Preview

In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus makes it clear that the first act of obedience as a follower is to be baptized!  What a privilege to witness over 50 people being baptized for Jesus Sept. 30^th and to encourage them in their next steps of faith.

What is the next step of faith?

Attitudes.  This Sunday we’ll be looking at 8 key elements of attitude for every follower to incorporate.

Actions are important but we don’t live in a legalistic environment dominated by actions.  We live in a Spirit led environment dominated by attitudes.

Attitudes create actions.  Before any person takes any action they’ve been infected by attitudes.

Read Romans 12 before this Sunday and pay special attention to the attitudes listed in 12:9-13. 

Preview

Guilt has been called the place where psychology and theology most often meet. 

When Adam and Eve believed the serpent and rebelled against God the first thing they experienced was guilt!  They demonstrated this emotion by hiding from God.

Most people hid from what makes them feel guilty. 

Adam and Eve could have faced God and said, “It’s true I sinned, I feel embarrassed, God will you forgive me?”

They didn’t do that, instead they hid.

This week we’re going to talk about guilt and most importantly, what to do with it!

If you can’t make it to church this Sunday, don’t feel guilty, just listen to the sermon on our web sight.

God bless,

Pastor Ed

Preview

At times I really hate the word grace.  It’s a word which implies that I must forgive people who’ve treated me with injustice.  I like gracious connecting people that say, “I’m sorry, I was really wrong, will you forgive me…please?”  “Sure, no problem.” 

It’s the others that never notice and therefore never ask that irk me.  I really don’t like forgiving them.

Grace is a word that can be tremendously unfair.  I stand in line at the DMV for hours and hours doing my Christian best to be patient. I’m about to speak to the attendant inside the window another person rudely cuts in front of me.

That’s when I lose it!  I justifiably grab them by the collar and throw them out of the way and take my rightful place at the window.  This may be the very circumstance where legal minds came up with the idea of justifiable homicide.

I’ve never done that, but I’ve wanted to!  Why? I really don’t like grace.  I want justice, I’ve waited, I’ve earned this spot at the window, I’ve faithfully shuffled, fully committed to my chain of humanity, valiantly defending the laws of our civilization, even when my bladder has screamed, “Run!”  When someone cuts in front of me, I dislike, I even detest, grace.

But when I’m the one that’s in a rush and late for 20 things and I need to cut at the window, it’s at this moment that I lose my commitment to civilization and say, “Grace, grace to all, thanks for allowing me grace at the window!”

Why this frustration between grace and justice?

Eugene O’Neill says, “Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.”

I know O’Neill’s first sentence is true, I am broken.  I know his last sentence is true, God is grace glue.  It’s the middle sentence I dislike because mending is such frustrating work!  

It’s hard to be committed to the kind of grace to which God is committed.

This Sunday we’ll discuss the depth of God’s grace from Romans 5 and why it’s so important to connection.

Preview

Isn’t it amazing how people you connect with have greater influence on your life?  Want an example?  

My dad died when I was 14 years old.  When I was 31 years old my mom got remarried and moved to Missouri.  When she was making preparations she asked me if I would drive her and her car back there.  

As we were going through Texas we started taking about where she had met my dad and how they got married.  At one point I said, “Isn’t it funny how kids don’t know a lot about there parents unless they ask!”  She turned to me and said, “You sound just like your dad!”  

I had only known my dad for 14 years and yet 17 years after his death my mom is saying this to me.

People influence us and we absorb particles of their personalities. 

This week we’re going to discuss how we connect.  At the very beginning of time Adam and Eve had a decision to make, do we connect with God or with the serpent?  Guess what happened!  Read Genesis 3 to prepare for the message: The Big Disconnect…and how to fix it.