Purpose of the Church III: Serve the World - 11/13/2011

This is our mission.  We are beginning a renewed effort to engage the neighborhood, establish relationship, and simply love folks the way Jesus loved us.

Sam Desocio - Guest Pastor on 11/6/2011

Sam is the pastor of Grace and Peace Presbyterian (PCA).  They meet on Sunday night in Fourth's building.  It's been a great joy to get to know Sam over the last few months.  And it's was a joy to have him bring the message.

Jim Krummenacher's Funeral

Jim Krummenacher was a great lover of the church, music, people and God.  It was a joy to celebrate his life.  Many shared their memories and hearts about Jim in this time.  We'll miss you, Jim.

Purpose of the Church II: Love Each Other - 10/30/2011

The second purpose of our church is to love each other.  It sounds simple and easy, but it's not.  The best thing we can do in our witness to the world is simply be the community Christ desires us to be.  That's something everyone would want to be a part of.

Purpose of the Church I: Love God; 10/23/2011

We start a short series on the purpose of our church.  Our first purpose is to love God.  We can do everything else perfectly and have a huge ministry.  If we are not loving God, it means nothing.

Sermon 10/9/2011 - Mt. 2 - Jesus Worshipers

Chapter 2 of Matthew is about humanity's response to Jesus.  The right response is represented by the Wise Men.  God reveals himself to them first through nature, then through scripture, and finally in the presence of Jesus himself.  And when they see him, they worship him.  It's a picture of right faith.

Sermon 10/2/2011 - Mt. 1 - the Christ Child

Jesus is the culmination of every hope.  He's the promised one.  He's our savior, and he's here.

Sermon 9/25/2011 - Matthew 1 - Genealogy and Christ

We're going to spend some time in Matthew over a long haul.  We'll allow ourselves to get distracted for short periods of time here and there, but we'll come back to this until we get through.  In this sermon, we see the themes and message of the book in the midst of a genealogy. The meaning of it all is that Jesus is the Messiah and God of all.

Sermon 9/18/2011 - Making Connections - 1 Cor. 9

We were born to be in relationship.  Christ has paved the way for it to happen.

Sermon 9/11/2011 Peacemakers: Be Reconciled - Mt. 5:24

The last in the series on being a peacemaker.  This is the end toward which we work in the brokenness of our relationships.  This is a day of remembering brokenness and devastation.  It's a day to remember the reconciling work of Jesus.  Click here to go to audio sermon

Peacemakers: Gently Restore - Matthew 18:15-20 - Sermon 9/4/2011

This is the key passage in dealing with conflict.  Conflict is an opportunity to come together in a deeper way.  It's exactly what Christ has done for us.

Peacemakers: Get the Log Out Of Your Own Eye - Matthew 7:1-6 August 28, 2011

The second in the Peacemakers series.  Before we deal with others, we deal with ourselves.

Peacemakers: Give Glory to God - 1 Cor. 10:27-31 - Sermon 8/21/2011

Relationships are the basic, primary stuff of life - and they're hard.  They don't always go well - not ever since Cain and Abel.  This is the beginning of a four part series on how to do relationship, especially in conflict that inevitably challenges every relationship.

The first thing we do - always do - is Glorify God.

In invite you to stream or download the sermon and start to do some good work on relationships.

Spirit & the Kairos Moment - Sermon 8/14/2011 - Acts 4:23-32

The final message in the series of our dance with the Spirit that is the Christian life.  It's not just that we discern God's leading and are empowered to obediently follow, it's also that we're sensitive to the timing of God.  Always and everywhere, we are sensitive to the moments of opportunity to respond to the Spirit.

Spirit & Gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - August 7, 2011

Spiritual gifts are a controversial topic in the church.  Yet, if they are truly given by God and available to the believer, then how can we operate in the Christian life to our fullest without them?  This is an overview of the gifts as they are presented in scripture and operative today.

The Spirit and Discernment - Acts 17:11 on 7/31/11

The dance with the Spirit includes discerning when the voice is His - or when its the world, the enemy or just ourselves.  This is some good stuff on making that discernment.

Spirit & Guidance - Acts 8:26-40

God provides us with direction.  He leads us should we have the discerning ears and eyes to follow.  What a wonderful grace.

Spirit and Obedience - Sermon 7/17/2011

Acts 16 tells the story of Paul following the Spirit's lead.  Obedience is a fundamental element of hearing and responding to the Spirit.

Sermon 7/10/2011 - Acts 16:22-34 - "The Spirit and Prayer"

We serve a God of the impossible situation.  It's a good thing, too, because we're in an impossible situation.  As individuals, we can do nothing to overcome for ourselves sin and death.  God stepped in.  He is the God of the resurrection.  As a body, our little church is in an impossible situation.  How are we going to grow.  If we don't grow, we will die.  But the motivation cannot be survival.  It can only be love - love for God and for our neighborhood.  We'll get together during the week this summer to talk with God and each other and ask for a mission to our neighbors.

Sermon 6-16-2011 - Dance with the Spirit - Acts 2

Pentecost (a week late).  This is the introduction to a series on living life in step with the Spirit.  We are witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and empowered with the words to tell.

The Spirit and Love - 6/26/2011 - Acts 2:42-47

The second in a series on living life in the Spirit - as individuals and as a church.  The first, foundational thing is to know God's love, be transformed by it, in awe of it, and so filled with it that it reflects back with God and our neighbor.  At the end of Acts 2, the disciples are filled with awe at all God has done.  We still are.  It's the beginning of everything.

7/3/2011 Freedom - Sermon by Elder Ross Kronenbitter

The day before our country celebrated the anniversary of our independence, our elder Ross Kronenbitter preached about freedom.  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Gal. 5:1).

Easter Sunday!

Jesus is alive!  He is risen from the dead.  Death and Sin are defeated.  He has risen from the dead.  This morning we looked at Mary Magdalene's experience at the tomb.  Twice she was asked, "Why are you crying?"  John 20:1-18.

A: 2nd Sunday of Easter - Fear & Doubt vs. the Resurrection

John 20:19-31
Rumors are swirling about the tomb being empty and Jesus having been seen.  Some of the disciples have probably already seen him.  Still, they go hide in a locked room from angry people who killed Jesus.  Later, evan after they've all seen him, Thomas doubts.  Jesus comes through every barrier of fear and doubt and shows himself to them, breaths on them and sends them out.  And they worship him.

Again - Thoughts and Sermons

To start a conversation, one has to say something.  This seems the oddest venue to speak, as I don't know if anyone is listening.  I shout out in the forest and don't know if anyone is there to hear it - or if it's just annoying them.  And I'm not even sure what ought to be said to who.  So, I'll start this conversation with myself and see how it goes.

What is it I even want to talk about?

I just got Eugene Peterson's new book, Memoirs.  He is a muse for me.  He characterizes pastoring (and this conversation) saying, "William Faulkner was once asked how he went about writing a book. His answer: “It’s like building a chicken coop in a high wind. You grab any board or shingle flying by or loose on the ground and nail it down fast.” Like becoming a pastor."  (I got it on Kindle and don't even know how to document the quote.  I'll work on it).  I'll grab the thoughts that seem worthy from what I read, from sermons, from daily epiphanies and nail them down on a blog.  It means this blog may be more personal and spiritual than I had originally intended, but that's the nature of a personal dialogue.  It's also the nature of pastoring.