love to start with is my soul finds rest in God alone, drawn from the Psalms.   And so, as you inhale, you repeat my soul finds rest. And as you exhale in God alone. And so, when I'm guiding others through this bake and pray practice, I have a start by just closing our eyes and I will lead us in this rhythm of breathing and of repeating this line again and again and again.   And then from there, I encourage the group to start to mix up their dough while repeating this line with every inhale and exhale. And I think it helps us to see how our breath, our breath itself becomes, you know, these words of scripture so ingrain themselves in our breathing that we then understand our breathing itself as an offering of prayer to God. And then the movements of our bodies through this rhythm of breathing becomes an offering of prayer to God.   And then we realize that the words themselves are not even necessary, that we can offer, you know, the movements of mixing bread dough, but also of gardening, of knitting, of cooking, of playing with our children, of raking leaves, that all of these things can be ways to offer our movements to God as prayer and to invite God into this practice with us and to pay attention to how God is present in these practices. So, I do hope that, you know, people will take bake and pray and actually bake with it and learn to bake as a form of prayer. But I also love when I hear from potters or I hear from gardeners or I hear from other people that work with their hands regularly who tell me, I read this and I don't think I'm going to start baking, but it has reshaped my understanding of my own, you know, craft and my own vocation.   So, I am excited to hear from others who maybe will take this and say, like, this is how I see this work being a form of prayer. But I first started learning about embodied prayer and practicing it when I got to college. I was in a dance team at my college.   I had grown up as a ballerina. I left the ballet world in high school, and it was a really, really hard. My experience was really wonderful in many ways and really hard in many ways.   I was in the pre-professional ballet world, which is, you know, very, very rigorous, very mentally draining, very physically demanding. And when I realized that I wasn't going to be able to make it professionally, it was just absolutely devastating. It was like my whole world was wrapped around this.   And so, then when I got to college, I was invited to be a part of this dance company. But the dance company was for women who had experienced sort of the ballet world in the way that I had, and who were looking for healing and to understand that our dance could be a form of worship and a form of prayer. And when I first started, I thought that the whole concept was really strange.   You know, I was I did not understand. I was so grateful to have this very just affirming community that I was dancing with. It was really it was the first time that I had been, you know, affirmed in my body and affirmed as a dancer and not just, you know, told all the things that were wrong with me.   But still, I was like, this is a really strange concept that as we're dancing, we're somehow praying. And it really was something that I had to practice again and again and again to understand and to really feel. And so, if someone is listening to this and thinking like this sounds like a really strange concept, I encourage you to just try it.   And it might take a few tries. Maybe try using the liturgies that are in the book to help get you into that practice. And then I hope that as you practice, either praying through baking or through gardening or what have you, that you will just get to experience the ways that God's present with you.   And then that will transform your understanding of your craft.   Laura Dugger:  (39:09 - 39:20) Thanks for sharing that. It's important for us to understand that we are embodied beings. And that points to that awesome truth that God with us, that Jesus was embodied.   Kendall Vanderslice: (39:21 - 39:22) Absolutely.   Laura Dugger:  (39:22 - 39:31) But then, OK, so in your most recent book, Bake and Pray, what's one recipe that you're especially excited about?   Kendall Vanderslice: (39:31 - 41:04) You know, we are just emerging from the season of Advent and Christmas, and those are some of my favorite recipes in the book. One that is so delicious, that is it is a Christmas recipe. It is the Moravian sugar cake, but Moravians do eat the sugar cake all year round.   So, it is kind of a classical Christmas recipe. But here at the Moravian bakeries here in North Carolina, you can get them all year round. So Moravian baked goods are an early Protestant tradition. They actually were Protestants before the Protestant Reformation, they like to say. And they're a pretty small denomination here in the United States.   But they're largely focused in here in North Carolina, where I am, and then a little bit in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But the Moravian baked goods are known for all of their breads have potato in them. And so, some people, you know, there are other recipes that have like a potato, a potato bread or potato rolls.   When you add mashed potato into baked goods, it makes it really, really moist and tender. It holds on to moisture in the baked good much longer than just flour alone. So, the Moravian baked goods all have mashed potato in them.   But the Moravian sugar cake is one where it's this very rich potato bread. And then you put it into a pan, and you poke holes in it, sort of like if you were dimpling focaccia. And then you pour butter and cinnamon sugar on top and bake it.   And it is like it is a mix between sort of coffee cake and bread. And it is so, so, so delicious. I love it.   Laura Dugger:  (41:04 - 41:09) And there is also just a cute little story in there with the history.   Kendall Vanderslice: (41:09 - 41:28) Oh, yes, absolutely. It is, you know, there's this lore that apparently when men were looking for wives, they would look for women that had thick fingers. Because if they had thick fingers, it meant that they would have bigger dimples in their Moravian sugar cake that would hold bigger pockets of cinnamon and sugar.   Laura Dugger:  (41:28 - 41:42) I love that. I thought that was so funny. Well, Kendall, what are some of the most creative ways that you've been able to pair bread and generosity together to minister to others?   Kendall Vanderslice: (41:43 - 43:24) Yeah, one of the things that I am doing right now is, you know, I'm on the road several weeks of the year leading bread baking workshops in churches all over the country. And I love, love, love that part of my work. But in the last year, I started to really crave a closer connection with my community here in Durham, North Carolina.   But I am traveling the country and telling other people about how to connect to home and how to connect to their communities. And that work keeps me from being able to connect to my own home and community. And so, I decided that when I am home, I want to have a more intentional way of feeding the people immediately around me.   And so, I have this practice on Fridays of bread for friends and neighbors. And so, I'll tell, I'll send out an email to friends and neighbors on Monday and tell them, you know, here's what I'm baking this week if I'm in town. And then they let me know what they want.   And on Fridays, I have this shed in my driveway that I open up and it's got this whole like really fun armoire and that I that I've sort of decorated to be a bread pickup area. And so, on Fridays, my neighbors and my friends all walk over, and they come pick up their bread. And it's just been such a gift to be able to feed my immediate community through bread.   But then also to see and hear them sort of connecting in the driveway as they all come pick up their bread at the same time. And folks who either didn't know one another are starting to connect and find and meet one another. But then also neighbors to realize like, oh, you can get kindle bread, I get kindle bread.   And, you know, it's just so fun to have that very simple point of connection, because it can be feel very easy to feel disconnected from the neighbors that you maybe see all over the place. But just that that time of connection and picking up bread, I think, goes a long way beyond just that particular moment.   Laura Dugger:  (43:26 - 43:36) Generosity is always inspiring. And where can we all go to learn more about edible theology online or all of the other things that you have to offer?   Kendall Vanderslice: (43:37 - 44:05) You can learn more at my website, kendallvanderslice.com. The website is currently sort of under construction. So, I've got a makeshift website up right now where you can find everything.   And eventually I will have more links to all of the edible theology resources. But you can find everything you need at kendallvanderslice.com. You can learn about my workshops. You can learn about my books. You can learn about curriculum, about retreats that I lead. All of it is right there.   Laura Dugger:  (44:06 - 44:24) Wonderful. We will certainly add links in today's show notes so that it's easy to find. And Kendall, you may be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so is my final question for you today. What is your savvy sauce?   Kendall Vanderslice: (44:25 - 45:13) Well, I think for me it is allowing myself to use even the simplest moments in the kitchen as a time for prayer rather than trying to rush through the practice of just seeing food as something I have to eat three times a day and something I have to make for myself. To realize that even something as simple as heating up a pot of soup or slicing some bread and smearing it with butter is still an invitation to thank God for this gift of food and the ability to prepare it. And so, I think that small practice alone can transform the way we relate to food and our bodies, but also to try and slow down and have a moment in our day where we avoid just rushing through and take a little bit more intentionality to appreciate the gifts that God has given us.   Laura Dugger:  (45:14 - 45:31) Well, Kendall, I was so intrigued from the first time that I heard about edible theology. And I really appreciate how you shed light on God's profound spiritual truths that are around us and that we can interact with in everyday life. But you also have such a charming personality.   Kendall Vanderslice: (45:32 - 45:38) So, thank you for being my guest. Thank you so much for having me. It's been such a delight to be here.   Laura Dugger: (45:39 – 49:21) One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem and was invited to eat at a Pharisee's house. During the meal, Jesus instructed the people at the table to be generous when they throw a banquet, inviting those who are unlikely to be invited instead of those in their inner circle. From this, Pastor Stuart encouraged us to keep an eye out for those who are considered “others,” to stop keeping score, expecting to be repaid, and to keep our focus on Jesus. Luke 14:12-14 (NIV)Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”https://bit.ly/Luke14_12-14NIV

On Sunday, September 29, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem. His disciples asked about who would be saved. Jesus answered, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” From this, Pastor Stuart shares that our hearts need to be connected to what Jesus cares about, identifying when we are outside of God's plan, and evaluating if our focus is to know Jesus in the present. Luke 13:22-27 (NIV) Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.'“But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.'“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'“But he will reply, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'https://bit.ly/Luke13_22-27NIV

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath and asked, “What is the kingdom of God like?” He then shared the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast. From this, Pastor Stuart led us in a discussion on “What is the Holy Spirit Up To?” He reminded us that God's kingdom is counterintuitive and that small things have a great impact. The Holy Spirit uses what little we have, our prayers, talents, and resources, and makes them great in God's kingdom, all the while leading us into new ways of transformation. As a benediction, Pastor Stuart shared a song – Come Jesus Come by Stephen McWhirterhttps://youtu.be/UViC6DllCeALuke 13:18-21 (NIV) Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”https://bit.ly/Luke13_18-21NIV

Closer, Pt. 2 | August 11, 2024Pastor Joey SarloA Well-Timed Help Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” John 6:35 (NIV) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. I often require a pressing need to press in to the One who can meet that need. But God loves trust; it honors Him. He who trusts the most shall sorrow least. If there were continual trust there could be continual peace.- P.B. Power John 6:47-51 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever...  He Cares and He CarriesHe Promises and He PerformsHe Acts and He AccomplishesHe Forgives and He Forgets John 6:5 (NIV) When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” John 6:6 (NIV) He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Deuteronomy 1:30-31 (NIV) The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” Isaiah 46:3-4 (NIV) “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Psalm 57:2-3 (NASB) I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me… Psalm 119:81 (NIV) My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

On Sunday, August 11, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcasted online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart Nice shared a message about when Jesus teaches his disciples about worry, anxiety, faith, and the treasure of the heart. From this, Pastor Stuart shares that worry comes from believing that we don't have enough security and resources. Instead, we are encouraged to discover the pleasure of God's heart which is to give us the kingdom. Lastly, we must examine our hearts. What do we hold as treasure there?At the end of the message, Pastor Stuart shared a song – Daily Bread, by Pat Barrett & Kari Jobe.https://youtu.be/zWt4-_UKM5ULuke 12:22-34 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.https://bit.ly/Luke12_22-34NIV

Summer at Bay Chapel | July 14, 2024Pastor Wes MorrisMatthew 3:13-17 (NIV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ✓ Encouraging VoicesProverbs 18:21 (NASB) Death and life are in the power of the tongue...✓ Challenging Voices✓ Critical Voices✓ Internal VoicesII Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. The voice in your head becomes the voice in your mouth. And the voice in your mouth becomes the voice in other people's heads. VOICES I. IDENTIFY THE VOICE THAT IS HOLDING YOU DOWN. Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.II. STAY TUNED TO THE RIGHT FREQUENCY. John 10:27 (GNT) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.Psalm 1:1-2 (TLB) Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men's advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.III. USE MY VOICE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Logan Holloman | NextGen Pastor | April 14, 2024 John 5:1-7 (NIV)Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Jesus- invitation to be made whole “do you want to be well” Pool- what we look to for wholeness and healing. What’s your pool? John 5:8-15 (NIV)Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. Mat- symbolic of sin/pain used for Jesus’ purposes in our lives. What’s your mat? God never wastes our suffering John 1:29b (NIV)“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 20:30-31 (NIV)Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Jesus’ invitation …is to be made whole, …it’s beyond our pools …he’ll redeem/use our mats Reflection Questions:1. What is one felt need you are aware of at the moment?2. What gets in the way (i.e. fear, control, lack of trust) of receiving what God wants to do for, in, or through us?3. Jesus warns the man to not return to sin, in what areas are you tempted to return to your mat? Next Steps: Complete the Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any question: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcardWant to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/giveDownload our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozemanGet your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/childrenOur Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/studentsSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozemanNotes Page:

Mark 3:20-35 NIV - Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:20-35 NIV - Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:20-35 NIV - Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:20-35 NIV - Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Sermon Notes Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭3-4‬a ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬b ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "And lead us not into temptation." The early church prayed the "Our Father" three times a day (morning, noon, and night). Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. "Our Father. Familiar words, maybe so familiar that they are no longer real. Those words were not only real, but also revolutionary to the twelve disciples. Pagan philosophers such as Aristotle arrived at the existence of God via human reason and referred to Him in vague, impersonal terms: the uncaused cause, the immovable mover. The prophets of Israel revealed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a warmer, more compassionate manner. But only Jesus revealed to an astonished Jewish community that God is truly Father." - Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭2 ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Hallowed = (Ἁγιασθήτω/Hagiasthētō) = Holy Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) God's holiness means God does not see the world, our sins, and our problems the way we do. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. In this prayer, we see that God is both: 1) tough and tender. 2) intimate and infinite. 3) attentive and awesome. God desires both the intimacy of "Father" and the respect of "hallowed" Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; - Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬ (NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭8‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. As a good Father, God delights in meeting all your needs. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭10‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭11-12‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬ ‭(NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who have lived in the course of human history, all their goodness, kindness, patience, fidelity, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love and united all those qualities in a single person, that person's love would only be a faint shadow of the furious love and mercy in the heart of God the Father addressed to you and me at this moment." - Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God

On Sunday, January 21, 2024, VLC gathered in person and also broadcast online via YouTube. Pastor Stuart shared a message exploring how fasting restores our spirit through the element of testing, through our relationship with God as Father, and through learning to trust. Matthew 4:1-4 (NIV)Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (ESV)And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.https://bit.ly/Matthew4_1-4NIVhttps://bit.ly/Deuteronomy8_2-3ESV

Message for 09/24/2023 "Jesus is the Way" by Justin McTeer. *All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted* Jesus is The One The Word The Way The Truth The Life John 14:1-6a - Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 “No, we don't know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way… Matthew 26:36-41 NIV - Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus says “I am the way.” Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. John 8:1-11 - Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Luke 5:8 - When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I'm such a sinful man.” Matthew 11:28-30 - Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” A Way Out A Way Forward A Way Back Hebrews 12:24 - You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

IT IS WRITTEN 2 Chronicles 7:1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.  1 Corinthians 3:16  Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Romans 10:17 (NKJV) Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Hebrews 11:6 Without Faith it is impossible to please God. 2 Timothy 3:16 ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. John 1:14  Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Matthew 4:1:11 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you,    and they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' ” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. 2 REASONS WE NEED TO KNOW GOD'S WORD: IT KEEPS US FROM FALLING TO TEMPTATION 2 Corinthians 11:25- 27 Psalms 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me."  OUR ENEMY TRIES TO MANIPULATE WHAT GOD SAYS Genesis 3:1-7 James 1:19-22 (NLT) 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 22 But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Christ is King Matthew 28:18-20a (ESV)“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”Genesis 1:26a (ESV)“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…”Genesis 5:1-2a (NIV)“…he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them.”Genesis 2:17b (NKJV)“for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”Genesis 3:1-6 (ESV)“He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”Genesis 3:15 (NIV)“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;he [her offspring] will crush your head, and you [Satan] will strike his heel.” Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,' he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written:‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,' he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn't say You idiot! You can't offer to me what doesn't belong to you? John 12:31-32 (ESV)“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Matthew 28:18-20a (ESV)“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”Revelation 1:5 (ESV)“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”Ephesians 1:19-23 (ESV)“what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV)“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Summer at Bay Chapel | June 4, 2023Psalm 42:1-5 (NLT) As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! √  LIVING IN THE PASTPhilippians 3:13-14 (NIV) One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.√  KEEPING SCORE√ GROWING WEARYMatthew 11:28-29 (NIV) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”SETTING THE PACEI. RUN AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE.Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) ...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.Psalm 55:22 (NLT) Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.II. FIND STRENGTH IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.Psalm 42:1 (NLT) As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.Isaiah 43:1-3 (GNT) The Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you.When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you.Current Series Resources: https://baychapel.churchcenter.com/pages/prayerBay Chapel is a life-giving church in the New Tampa community. We meet Sundays at 10:00 am and you are welcome to come anytime in person or online. Find out more at baychapel.com —---Subscribe to receive our latest messages. ——Stay Connected, ask for prayer and find out more.http://www.baychapel.com/connect——Bay Chapel exists to help people ‘Find God and Find Life' through a relationship with Jesus Christ. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.baychapel.com/give

Spiritual WarfareEphesians 6:10-18 (NIV)“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.”The normal Christian life The Christian life is a life of spiritual warfare. "There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan." - C.S. Lewis Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” People are a distraction of the real enemy. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood”3. Satan has plans and strategies to carry out His plan.June 4, 2023 // Pastor Jason KingMathew 4:1-11 (NIV)“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting fortydays and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God,tell these stones to become bread.'Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,' he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written:‘He will command his angels concerning you,and they will lift you up in their hands,so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,' he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.'Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”James 4:7 (ESV)“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”Isaiah 14:13,14 (NIV)“You said in your heart,‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throneabove the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'”John 10:10 (NKJV)“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”4. You have everything you need for this battle.Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”

[John 11:1-6 NIV] Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." [4] When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, God loves when we ______________ him. [John 14:1] "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. Faith isn't a way to ____________________ God. [John 11:6-15 NIV] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, [7] and then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." [8] "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?" [9] Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light. [10] It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light." [11] After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." [12] His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." [13] Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. [14] So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." God has the right to keep us in ______________. [John 11:20-27 NIV] When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. [21] "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." [23] Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." [24] Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" [27] "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." God is ______________ in every situation. God wants us to have faith without knowing the ______________. [John 11:40-44 NIV] Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" [41] So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." [43] When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

“I had to learn how to live with joy even when my kids were making difficult decisions that I may not have approved of or liked.” Today Stacy welcomes author and speaker, Mary DeMuth, who shares wisdom and hope for parents of adult children. Loving, praying, and listening is key to navigating this relationship. In prayer, instead of prescribing to God the way we want Him to work in our kids' lives, we can relinquish control and watch with anticipation and joy how He will creatively give us sign posts along the way. ABOUT OUR GUEST Mary DeMuth is an international speaker, podcaster, and author of over forty books, fiction and nonfiction, including her latest book, Love, Pray, Listen: Parenting Your Wayward Adult Kids with Joy. Through God's healing, Mary has overcome a difficult past to become an authentic example of what it means to live a brand-new story. She loves to help others “re-story” their lives through the books she writes. Mary lives in Texas with her husband, Patrick, of 33 years and is mom to three adult children. In her spare (ha!) time, she loves to cook, run, garden, decorate, paint, and do interior design. Connect with Mary at marydemuth.com. SCRIPTURES Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NKJV Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” Luke 15:13-18 NIV Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'” Luke 15:3-6 NIV Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 CSB BOOK Love, Pray, Listen: Parenting Your Wayward Adult Kids with Joy LINKS Marydemuth.com/lpl 52 prayers for your adult children MOMS IN PRAYER ·       New to Moms in Prayer? How to get started ·       Moms in Prayer Shop ·       Support Our Mission ·       Rise Up Arkansas ·       Find an Event Near You

“So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion. And I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.” Hosea 2:19God invites us to know him and know him well—by heart. The natural response to truly knowing him is loving him above all else. Join Stasi today as she highlights this marvelous truth, then leads us in a time of guided prayer so we can encounter him personally—in our hearts. …..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Luke 15:3–7 (NIV) — Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) — Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) — The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, …Ephesians 3:17 (NIV) —  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, …Luke 23:43 (NIV) — Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) — I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.Hosea 2:19 (NIV) — I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.John 17:3 (NIV) — Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.Revelation 3:20 (NIV) — Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.Psalm 23:1–3 (NIV) — The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.Psalm 146:5-10 (TPT) — But those who hope in the Lord will be happy and pleased!Our help comes from the God of Jacob! You keep all your promises. You are the Creator of heaven's glory, earth's grandeur, and the ocean's greatness. The oppressed get justice with you. The hungry are satisfied with you. Prisoners find their freedom with you. You open the eyes of the blind, and you fully restore those bent over with shame. You love those who love and honor you. You watch over strangers and immigrants and support the fatherless and widows. But you subvert the plans of the ungodly. Lord, you will reign forever! Zion's God will rule throughout time and eternity! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!…..OTHER RESOURCES:Stasi's leading in guided prayer – Time Code:  00:22:54Song: Santo from the album Soaking in His Presence, Vol. 3 by William AugustoPoem: Indwelt by Beatrice Clelland…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode – Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsAmazon Music & Audible

Sermon Notes Luke 5:12-16 NIV "While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Yet the news about him (Jesus) spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 12a NIV "While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy." Your fate was in the hands of the law, not the priest. Leviticus 13:45-46 NIV "Anyone with such a defiling disease (Leprosy) must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp." Luke 5:12b NIV "When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'" There was no hope of improving his situation on his own. He needed Jesus. Your posture with Jesus matters. Luke 5:13 NIV "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him." Jesus touched him. Luke 5:14 NIV "Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.'" Coming clean is a process. Luke 5:15 NIV "Yet the news about him (Jesus) spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses." Luke 5:16 NIV "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." We are all the leper. "I am that man and dare I say it, you are that man"… "I believe Jesus is saying, "You think this external disease is bad? You have far worse on the inside. Your diabolical disease is eating you alive. It's called sin, and you're dying, and you need to be given new life." - Judah Smith, Life is ____. It's time to have a family meeting. Jesus represents Christians. Accountability comes at the foot of the cross, not on the terms we, as Christians create. John 3:17 NIV "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." We've been so focused on looking and acting right, that the world is losing sight of Jesus in us. If we aren't careful, God becomes a checkbox, not a lifestyle. Does the Jesus you portray to the world look like the Jesus in this text? Kingsway's Mission statement: To become more like Jesus. "Do for one what you wish you could do for many." – Andy Stanley "Here is the simple message Jesus has for us. If we fill our bucket with love, we can actually become love." - Bob Goff, Everybody Always "People don't need more information, they want examples. God wants to use people like us to show the world what we know about Jesus by having them see the way we love the people around us." - Bob Goff, Everybody Always Church, if you are willing, will you love well?

Sermon Notes Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee) the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'" Will I trust that Jesus knows more than I do? Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'" Five powerful words: "But because you say so…" Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭10a‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners." Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭10b‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." "I am wired by nature to love the same toys that the world loves. I start to fit in. I start to love what others love. I start to call earth' home.' Before you know it, I am calling luxuries 'needs' and using my money just the way unbelievers do. I begin to forget the war. I don't think much about people perishing. Missions and unreached people drop out of my mind. I stop dreaming about the triumphs of grace. I sink into a secular mindset that looks first to what man can do, not what God can do. It is a terrible sickness. And I thank God for those who have forced me again and again toward a wartime mindset." - John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life Imagine waking up tomorrow to make sure you don't waste your life.

GIVING UP: CONTROL Message by Josh Mutter – February 26, 2023 Big Idea: A right relationship with control is shaped by our relationship with God Matthew 4:1-11 NIV  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came … Read more...

New Song Answers Weekend - Transformation Expressed - Pastors Tonderai and Ashley Bassoppo-Moyo - November 19th & 20th, 2022As those practicing the way of Jesus, we are called to sacrificial mission. This is the outward expression of the inward transformation process at work within us. That the whole world might know, we are on mission to be a city on a hill, the light of the world.TRANSFORMATION EXPRESSED 1 - Sacrificial mission is the outward expression of our inward transformation. If there is no sacrificial mission, if there is no pouring out, if there is no outward expression of the inward transformation - we live an incomplete picture of the Gospel.2 - Sacrificial mission requires living from the well. Matthew 25:23 (NIV)…”Well done, good and faithful servant…” “The extent of our sacrifice coupled with the depth of our joy displays the worth we put on the reward of God.” - John Piper  3 - Sacrificial mission requires your life.Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”John 12:24 (NIV)“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  A seed has to die in order for it to produce fruit.  Romans 6:5-7 (NKJV)“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”  Romans 15:18 (NLT)“Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.”  Expressed transformation reveals a life given over to the Lord. 4 - Sacrificial mission expresses Kingship. “Missions exists because worship doesn't….When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.” - John Piper The mission of the Kingdom is to bring others in that they, too, may come to know and express His Kingship in their lives. Matthew 5:14 (ESV)“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”  We are citizens of a different Kingdom - and a mark of our citizenship is the way we live.  John 15:8 (ESV)“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”  Fruit bearing is proof of transformation.   We have been entrusted with the Gospel, representing His Kingdom, and reflecting the official position of Heaven.   Matthew 5:16 (NIV)“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Mark 15:15 (ESV)“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'”  Matthew 28:18-19 (NIV)“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…'”  John 20:21 (ESV)“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.'”  Luke 24:47 (NLT)“It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.'''  5 - Sacrificial mission turns the world upside down.  Acts 20:24 (NIV) “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.”  Acts 17:1-6 (ESV)Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,  explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also….'”Luke 10:2-3 ESV“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.'” Acts 1:8 (ESV) “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 20:28 ESV 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Proverbs 4:23 NIV 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Acts 20:29-38 ESV 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. John 10:14 NIV 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 1 Timothy 4:15-16 NIV 15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Matthew 7:15 NIV 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 1 John 2:22-23 NIV 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 NIV 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. Matthew 7:16a NIV 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Jeremiah 17:5-7 NIV 5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”         Jude 11 NIV 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.   Matthew 23:1-4 NIV Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Sermon Notes – The Mandate Nov. 13th, 2022 Impact Church London Recap: The Method — Tree climbers are all around you! Be Aware – Share – Prayer – Care. Tree climbers are looking to see Jesus! Intro : The Mandate “An official order or Commission to do something.” Matthew 28:18-19 (NIV) “Then Jesus came to […]

Why Pray? It's a legitimate question. Why do we pray? Why should we pray? When it comes to prayer, a lot of people give up when they don't see the answer. When it comes to prayer, a lot of people quit because they get discouraged. Some people also just believe that God is going to do what God is going to do, so why bother praying? Other people might use prayer as a last resort once they have exhausted every other resource in their possession. Luke 18:1 (NIV) – Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up Let Pastor Kendall Bridges share this message with you about why we ought to pray. Let him tell you the main reason why prayer is needed and why it is required. Let him answer the question, why pray?

On Sunday, October 9, 2022, VLC gathered in person which was also broadcasted online via YouTube. Today, Pastor Stuart Nice encouraged us to develop our passion for prayer by becoming a person of shameless audacity, approaching the Lord who is our source, and understanding that the Lord responds affirmatively when God's people ask, seek, and knock.Luke 11:5-10 (NIV)Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.https://bit.ly/Luke11_5-10NIV

LUKE 11:5-13 (NIV)Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”Relationship is the groundwork for persistence.PICTURE THIS: THE STORY OF THE FRIEND AT NIGHTEffective prayer is persistent and borne out of relationship.THE FOUR BUILDING BLOCKS TO RELATIONSHIP1 - ExpectationWhen your prayers are based on knowing about Jesus instead of knowing Jesus, you lose the will to persist. 2 - IntentionMatthew 19:21 (NIV)Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”If you don't know your intentions, how can you know when your answer arrives?3 - MotivationLove seeks to give.Lust seeks to get.4 - TrustTrusting in the Lord is believing in God's ability, God's wisdom, and God's goodness.Psalm 37:5 (NLT)Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.You are persistent when you know who He is and His ability and goodness to provide.James 1:6-8 (NLT)​​But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.KINGDOM CONCEPT:AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP CREATES PERSISTENT PRAYER.

Ask of the Lord | The Prayer Experience with Pastor Dele | Mon 21st March 2022 Today, Pastor Dele leads the Prayer Experience Community in a session of prayer and intercession. Please join with us and let us stand together in the gap on behalf of the nations. Our world certainly need prayers and we need to keep on standing in the place of prayers and refuse to give up. [Luke 18:1 NIV] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up For more visit - www.theprayerexperience.com

Open the Heavens! | The Prayer Experience with Pastor Dele | Mon 10th Jan 2022 Pastor Dele is leading the Prayer Experience Team this afternoon as we continue the 21 Day Prayer & Fasting [8th - 28th Jan 2022] We continue to stand in the gap for the nations and the church. [Luke 18:1 NIV] "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:" Let us PRAY. Amen

Victorious Prayers | The Prayer Experience with Nigel Turton | Thurs 6th Jan 2022 Today the Prayer Experience Team would be led by Nigel Turton. Please join us as we spend time in prayers and intercessions, standing in the gap on behalf of the nations. [Matthew 28:18 NIV] "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Let us PRAY. Amen

SCRIPTURE Matthew 16:24-27 NIV Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Fathers glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. MAIN IDEA Your best life is found on the other end of your trust in God. SUMMARY POINTS There are at least two problems with this desire for ultimate control. 1. Much of our life is beyond our control. 2. Trying to control leads us to trying to control others. The alternative to control is trust in God. "I found a place where the past was forgiven Where my mistakes met a grace I couldn't earn And so I piled up my excuses and defenses in the night Then I lit a match, stepped back and watched them burn from the river's mouth To the mountain peak Through the great divide where the waters meet I need you to carry me" - Need To Breathe (Carry Me) Your best life is found on the other end of your trust in God.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'[d]” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'[e]” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. John 8:31-44 (NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.” 39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham's children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Making Jesus Famous Question: Where did the need for missions begin? Genesis 3:1-7 (NIV)“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?' The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”' ‘You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Answer: It began at the fall of mankind.  Romans 5:12 (NIV)“Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” Question: What is God's heart for missions? Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV) “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?'” Answer: To restore those lost safely back into His family.  Luke 19:10 (ESV) “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Question: Who is supposed to help restore those lost safely back into His family? Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.'” John 20:21 (NIV)“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.'” Acts 1:8 (NIV)“You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 16:9-10 (NIV)“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.' After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NIV)“Now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Answer: Those who are a part of God's family are the ones who are to help restore those lost back into His family.

Effectual Fervent Prayer | The Prayer Experience with Nigel and Louisa | Sun 12th Sept 2021 Join Nigel & Louisa Turton this afternoon as they lead the TEAM in a session of prayer. We continue to interceed and pray for the church and nations across the world. [Luke 18:1 NIV] "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:" Let us PRAY. Amen The Prayer Experience is a daily online devotional that airs 1pm on weekdays and 2pm at weekends.(UK Time) Everyone is invited to join in this inspiring time of prayer and intercession on behalf of the Nations, Communities and the Local Church around the world. The Prayer Experience is available on the platform of DeleTalks Media Uk / YouTube, Facebook / Podcasts. For more details visit www.thekingdomlife.co.uk

In our new three-week series, Found, we'll explore the depth and breadth of God's love. You'll discover that you're never too far or too lost to experience his grace and forgiveness. I've accepted Jesus • https://willamette.cc/follow-christ • Let us know you made this decision, and we'll help you discover what's next! Get Baptized • https://willamette.cc/baptisms • If you have accepted Jesus but have never had the opportunity to celebrate your new life in Him through water baptism, this is your next step! Let us pray with you • https://willamette.cc/prayer • Fill out a quick form to let us know how we can be praying for you. Sermon Notes - August 29, 2021Found -Brian Becker Found SheepFound CoinFound Son Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 flawed cultural strategies of Christians throughout church history: Be defensive against culture and seek to dominate it. Seek purity from culture and withdraw from it entirely. Compromise with culture and be assimilated by it. Christians should not withdraw from culture, nor should they compromise, nor dominate. They must simply enter every field trying to be salt and light, trying to serve, and yet at the same time being true to their Christian faith.- James Hunter Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to our own way. John 10:11,14-16a (NIV)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me… John 10:11,14-16a (NIV)just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' There's nobody God can't reach.There's nobody God can't use.There's no place God can't revive. Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' “Church is not a box to be checked, but an anchor in the storms of life.”- Jeff Hendersonn Luke 15:1-7 (NIV)I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Repent & BelieveRepent & Participate “Rethink everything you think you know about who God is, who you are, and what the good life you crave actually is, and put your trust and confidence in Jesus to heal you, save you, free you, and lead you to the life you actually ache for.” - John Mark Comer Am I ready to repent?Am I ready to participate? Who do you know personally and locally that has wandered from their faith? There's nobody God can't reach.There's nobody God can't use.There's no place God can't revive. Your love Oh Lord, covers the multitude of my sins. So when I am fully aware of my sin, when before the justice of heaven only wrath is pronounced upon me, then you are the only person to whom I can escape. If I try to cover myself against the guilt of sin and the wrath of heaven, I will be driven to madness and despair. But if I rely on you to cover my sins, I shall find peace and joy. You suffered and died on the cross to shelter us from our guilt, and take upon yourself the wrath that we deserve. Let me rest under you, and may you transform me into your likeness. Amen. - Soren Kierkegaard

Praying God's Promises - The Prayer Experience with Joanne Slamon (Tues 24th Aug 2021) Today, Joanne Slamon leads the TEAM in prayers for the Nations. Join us as we stand in the gap, proclaiming God's purposes at this time. (Luke 18:1 NIV) "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Let us PRAY The Prayer Experience is a daily online devotional that airs 1pm on weekdays and 2pm at weekends.(UK Time) Everyone is invited to join in this inspiring time of prayer and intercession on behalf of the Nations, Communities and the Local Church around the world. The Prayer Experience is available on the platform of DeleTalks Media Uk / YouTube, Facebook / Podcasts. For more details visit www.thekingdomlife.co.uk

_____________ as the ________________ for sin one ______________ every person has! [Romans 3:23 NIV] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [John 11:1-3, 11-15, 21-26 NIV] Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." ... [11] After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." [12] His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." [13] Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. [14] So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." ... [21] "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." [23] Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." [24] Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; [26] and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Death has no ________________ when ________________ is part of the ________________. [John 11:40 NIV] Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" Death must ________________ Jesus and ________________ its hold on ________________ who has put faith in Him. In Jesus there is __________ any situation that is too ______________! [John 20:1-10 NIV] Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. [2] So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" [3] So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. [4] Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. [6] Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, [7] as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. [8] Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. [Hebrews 10:12-14 NIV] But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, [13] and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. [14] For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. [Romans 6:9-10 NIV] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ________________ has no hold on Jesus! And our ________________ in Him removes any ________________ death had on us! Jesus ________ the problem of death for us _________ time for all time! The ________________ of Jesus is meant to empower us to live bold, powerful lives that tells his story of ________________.

Thy Kingdom Come! - The Prayer Experience with Jane Pratt (Sun 1st August 2021) Jane leads the team in prayers today. (Luke 18:1 NIV) "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:" Let us PRAY. The Prayer Experience is a daily online devotional that airs 1pm on weekdays and 2pm at weekends. (UK Time) Everyone is invited to join in this inspiring time of prayer and intercession on behalf of the Nations, Communities and the Local Church around the world. The Prayer Experience is available on the platform of DeleTalks Media Uk / YouTube, Facebook / Podcasts. For more details visit www.thekingdomlife.co.uk

A LIFE OF COMPLETE SATISFACTION Believe it or not; there truly is a place like this for every human being on the face of the earth – (God created the world out of nothing and so long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us.) Jesus didn't say we will live in a vacuum until He fetches us. by Pastor George Lehman Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV) – 13I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.   Psalm 145:16-21 (NIV) – 16You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. 18The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. A place of complete satisfaction. Satisfaction / satisfy – Hebrew word used is Sâbêa (saw-bay-ah) Have enough – fill to the full, to have plenty – to satiate (another term for safe) There aren't winners or losers there are only choosers. The key to a satisfied, happy, content, fulfilled life. Is found in your choice. The key to that choice is found in Matthew 5:6 (NIV) – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  – Be-attitude The story of the man who was on his final death bed: - Given only hours to live.  He thought he smelled his favourite chocolate chip cookies baking; He dragged himself with almost the last bit of strength in him down to the kitchen.  His wife turned around and saw him reaching out for a cookie – she slapped his hand with the spatula and said, “don't touch they are for your funeral.” I would like to share; of a Hunger and a Thirst for something you and I can be filled and satisfied with. Have you ever wondered why some Christians, grow, bear fruit are effective?  While others seem to remain the same? All spiritual progress depends on a man's hunger and thirst. One thing that is important to understand is that: - Real satisfaction does not come from a good sermon or; ] They A good preacher or ]  play A dynamic church or ]  a part It is all determined by the amount of hunger and thirst that: - We have for a real relationship with a “more than enough” (El Shadai) God! Like telling your son to brush his teeth, comb his hair; until one day he meets a girl. Then he grooms himself uses your after shave, why because he's in love!! Our emptiness will determine how much we will be filled. Luke 1:53 – He has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. People who aren't really hungry and thirsty: - Are those who think the church is a bless me club. (Jesus didn't intend for us to sit around and grow fat on the word.  He intended for us to stay hungry by exercising our faith.) Become doers of the word Church is a place where you come to just receive something that may or may not touch your life – (If it doesn't it's also okay) (it doesn't really concern you.) Church is a place where you can just get a few good feelings, that make you feel good – the odd goose bump or 2. A person that's not hungry or thirsty won't be serious about wanting to undergo Transformation in their lifestyle and attitude. (You'll come and go and stay exactly as you were.) If you come to God empty and leave empty you must know you are too full and too rich of yourself. The emptier you are of self of the flesh, the more God will fill you up with good things (that's what Luke 1:53 say's.) We see Gods attitude when we are hungry and thirsty II Kings 4:1-4 - The story of the widow and the oil. The flow will never stop until you stop supplying an empty vessel hungry and thirsty for more of God. Emptiness, hunger and thirst for God caused Israel to call on God. Who came and filled their hunger and quenched their thirst, by removing them from slavery? May we learn from Israel's history that, When they become empty of their desire of God and so pre-occupied with themselves – their history was disaster, misery, and destruction. Let me ask you; When is it the easiest time to go on a diet? It's obviously when you are full and not hungry. It's the same as when you are feeding on the word. Staying prayed Attending church and fellowship being active and obedient. It's very easy then; to give up feeding on all the worldly trash, that keeps us from hungering and thirsting for God. Becoming dik worldly Christians!!! Romans 8:13 – For if you live according to the (dictates of) the flesh, you will surely die.  But if through the power of the (Holy) Spirit you are (habitually) putting to death (making extinct, deadening the evil deeds prompted by the body, you shall (really and genuinely) live forever.   Let me ask you this: - During this pandemic!! Are you loosing your appetite for God and His righteousness? (What's your first love like) Have you been skipping spiritual meals lately – like. Not reading the word Not praying Not attending church online Not testifying to others about Jesus Is there still a passion for the lost in your heart? You don't just have one meal and then live off and feed on the memory of that for several days – or weeks – You never say: - Oh, I've eaten that before; so, I'm not going to eat it again.  No!!! We must continue to feed on the word. The only thing spiritual “hunger & thirst” will recognise is: - The source of its satisfaction. – Only Jesus gives complete satisfaction. John 6:35 (NIV) – Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”   John 6:53-56 (NIV) – 53Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in them.”   John 6:66-67 (NIV) – 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. 67” You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.   Matthew 5:6 (NIV) – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. What is your choice? – Do you want to live a life of complete satisfaction –? Here is your opportunity to - Either repent and restore your relationship with God, or Re-confirm your love, appreciation, and commitment to Him. ***

Matthew 6:23-34 NIV //  But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Why do we worry? Control. One way to show our faith in God is by not worrying. Matthew 26:36-39 NIV  //  Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:42,44  //  He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” … So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Jesus feels what we feel but He always trusts. God has given us the gift of peace and we can have it today. John 16:33  //  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We take God's gift of peace and trade it for the supposed control through our worry. Jesus was tempted to worry but He didn't let worry take control.

Matthew 26:36-46 (NIV) Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

1 How Compassion Flows Luke 7:11-17 June 14, 2020 Dr. Mike Decker WORDS: Compassion | Touch Big Idea: God visits His people through compassion. 1. Compassion begins with proximity. Luke 7:12-13 (NLT) A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” He said. Prayer 1: Heavenly Father, please give me eyes that see. 2. Compassion sprouts with insight. Luke 7:12 (NLT) …The young man who had died was a widow’s only son… Prayer 2: Heavenly Father, please give me a heart that discerns. 3. Compassion touches through spontaneity. Luke 7:14a (NIV) Then Jesus went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. Numbers 19:11 (NLT) All those who touch a dead human body will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Prayer 3: Heavenly Father, please give me courage to love. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/palmharvest/message

Jesus is MoreJesus Is | Week 1March 8, 2020 | Tim Mannin--Mark 6:34-37 NIV When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”John 6:7-11 NIV Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.I’m not looking for big people who can do big things. I’m looking for people who know they are small and surrender to me with all that they have, so that I can use them in the biggest of ways.Matthew 10:7-8 NIV As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.John 6:35 NIV Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.Psalm 107:9 NIV for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.Matthew 19:26 NIV Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”--Links | OKC Community Church

In this Lectio Divina episode during Lent, Erin guides a Lectio Divina practice with Matthew 4:1-11 Lectio Divina is a way of listening to Scripture with a prayerful Spirit. Sit back, create some space, and encounter God in Scripture! Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted v […]

In this Lectio Divina episode, Erin guides a Lectio Divina practice with Luke 18:1-8. Lectio Divina is a way of listening to Scripture with a prayerful Spirit. Sit back, create some space, and encounter God in Scripture! Luke 18:1-8 (NIV) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray […]

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-37 (NIV) You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:4-10 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) CROWDS do not always translate to WORSHIPERS He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP can feel DISRUPTIVE. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP calls you DEEPER Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP is about OBEDIENCE When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) OBEDIENCE always leads to BLESSING When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP reveals our HUMANITY  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP silences FEAR with “FROM NOW ONS” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11 (NIV) WORSHIP requires SEPARATION

2018/8/5 Joshua O'Sullivan ジョシュア・オサリバン Categories: Video: https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/a-storm-in-life-what-are-you-going-to-do A Storm In Life - What Are You Going To Do? 人生の中の嵐 - あなたは何をしようとしているの？ (Matthew 14:22-33 TPT) As soon as the people were fed, Jesus told his disciples to get into their boat and to go to the other side of the lake while he stayed behind to dismiss the people. (23) After the crowds dispersed, Jesus went up into the hills to pray. And as night fell he was there praying alone with God. (24) But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by the high winds and heavy seas. (25) At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the waves! (26) When the disciples saw him walking on top of the water, they were terrified and screamed, “A ghost!” (27) Then Jesus said, “Be brave and don’t be afraid. I am here!” (28) Peter shouted out, “Lord, if it’s really you, then have me join you on the water!” (29) “Come and join me,” Jesus replied. So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus. (30) But when he realized how high the waves were, he became frightened and started to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he cried out. (31) Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and lifted him up and said, “What little faith you have! Why would you let doubt win?” (32) And the very moment they both stepped into the boat, the raging wind ceased. (33) Then all the disciples crouched down before him and worshiped Jesus. They said in adoration, “You are truly the Son of God!” (マタイ 14:22-33 JCB)このあとすぐ、イエスは弟子たちを舟に乗り込ませて向こう岸に向かわせ、また、群衆を解散させられました。(23)みんなを帰したあと、ただお一人になったイエスは、祈るために丘に登って行かれました。(24)一方、湖上は夕闇に包まれ、弟子たちは強い向かい風と大波に悩まされていました。(25)朝の四時ごろ、イエスが水の上を歩いて弟子たちのところに行かれると、(26)弟子たちは悲鳴をあげました。てっきり幽霊だと思ったのです。(27)しかし、すぐにイエスが、「わたしです。こわがらなくてよいのです」と声をおかけになったので、彼らはほっと胸をなでおろしました。(28)その時、ペテロが叫びました。「先生。もしほんとうにあなただったら、私に、水の上を歩いてここまで来いとおっしゃってください。」(29)「いいでしょう。来なさい。」言われるままに、ペテロは舟べりをまたいで、水の上を歩き始めました。(30)ところが高波を見てこわくなり、沈みかけたので、大声で、「主よ。助けてください」と叫びました。(31)イエスはすぐに手を差し出してペテロを助け、「ああ、信仰の薄い人よ。なぜわたしを疑うのです」と言われました。(32)二人が舟に乗り込むと、すぐに風はやみました。(33)舟の中にいた者たちはみな、「あなたはほんとうに神の子です」と告白しました。 - Sent on ahead - next season 先に送られた – 次のシーズン A storm in life: They are still together, but in trouble 人生の嵐：一緒だけど問題の中にある (v.27) 3 words of Jesus: (２７節) イエスの3つの言葉 1.Be Brave 勇敢になれ (Matthew 9:22 NIV) Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (マタイ 9:22 JCB)イエスはふり向き、女に声をかけました。「さあ、勇気を出しなさい。あなたの信仰があなたを治したのです。」この瞬間から、女はすっかりよくなりました。 ‘tharseo’ —> tharsiete !!! 2.I am with you あなたと共にいる (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (マタイ 28:18-20 ALIVE訳)そして使徒たちの元へ来たイエスは――「俺の手に天地すべての権限がゆだねられた！！！ (19)だから行け！全世界のあるゆる人を俺の弟子とし、父と子と神の霊の名によって洗礼を授け、(20)おまえたちに命じたいっさいのことに従うよう指導しろ！！！忘れるな、俺は世の終わりまでおまえたちと共にいるのだ！！！」 3.Don’t Be Afraid 心配しないで (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 テモテ 1:7 ALIVE訳)なぜなら、神が与えてくれた神の魂は、恐れをはねのけ、知恵と力とをみなぎらせ、人を愛し、喜んで人と共に歩ませてくれる。 ‘Don’t have spirit of fear (phobia)” 恐れの霊を持たない Peter goes where no man has gone before … ペテロは未知の体験をした (Matthew 14: 28-31 TPT) Peter shouted out, “Lord, if it’s really you, then have me join you on the water!” (29) “Come and join me,” Jesus replied. So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus. (30) But when he realized how high the waves were, he became frightened and started to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he cried out. (31) Jesus Read rest of the notes 続きを読む https://yokohama.mylifehouse.com/tv/message/a-storm-in-life-what-are-you-going-to-do

Jesus demonstrated God’s desire to reach out to those far from Him by sharing a series of parables about the Lost. Adam challenges us to read the parable of the Lost Son and seek to see what we’ve been called to do in response. Seeking the Lost Storyteller | Week 4 June 18, 2017 | Adam Barnett Luke 15:1-2 (NIV) Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. Luke 15:3-7 (NIV) Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:8-10 (NIV) Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:11-12 (NIV) Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Luke 15:13-16 (NIV) Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Luke 15:17-19 (NIV) When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ Luke 15:20-23 (NIV) So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:25-30 (NIV) Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ Luke 15:31-32 (NIV) ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” Which son is the Prodigal Son? The Younger Son The Older Son The Father Jesus counts in ones. JESUS COUNTS IN ONES.

Brokenness = A spiritual state in which we come face to face with the reality of who we are. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Romans 7:21-25 (NIV) Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:21-25 (NIV) To walk through a THRESHOLD OF SCARY… we have to embrace a SEASON OF BROKENESS. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-10 (NIV) Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10 (NIV) Grieve (Conviction) Mourn (Confession) Wail (Consecration) The end of yourself is where you begin to really know God. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) …having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV) Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha…So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” John 11:1-7 (NIV) When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” John 11:1-7 (NIV)  On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. John 11:17-27 (NIV) “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” John 11:17-27 (NIV) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:17-27 (NIV)  “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:17-27 (NIV)  Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” John 11:38-45 (NIV) Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:38-45 (NIV)  So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” John 11:38-45 (NIV)  When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  John 11:38-45 (NIV)  Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. John 11:38-45 (NIV)  What is your threshold of scary? What is hanging in the balance of you crossing your threshold of scary? Who's life could be changed because you crossed over your threshold of scary?

Choose Happyness - Week Three Principle of Substitution: Putting something healthy in place of something unhealthy Matthew 3:13 (NIV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John 1:29 (NIV) John saw Jesus coming toward...

Tim Rees carefully considers Jesus' call in Luke 12 to seek first righteousness and His Kingdom - even through our stewardship of money and resources. Luke 12:22–34 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Rediscover, Part 1: Jesus “Now he had to go through Samaria.” (John 4:4 NIV) “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"” (John 4:7 NIV) “She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” (John 4:9 NLT) “The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." (John 4:15 NIV) “Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." (John 4:18 NIV) Jesus wants me to know Him for who He really is. Common Misconceptions 1.     He wants nothing to do with me. 2.     He offers something to good to be true. 3.     He's more interested in religion than me. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV) “Then God ordered me, "Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife. Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people, even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy." (Hosea 3:1 MSG) “The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." (John 4:25 NIV) “Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:26 NIV) “…To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6 NIV) For more information on the vision of Freedom Church, please visit our website at www. freedom-church.org.