Surviving the Storm
Surviving with Class
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon.) Sometimes we feel so beat up that if we just manage to survive, that will be enough – but it isn’t. God wants us to thrive. He wants us to do it with passion, with strength, and even to gain an optimistic gaze toward the future. We were called “to more than just survive – we…
The Good Shepherds
When life get really hard, you need models to follow. Those models are people whose example produces calm instead of panic, peace instead of strife, and godly responses instead of worldly reactions. Good models are not born; they’re developed through careful, disciplined living and spiritual leadership. They understand that spiritual modeling is built on influence,…
Don’t Be Surprised!
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) Bad days will come for each one of us, and the more we’ve thought these things through ahead of time, the better prepared we’ll be when tragedy strikes or struggles emerge.” (Blackstock) Sunday we get prepared for that shocking moment when deeply embedded Christian principles move from…
Surviving By Serving
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon.) When we are besieged by persecution, pain, depression or loss, the last thing we want to do is think about someone else. We self-focus and think only of the threat that faces us. Yet there is a better way; our walk with God! We can choose to focus on the gift that God has placed in our hands, look…
Enough is Enough
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) There comes a time when we look at our lives and say “enough is enough! It’s time for a change.” Stormy times in life call for those decisions. If we fail to make those commitments we get stuck in frustration, self-pity, or bad habits. We’ll have a good time…
That One Thing
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) We tend to over-complicate things. When we are struggling we don’t have time for complex answers; we’re already confused. Sunday we’ll see a principle that will change a life under pressure from worry and intimidation under pressure to anticipation and joy. But even if you should suffer…
Without a Word
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) The struggles of life can really be tough but they seem most difficult when they cross the threshold and enter the household. It’s easy to create villains in the conflicts but as we’ll see Sunday, our conflicts call for great understanding, especially when they involve a…
Recapturing Freedom
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) It’s safe to say that none of us will ever know what it means to be a slave – one who has lost his or her personhood. But many will experience that loss of hope and purpose that comes as a result of withering criticism, injustice, and mistreatment that is completely outside our…
Surviving as Heaven’s Ambassadors
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) There is so much controversy in our society. People tend to get violent in speech and sometimes even in action when it comes politics. How are we to live? What should our attitude be? These are important themes as we strive to be God’s representatives in our world. We’ll be in…
Who Do You Want to Please?
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) Rejection – feeling like you’re on the outside and you don’t belong. It’s a horrible feeling. It’s far worse when you’re trying to do the right thing. As we look at 1 Peter 2:4-10, we’ll see the difference between struggling people who live for the…
In It For the Long Haul
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) When you’re really challenged by persecution or by the circumstances of life itself, your world tends to get smaller and you start to panic. Sunday we look at 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 to see a real alternative to crisis-centered thinking that rivets our eyes only on the storm. It’s…
The Hope We Need to Survive
(Click on “Save” above to download this week’s sermon and notes.) When you’re struggling it’s easy to lose hope. We spiral down into despair and wonder if we can ever get out. Sunday we look at 1 Peter 1:13-21 and realize that hope is more than wishful thinking or an optimistic attitude; it is a new heart based on God-inspired realities. These are truths that must work…
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