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Weekend Recap – Light of Works

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My 7/31/16AM sermon, Light of Works from John 9:1-41, just went live online.  In this amazing passage, Jesus, who emphatically refers to Himself as the Light of the World again, shows that He is doing the works of God.  Specifically, He heals a man who was born blind on the Sabbath.  There are all kinds of applications in this sermon like God’s ways being higher than ours, our hearts being drawn out, God’s glory being seen in changed lives, and Jesus bringing judgment in exposing those who are blind and those who see.  I hope it encourages you and helps you make progress in your spiritual journey.

Weekend Preview – The Blind See

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This weekend, Lord willing, at Crestview, we’ll be looking (he, he) at Jesus healing a man who was born blind in John 9.

There’s so much to say about this, so plan to join us Sunday, 10:15AM and come to delight in Jesus with us.  After all, as the famous hymn says, before Christ, “we once we blind, but now we see”.

Another thing this reminded me of was some classic Caedmon’s Call.  Here you go:

See you Sunday.

Drained – So What?

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drained

It’s been quite a few weeks for me.  You might remember back at the start of July, coming off the heels of vacation, I led our congregation in a Day of Prayer, which was simply my confession as one at a dry place and what I needed to do in that moment.

Last week, I was privileged to serve my family as my uncle passed away in Tyler, TX.  I left Sunday after church and drove to Tyler, helped with the service on Monday and led a graveside service in Shreveport, LA, then returned midweek.  On Saturday, my brother-in-law got married in Hutch.  My amazing wife and her mom were responsible for making all the flowers for this, which meant that I needed to help on the home front.  Stay at home moms have a much more difficult job than they get credit for.

After a full day on ministry Sunday (I’m currently serving our adults by teaching a Sunday School class where all our adults are together, giving teachers a break for the summer, plus my Sunday AM sermon, plus Small Groups), I was drained.

Monday I recharged by jumping into lots of administrative tasks and an Elders Meeting.  Today, I’m tired. Drained.  I feel the need in my soul to recharge.

What do you do in these moments?  How do you recharge?

Well, for me, the big priority is attending to my soul.  I haven’t been happy in God like I usually am.  And, my frustration has been because I haven’t been served (not very noble, right?).  So, today, I’m spending time the Psalms.  Praying some prayers in Valley of Vision.  Checking in on my soul.  I find God’s Word refreshing and life-giving.  In fact, I need God to come near to me through His Word.  So, the drain is slowly getting recharged.

I know many of you probably deal with more difficulties that I mention here.  But, I think the remedy is probably the same.  Attend to your soul.  Take some time and allow God to recharge you.  And, as you pursue this, I’d appreciate your prayers as I continue to recharge.

Weekend Recap – Light of the World

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My 7/24/16AM sermon, Light of the World out of John 8:12-59, is now online (with Small Group Questions).  In this sermon, I wanted to unpack what Jesus meant when He said He was the light of the world, that whoever followed Him would not walk in darkness but have the light of life.  To put it simply, Jesus was seeking to move us.  He wanted our lives to be affected with this truth of who He is.  Therefore, this passage demands things from us and our lives.  I hope it encourages you.

Weekend Recap – Is Jesus Really The Christ?

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My 7/17/16AM sermon from Crestview entitled Is This The Christ from John 7:25-52 is now online.  This sermon sought to answer that question.  Another feature of this amazing passage was Jesus’s offer to come to Him and drink, that if we believe, then out of our lives would flow rivers of living water.  I hope you engage with this sermon and it helps you progress in the way you live.

Weekend Preview – Living Water Can Be Yours

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Jn7.37-38

This coming Sunday, we will be continuing our work in John’s Gospel.  In John 7:25-52, there’s a big question on the table: Can this man really be the Christ?  In other words, can Jesus be the Promised One, the Messiah?  So, this passage unpacks who Jesus is.  It helps us see where He’s really from, the life He gives, and how we can judge Him rightly.  I hope to see you there as we hear Jesus address the concerns of our heart: our lack of trust and belief in Him.  See you Sunday.

Weekend Recap – Judging Jesus Rightly

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My 7/10/16AM sermon, Judging Jesus Rightly out of John 7:1-24, is now online.  This sermon helped us unpack Jesus’s command of John 7:24 — “Don’t judge by appearances, but judge rightly.”  It’s a command. From Jesus.  To Judge.  And, this passage helps us judge Jesus rightly be helping us focus on God’s timing, helping us see that Jesus’s teaching is from God, and calling us to not judge based on appearances only but rightly.  I hope this sermon helps you, as well.

Weekend Preview – Judging Rightly

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judgingrightly

Do you have a category for judging rightly?  If you DON’T, then you have to do something with Jesus, who said, “Don’t judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).  This coming Sunday, we’ll be exploring this “right judgment” out of John 7:1-24.  I hope you’ll join us and see the amazing way we can be shaped by God’s Word, even if it’s very much out of step with the prevailing notions our world might offer.

See you then.