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Helper & Keeper

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psalm-121

I spent some time today meditating on one of the Psalms of the Day (a method I learned from Don Whitney where you take today’s date, the 1st, and add 30 4 times, to get 5 Psalms of the Day for each day of the month to use.  So, today’s Psalms of the Day were: 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121.) in this case Psalm 121.  This is a passage our body has memorized together in the past.  And, it’s an encouraging revealing of God:

He’s our Helper

AND, He never sleeps

He’s our Keeper

AND, He will be forever.

This intersected nicely with the Valley of Vision prayer “Victory” which ended by saying:

When thou art absent all sorrows are here,

When thou art present all blessings are mine.

Today, you may not be aware of your need for help, so you might bow your knee before your Maker and consider what this self-reliance might reveal.  For the rest of us, though, we come clinging to Him.  And, as this Psalm (and prayer) suggests, we can rely on Him to help.

Would you pray that God’s help would come to me in these days?

Confession for Lord’s Supper

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Each time we come to the Lord’s Supper table as a congregation, we try to confess our faith using a profession of faith.  I found this one from Coram Deo Church and we used it this past Sunday (they call it Profession 18).  Listen to how it showcases Jesus as prophet, priest, and king.  Definitely appropriate words as we come to celebrate the work of the Son.

We confess and affirm together
that Jesus Christ is the
cornerstone of our faith.
He is our chief prophet and teacher
who perfectly reveals to us
the will of God.
He is our only high priest
who has set us free from
Satan, sin, and death
by the one sacrifice of his body.
And He is our eternal King who governs us by his Word and Spirit,
and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.
We hope in Jesus alone,
And confidently await His return,
When every knee will bow,
in heaven, and on earth,
and under the earth,
And every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.

Weekend Recap – High Priestly Prayer

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My 10/30/16AM sermon, Jesus Prays from John 17:1-26, is now online.  The sermon bridged Jesus loving His followers in the Upper Room with the Passion narrative.  And, apart from the amazing insight we get from eavesdropping on Jesus praying to His Father, Jesus prayed so that His followers (and us) are moved with confidence.  I hope the sermon encourages you.

Gospel Friday – Hint: It’s Jesus

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We probably have the clearest statement of what the good news is in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

1cor15_3-4

How is this good news?  Well, it’s because it was for our sins.  Therefore, today, for every look at your sins, take a look at Christ.  He’s died for them, was buried, and rose again, so they are no longer THE definitive power in you.  Look to Him.

Weekend Preview – Jesus, Our Great High Priest

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john-17

This coming Sunday at Crestview, we’ll continue our study of the Gospel of John, focusing in on John 17, where Jesus prays for an entire chapter: John 17:1-26.  We also get to come to the Lord’s Supper table together and encourage one another.  I hope you join us and consider the great way we’re encouraged in this life because Jesus prays for us.

Youth Leadership Reno County 2016

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I’m privileged to get to serve the community of Reno County in a couple of ways (besides my service as pastor).  One of those is through a program of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce called Youth Leadership Reno County.  This program brings together 4 7th and 8th graders for each public and private school in the county (that’s 32 middle school students) to help them make progress in: 1) learning about leadership, 2) learning something about themselves, and 3) helping them be better citizens of Reno County.

We met for Day #1 in Haven, KS today.  We got to introduce one another, thinking about “What is leadership?”, and tour downtown Haven, thinking about acts of leadership in the community there.  This program meets 7 times between now and February.  It’s an amazing journey. And, it’s only just begun.

Weekend Recap – Sorrow Turned to Joy

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My 10/23/16AM sermon, Sorrow Turned to Joy out of John 16:16-33, is now online (with Small Group Questions).   Life this side of heaven is filled with all kinds of sorrow upon sorrow.  We often wonder where we can turn or what kind of practical help there is for such things.  And, Jesus speaks in this moment to give encouragement and show how what He will do on the cross and His resurrection with transform the sorrow into joy.  I hope this sermon encourages and moves you.

Gospel Friday – God Did This…

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2co5-21

For our sake – He did this for you and me

he made him to be sin – Jesus bore the punishment we deserve

who knew no sin, – Yes, that Jesus, the pure, spotless, perfect Son of God

so that – this wasn’t a wasted action.  It was for something…

in him – this is all in Christ, not us

we might become the righteousness of God. – we get amazing benefits and are seen as righteous in Him.

Praise God today for this truth from 2 Corinthians 5:21 and the hope it gives you.

Weekend Preview – Sorrow Turning To Joy

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john16-20_23

This coming Sunday at Crestview (corporate worship begins at 10:15, Join Us!) we will continue our study in the Gospel of John.  Specifically, my sermon will be from John 16:16-33 and how Jesus turns sorrow into joy for His followers.  Be reading this passage and considering it as you prepare for the coming weekend.  We’ll also have Small Groups and have some questions we discuss.

The Planning Hat

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timetoplan

If you’re like me, part of your week involves some sort of planning.  And, for me, in particular, this is a busy season in terms of planning.  Just this week, I have 2 meetings to work with a ministry on planning their 2017 church budget, a meeting with all the Elders and Deacons of Crestview to finalize a 2017 Budget recommendation, planning for Youth Leadership Reno County (which starts in a week), and planning for Leadership Reno County.  And, you have stuff to plan, too.  It might not be in formal meetings like me, but you have personal budgets, activities in your home (including menu), and potentially other things you want to do that require a plan.  So, I wanted to throw out a couple of things that help me manage the planning responsibilities I have.

  1. Pray.  Now, I know I could do way better in this area, but it helps me to begin here.  Martin Luther famously said something like, “I have so much to do today that I’m going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to get it all done.”  And, your planning will be helped as you breathe and remember that apart from Jesus, you can do nothing (John 15:5).
  2. Carry A Small Notebook for Ideas.  I use Field Notes (non-digital) and Evernote (digital) for such purposes.  I carry these everywhere.  If it think of something to do, I capture this, then schedule it or have it for use later.  I have brainstorm files in Evernote that I return to consistently and update with plans for the coming year.   The same holds true for Field Notes.  I jot down ideas and then I have them captured to move to the next step when it’s appropriate.
  3. Plan out of relationships.  In some cases, I do have rely on others for bigger ideas, but often, I’m looked to for a larger idea.  So, being able to plan and consider with others is helpful.  Ask people what ideas they have.  Engage their voices.  When a program is wrapping up, jot some notes or record the gist of some conversations that could make it better next time.  Meet with people and talk about their plans, hopes, and dreams.  This will enhance the experience for everyone.

Having said this, on the spiritual front, I was really helped by this word from pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. on What Is Your Vision For The Church?  It might help you, especially if you find your leadership extends into church circles, to clarify your priorities.  Hope this helps further the planning conversation.