Taking Responsibility for Every Person
Do you remember those school projects where one person took responsibility for it and the rest were along for the ride? Which one were you? What I observe is that in the church today, it is more likely for many of us to be those who are just along for the ride and not the ones who are taking responsibility for making disciples. The apostle Paul challenged Timothy to take responsibility in 2 Timothy 4.
Series of Choices
Life is a series of choices. And the cumulative effect of every smaller, wise choice is a big outcome. Such is our story this week. One man makes the choice to adopt his orphaned cousin. He mentors her, guides her, encourages her. He acts justly and righteously. And the impact? God’s people are spared, and their influence broadened.
Leading from a Second Chair
Leadership does not always mean being in the top position. There is such a thing as leading from the second chair. It means recognizing God’s call on someone else’s life to be in a position we feel we should rightfully have. Are we willing to sacrifice a temporary position for an eternal purpose?
Mediator
Sometimes in marriages or other relationships, God uses one person to protect another from themselves. Or at times they are used to protect or proclaim God’s plan in the life of another. Such is our story this weekend. A wise woman makes a sacrificial choice that results in far more than diffusing an immediate conflict.
God’s Intentions
“I Choose” is the title of our new series. Ever have someone hurt you deeply and then you get into a circumstance where you have the power to pay them back for what they did? Then what? It is a moment to choose. But we must choose wisely because every choice carries an outcome, for good or for bad. This week we look at a familiar story to find how our choices are not always easy and they are not always isolated. Life, and eternal life, is a series of choices.
Your Training
There is a scene in the movie “Greyhound” where they are in the midst of battling a German submarine and one of the sailors blurts out there is a torpedo in the water. Tom Hanks, who plays the captain, calmly but forcefully says, “Your training son; bearing, range?” If we are going to navigate the treacherous waters of living today, we can’t just blurt out what’s wrong, we need to identify the target and apply a solution. That is why we will study this weekend about God as our Father.
Mastering Sabbath
We come into the Worship Center every week. We sing songs, we interact with scripture, we pray. But what benefit is it to us? See there’s a choice we have to make each week as we step into this space. Will we seek to be formed into people of God, or only seek the effects that church should have on us? What happens when we play the part of worshiper without becoming a worshiper each week?
Missions and Mobilization
Many of us have heard that David was a man after God’s own heart. However, when we look at the act of committing adultery and killing Bathsheba’s husband, we may wonder how is that possible. Yet in David’s own words we hear a man who is convicted of his sin, and through God’s redeeming work, he desires to proclaim His restorative work so that people will turn back to Him.
Smoothing Out the Rough Edges
The word “love" is tossed around flippantly in the world today and means different things to different people. But if we are going to be “Formed and Filled” to be used by God we need to understand what love is and how He wants us to show that love to others.
Redeeming, Restoring, and Renewing HOME
Everyone longs for "home," but its definition has different meanings for everyone. Ever since the Fall, our perfect environment has been broken and messy. BUT God!! God is at work in His restoration process that involves us all. He is at work to “form us” and to “fill us” and that process takes time, patience, and great care.
Artistry of the Potter
People are broken and lives are shattered. The Bible paints the picture of a master potter taking the broken pieces and skillfully putting them back together in such a way that the cracks become part of the story but not “the” story.
Giving Directions
What if you were able to read the newspaper that was to be published three years from now? All the news then is still our future. But because you are the only reader, you have insight no one else has. It would be troubling and exciting at the same time. Such was the experience of Daniel as he was given a glimpse into the future by God.
The Way of the Wise
How wisely are you living life? Good question. Dr. Kevin Leman begins our weekend we are calling “Leading Your Family Well” with a message from Proverbs entitled “The Way of the Wise.”
The Power of Consistency
Chicken or egg? You know the question: which came first? When we consider life, which comes first, consistency or opportunity and influence? If our lives were a book and people were turning the pages from chapter to chapter, what would they see? As we have done so with Daniel’s life, there is a thread that traces down from beginning to end: the thread of consistency. We will see the outcome of a consistent life as we continue our series “Long Haul Leadership" and look at one of the most famous stories in the biblical narrative in Daniel 6.
Presumption Prevention
We often talk about our need to learn from the past. But what happens if we take the wrong lesson? We will see how we, as leaders, can ensure that we learn the right lessons from the past.
Speaking Truth
It can be tough as a leader to give hard or difficult news to the people around us. In this week of our series, “Long Haul Leadership”, we will be looking at how Daniel explained hard news to Nebuchadnezzar and what lessons this gives to us today.
Speed Limits
People who have had a huge impact over time are those who have stood out from the crowd, who have had the courage to stand alone. Their actions are so stark that it cannot go unnoticed. This week we will see how one act of courage can impact a whole nation, and that act of courage could be yours.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Truckers spend long hours alone, delivering the goods for the rest of us. But when issues start happening on the road, you find the truckers band together to assist each other. This contributes to the safety and longevity for each of them for the long haul. This week we will see how banning together for the common good is a key to longevity in our faith journey.
Proper Inspection
Longevity. It takes persistence, consistency, and desire. It takes always doing the next right thing. What habitual practices aid us in choosing what the next best thing to do is? It all starts with a good foundation.