Grace

Christian writer and commentator Warren Wiersbe, tells about a town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon. The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea: "Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged." One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, "During that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have forgiven you. But today I am your Judge."
What are we saved for? Paul in Romans 6 made it clear that we are not saved so that grace can abound. However grace has a huge role in guiding our path with Jesus. A life that is saved from this world is not one that should be thrown back into it because of greed, selfishness, or desire. We are set free from sin by grace so that we can live lives free from the sinfulness of this world. Therefore by the grace of God we desire to draw closer to God rather than be independent of Him. His grace inspires us to be righteous like Him rather than evil like this world. Therefore it is my hope that one day our judge and savior will look at each one of us and say “you did not discard grace, but rather you grew from it each day to be closer to ME.”

To the White House Church of Christ

To the White House Church of Christ,


As you know I am leaving to work as the full time preaching minister at the Holly Hill Church of Christ in Daytona Beach, Florida. Goodbyes are never easy; however please consider this my sincere goodbye and farewell.
I want you all to know that I am truly leaving here with mixed emotions; exited about my new opportunity in Florida yet sad to be leaving a church that I love and such a great group of people whom I can call friends and family. The last 5 years has been a time of blessing and growth for me; I have enjoyed my time with you and hope that my next ministry will be filled with as much encouragement and love that you have shown to me and my family. I know that God will not only bring the right person to be your next minister, He will also bless you in new and exciting ways.
I look forward to knowing that our paths will cross again, whether in this life or the one to come. Thank you again for your love, encouragement, friendship, and prayers.

Grace & Peace,
Vic

Good is good all the time!

Titans, Texans, Elections, Jesus, & Unity

This Sunday is a big day for Titans and Texans fans. Even though it is too early in the season to know who will win the division, it seems as if it has come down to either the Titans or the Texans. Most of you are Titans fans, as you know I am a Texans fan, therefore we are at a crossroads. I think both games we play this season will be bitter fights. Can we get along or will this divide us?
Next year is a big election, some of you are democrats, some of you are republicans, some of you are Tea or even Green Partiers, and some of you just don’t know what you are politically. It will be a heated election; will our political differences divide us? Some of you are doing well financially, other are not; will that disparity in income levels weaken our fellowship? There are so many worldly reasons for us to be divided, disconnected, and maybe even bitter; but who are we really, are we a worldly people controlled by a worldly rationale? Of course not, we have been transformed (Romans 12), and are no longer a people who think or act like the world because we are no longer of the world. We are born again, resurrected into a new life with Jesus in which we think, act, speak, and live within the Spirit of God. Jesus’ example of everyday living is the model by which we live; He is our heart, our DNA that nudges us to good works, righteousness, love, grace, and unity. We are never going to agree on who is the best NFL team (TEXANS), we are never going to agree on who should be president, and we are never all going to be in the same financial bracket. But we can all agree on the one thing, the main thing, the only thing that matters; we belong to Jesus. Jesus is our common bond, and together with Him we overcome all things that disrupt unity.

NOTE: The Texans will win this Sunday!!!!

Humble Like Christ

Sometimes my conscience gets the best of me and it hits me that I need to be better, spiritually mature, or simply more like Christ. It might be that someone pulls out in front of me causing me to slow down, it might be that someone dropped the ball on their ministry at church, it might be that my kids are not moving as quickly as I want them to, or it might be that I think that the world should revolve around me. When I am at my most selfish I am also at my most destructive and impulsive. It is then that I act out of anger or arrogance when things don’t go my way. All too often I have been too harsh with my children, too judgmental of a fellow Christian, and too busy to listen to the needs of others. I’m not being too hard on myself; I’m just being honest that there is a part of me that is just not good. Whenever I read a scripture like Philippians 2:5-8, I find myself convicted to move beyond my selfishness and to become the person God designed me to be. Jesus acted out of love and holiness when dealing with others, He was able to rise above human arrogance and live with a humility that built others up rather than tear them down. The more God and His Word are present in my heart and mind the more I find myself inclined to love and serve rather than to be the old selfish me. Make it your goal today to allow Christ to guide your every move, word, and thought and you will enjoy God’s glory being revealed in your every moment.

“1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:1-11 NIV

Live Up To The Name

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.

As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty—a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.
The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.
“Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded the General.
“Alexander, sir.”
The General repeated the question: “What is your name?”
“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated.
A third time and more loudly the General asked, “What is your name?”
A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.”
The General, Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” 1 Peter 4:16

Waiting

A company offered tours through the historic district, led by guides dressed in Colonial clothing. While leading a group, one of the guides, tripped and fell, breaking his wrist. He went to the hospital and as he sat waiting in the emergency room, a policeman walked by. Doing a double take at him in his 18th-century garb he asked, "Just how long have you been waiting?"


No one likes to wait. I don’t like waiting in line, for Christmas, test results, or even for my favorite team to finally make the playoffs. Waiting goes against every ounce of my being, it tears at my soul. Okay maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but you get the idea, I do not like to wait. So what is the value of waiting? It says in Proverbs 8 that there is a blessing in waiting.

“32 Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. 34 Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD. 36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:32-36 NIV
The blessing of waiting is found in what you are waiting for. If you are waiting for others to step up and serve in your church or in your community you will be disappointed. If you are waiting till you feel like it before you finally clean out the garage; you again will be disappointed. Whenever we sit back and wait for the world to live up to our expectations we will always be unsatisfied. As you can see from Proverbs 8, whenever we wait for God there is no sitting around, in fact it is the opposite. When we wait for God we begin to find a strength that we did not know we had. We find that strength thru listening, watching, and joining God in the work that He does each day. Lately I have been trying to get Jackson and Abby to do a better job of listening to others. The other day Jackson was waiting in the car rider line; however he was not listening, therefore he did not hear his name called. He missed it and I had to go around into the office to get him. He ended up waiting longer because he was not listening. Whenever we wait for God we must learn to listen because He calls us each day to new opportunities to grow, to serve, and to be with Him.

The Persistent Weirdo

About five years ago after I had moved to White House, Brandi Taylor told me that she had just taught my daughter’s Bible class about the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Abby, my daughter misunderstood her and thought Brandi said “Parable of the Persistent Weirdo”. We had a good laugh over that; not only because it sounded funny, but also because we all know people who are persistently weird. As you know I am trying to sell my house; which is not easy to do in this market. The other day we had a showing for our house, so we had to leave in order for the perspective buyers to be able to look all round it. We were gone for a while and figured that they would have been gone by the time we got back; so it was interesting when we got back to the house and saw that they were just leaving. We didn’t want to appear weird by pulling in right after they pulled out; so Stacy said “let’s keep driving, that way we won’t look so weird”. So we drove right past our house. Jackson then said “why are not stopping at home, what are we doing?” To which Abby replied, “we are trying not to look weird.” For me it is too late, I am weird, but I am not alone, most of you are too. The apostle Paul said …


“5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NIV

Thankfully our message is not just about us; what a short and weird message that would be. Our message is Jesus, His perfection shines over our imperfection to give us lives filled with God’s glory. Therefore before you talk about yourself, talk about Jesus, His message is so much better than ours alone.

I Fought The Law, & The Law Won

Sometimes we seem surprised by the results of our sin. For example, we may drive down the road about 40 miles an hour and yet the posted speed limit is 30. So why should it surprise us when a policeman pulls us over to give us a ticket for speeding? We may not have been intentionally speeding, it may have been an accident; however we broke the law all the same. My question is, why are we mad at the policeman, he didn’t make us break the law nor is it his fault that we are now penalized for our lawlessness. In the same way, why do we get mad at others or even at God when so often the bulk of our troubles are self inflicted? Too many times we act selfish or self righteous around the people we work with or even live with; typically our selfishness results in alienating ourselves and pushing the people closest to us away. John wrote…


“5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 NIV

The only way to overcome both sin and its negative repercussions is to be connected to Jesus in every moment of life. Maybe when we are driving we feel that the policeman is out to get us, maybe some are; however God is not out to get us. God sent His son to die on the cross to save us from sin, to literally transform us into people who are more like Jesus and less like the world. God did this so that we may have a life that overcomes all the negative effects of sin. So if you feel like the world is out to get you, rather than feel sorry for yourself, turn to Jesus, allow Him to give you the power to be wise, Holy, and forgiven.

A Little Help From My Friends

This week Stacy and I began to spruce up our house by repainting many of the walls. In order to paint a house or stain a deck we have to get really close and examine the walls and the wood. The closer we look, the more flaws and imperfections we will see. That is why I hate to paint, I don’t want to see the flaws, because then I have to admit that they are there and that I have to do something about them. I guess I am saying that I like to be happily ignorant. The problem is that if we choose to be ignorant of our homes flaws, we might be ignoring a flaw that will lead to bigger problems that will require lots of time and money to fix. Spiritually I can be the same way; I do not enjoy examining my life or spirituality. Every time I reflect on my spiritual condition I realize I have a long way to go.

When I work on my house alone it is overwhelming and difficult, however when others come in to help the work gets easier. When we are alone everything seems insurmountable, but when we ask for help we discover that all things are possible. The same could be said about our spiritual condition, it may not be pleasant to admit a struggle or to ask for help, but when we do we unlock unlimited power that makes spiritual growth possible.
“26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28 NIV

Interview between John Ortberg & Jud White

Check out this interesting interview on the 12 steps, discipleship, and spiritual formation.

http://perspectives.monvee.com/article/perspectives_john_ortberg_and_jud_wilhite

First Day of School

Here are a few funny quotes on parenthood that I have heard over the years:

• If it was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!

• The smartest advice on raising children is to enjoy them while they are still on your side.

• Avenge yourself ~~~ live long enough to be a problem to your children.

• The best way to keep kids at home is to give it a loving atmosphere -- and hide the keys to the car.

Sending kids to their first day of school is not easy for them, but the truth is, it's not easy for parents either. We love our kids, and we love to protect them. It is hard to protect our kids when they are at school. Will they be bullied? Will the work be too difficult or advanced for them? Will they learn bad habits from bad influences? Will they have any friends?

Almost every day I pray that God will influence my children to do what is right, that they would grow closer to Him, that He would deepen their faith, and that He would protect them. Every time I pray for my kids I find comfort as a parent; knowing that our loving and powerful God is with them every moment. I encourage you to pray for your children each day, it will not only be a help to them, but a comfort for you as well. May God bless all of our children as they begin a new school year.

The Servant Leader

During training exercises, the lieutenant driving down a muddy back road encountered another car stuck in the mud with a red faced colonel at the wheel. "Is your jeep stuck, sir?" asked the lieutenant as he pulled alongside. "Nope," replied the colonel, coming over and handing him the keys, "but yours is."
We live in a world in which leaders, politicians, along anyone else who has power expects others to serve them. But when it comes to Jesus, He has done the opposite; Jesus has come into our lives saying “allow me to serve you”. Jesus demonstrated that the greatest leadership model is that of the servant leader who puts others ahead of self. In doing so, Jesus was able communicate both in word and in action the message that He cares for all people. That is why people listened to Him when He spoke or why they followed Him when He traveled. We all have someone to lead; it could be our children, our peers, or even a large company; whoever it is, allow the Jesus model of leadership to be your guide as you lead.

“5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:5-8 NIV

Yes From God

The owner of a manufacturing firm decided to make a surprise tour of the factory. Walking through the warehouse he noticed a young man lazily leaning against a packing crate. The factory owner angrily said, "Just how much are you being paid?" The young man replied, "A four hundred dollars a week." The owner pulled out his wallet, peeled off four $100 bills and shouted at the young man: "Here is a week's pay--now get out and don't come back!" Without a word, the young man stuffed the money into his pocket and left. The warehouse manager, standing nearby, stared in amazement. "Tell me," the boss asked him, "How long has that guy worked for us?" "He didn't work here," replied the warehouse manager, "He was just the Fed-Ex guy delivering a package."


I do feel sorry for the owner of the firm. Every moment is one that has opportunity and purpose. Unfortunately, we live in an age in which wasted moments have become common place and acceptable. God however has called us to capture every moment and surrender them to Him. I don’t think God desires that we become busier, but I do think He expects us to be more connected to Him and to His will. As the scripture below implies, God’s message to us has always been “Yes, I want to be with you and empower you to do my will”. Imagine all of the amazing things we could do if we allowed ourselves to be connected to God in every moment. Every time that we are confronted with an opportunity to do good, I believe it is God once again saying to us, “Yes, I am with you, and now let’s live this life together.”

“18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:18-20 NIV

No Barrier Can Stop Him

I love the story of Jesus walking on water.  Not because Peter tried to walk out to Him or because Jesus lifted Peter out of the water; I just love that Jesus was willing to walk out to them.  We live in a world filled with barriers and roadblocks that keep us from being where we want or need to be.  When the apostles were crossing the Sea of Galilee they were following Jesus’ direction, knowing that they would eventually meet up with Jesus.  I get a feeling that whenever the apostles were separated from Jesus that they felt a sense of uneasiness. After all Jesus was their leader; without Him they were like a boat without a paddle.  When the storm hit their boat, they were overcome by both fear and a sense of powerlessness.  We see their fear grow even more when they saw someone walking out on the water toward them.  Was it a demon or ghost?  They were unsure at first, but then Jesus put their fear to rest and said “it is I, don’t be afraid.”  When they finally allowed Jesus into the boat, they immediately arrived at their destination.  Ultimately Jesus was their destination, because only when they were with Him were they able to overcome their fear and have the power to finish the task of crossing the lake.  This story once again illustrates how there is no barrier or distance that can keep God from being with His people.  He wants to be in your life, He wants to give you power, and courage; will you let Him into your boat?    -Vic

“Trust God Today” Small GROUP LESSON

“Trust God Today” LIFE GROUP LESSON
How would you define the word “trust”?

READ Exodus 14:1-31
God parted the sea, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground to the other side. If you were there, describe how that event would have made you feel.

What would you have been thinking?

Notice v.31, the people saw the power of God, and how God used His power to help them. That is why they put their trust in Him. Why was it important for the Israelites to learn to trust God?
(ANSWER: The point of this story is that God saves & provides for His people, that God is powerful and He uses His power to protect them. Because of that, it is the responsibility of God’s people to put their trust in Him.)

Our problem is that we want to put our trust in other things. The trust we should place in God often goes to what?

READ Exodus 17:1-7
What were the Israelites doing wrong?
(answer: The problem was that the people were too busy being focused on themselves that they no longer noticed what God was doing for them.)

Because of doubt, and a lack of trust the Israelites wanted to abandon God and go back to being slaves in Egypt. God wants us to trust Him, why is a lack of trust in God harmful to us?

READ Romans 10:10-11
We feel shame because we …
(answer: The reason we feel shame is because our focus is on the wrong thing, it is on us, and not on God.)

In order to overcome the shame of selfishness, God must become our focus. When we stop looking at what we can’t do, we begin to focus on what God can do in our lives. Ask the group to share what they think God can do in their lives.

READ Hebrews 3:12-15.
What is your favorite holiday? What makes that day special?

Why do you think the word “Today” is capitalized in most Bibles in v.13?

The Hebrew writer is saying “Today” is special because today is a day with God, therefore it is a special day (an opportunity) to grow closer to Him, and to help others. Today is special because God is part of it. By the way, what day does “Today” fall on? (answer: everyday)

What can we do to learn to trust God more every day?

God wants us to trust Him today by focusing on Him and not ourselves. If we want to be free of sin and negativity, then must learn to celebrate and trust God Today!

Close in prayer…

Small Group Lesson John 6

LIFE GROUP Lesson: Jesus 24/7. Jesus all the time!
What are some things that you think are impossible to achieve?

What are some things that our great grandparents might have thought were impossible in their day and yet are possible today?

READ John 6:1-9
Why did Jesus ask the question “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

Rather than answer Jesus directly, Philip answered Jesus’ where question with a statement that focused on what resource? (answer: money)

Do you think that was the answer Jesus wanted to hear?

When it comes to doing good things (God honoring things), why does money often become part of the discussion?

If we focus simply on the money or property we have, what things might we ignore or miss?

Andrew answered Jesus’ where question with a how question. What do you think Andrew was alluding to here? (answer: I think he was saying that it would be impossible to feed all of the people)

When it comes to serving God, why do we focus on the barriers or on what we perceive as impossibilities?

When we focus on the impossibilities who is our focus not on?

READ John 6:10-15
What did Jesus do with a young man’s lunch?

Do you think 5 loaves and 2 fish was some of the lunch, most of the lunch, or all of the lunch?
(answer: I think all of it)
READ Philippians 4:12-13
IDEA: One powerful idea we get from this story is that all things are possible when we give all things to Jesus. The Apostles were focused on money & worldly resources in order to feed these people; but what Jesus wanted them to learn is that they needed to give themselves completely to Jesus in order for them to be completely capable of meeting the needs of others.

The 12 apostles collected 12 basketfuls of bread after Jesus had already fed 5000 men (possibly 20,000 people all together) all from one child’s lunch. What does this story tell us about the provision Jesus gives to those who serve Him?

Close in Prayer

Independence Day

We have been blessed to live in the greatest country that has ever existed.  I have travelled all over the world and have been amazed by the lack of freedom that other nations have to endure.  Did you know that in most other countries a church must be government approved?  Also many churches in other countries live in fear of being shut down or fined by their local police.  We could go on and on about this topic; I'm saying all of this to say that we are one of the few nations that are blessed with the freedom to worship without interference or persecution by our government.  July 4th is a day in which we celebrate our independence, but for God's people we also celebrate the exceptional freedom that we have to worship and serve our God.  May God continue to bless America.

Connected Worship

During the singing in worship, a young boy tugged at his grandma’s sleeve and whispered, "She can't sing very well, can she?" talking about the woman behind them that was singing loudly. Knowing the woman had a deep love for the Lord, the grandma said, "son, she sings from her heart. That's what makes it good." He nodded thoughtfully. Several days later as he and grandma were singing along with the car radio, the boy stopped and said, "Grandma, you sing from your heart, don't you?" Why do we worship? In John 4 Jesus met the woman at the well, she like many Samaritans were confused about the value of worship. She thought it was more about where you worship rather than why you worship. In John 4 Jesus made the woman painfully aware that the emptiness in her life was not because she hadn’t found the right man (she had been married 5 times, and the man she was with now was not her husband); the emptiness in her life was due to a lack of connection with God. Jesus said to the woman at the well…

“22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:22-24 NIV

In verse 23 Jesus is saying that meaningful worship is done in spirit and in truth. Spirit in this verse does not so much refer to the Holy Spirit but more to the spirit that is within us, the part of us that can connect with God because we are made in His image. Meaningful worship connects us to God so much so that our emptiness is replaced by a deep love relationship with God. The purpose of worship is not to punch our clock on Sunday; it meant to connect us to God so that we will no longer be empty.

Acts of God

Whenever there is a great disaster (earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, or tornado) many people call those things "acts of God". I have always been uncomfortable with that statement; it inadvertently blames God for the destruction and death. Many good people die as result of tornadoes and I do not believe their death was the result of God's judgment on them. Check out the link to an article written by Heather Carlton who lives in a suburb of Joplin, Missouri. She was a witness to the destructive tornado that hit that her community May 22, 2011.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/05/a_real_act_of_god_in_joplin_mi.html

I want to thank my friend Layton Welborn for sharing this article with me.

The End Was Last Week, You Totally Missed It!

The world seems to be in a frenzy to find out when is the end of world.  Apparently last Saturday May 21^st was supposed to be the end; however most of us woke up on May 22^nd. The sad reality is that on May 21^st it was the end for some people; everyday people die both expectedly and unexpectedly.  Some religious leaders focus so much of their ministries on "The End" that maybe they have forgotten that our focus is supposed to be on Jesus "The Beginning".  In Matthew 24:36 Jesus said "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  We don't know when the "the End" is, we are not supposed to, in fact it is not meant to be our focus.  The reality is we all have an end, that is the bad news; one way or the other death comes for us all.  The story of Jesus is not called "the bad news", it is called the Gospel (the good news).  Jesus came so that we might have life, so that we can overcome sin and death through His power and grace.  Rather than worry about an end we cannot predict, let's focus on a beginning that we can be certain of.  May we all enjoy the great blessings of life found in our Lord Jesus!

Heaven & a Disney Cruise

Every morning my daughter says the same thing as I take her to school; she says “I can’t wait till we are on the Disney Cruise daddy!” I have never seen her more excited about anything in her life. She likes to get online and look at pictures of the cruise ship, she likes to read about all of the activities, and then she starts naming family and friends that she wished could come with us. Side Note: Some of you who are reading this article were named. I find myself at times telling her “enough already, can we talk about something else?” The things we are most passionate about in life are the things we can’t help but talk about, study about, and even invite others to join in with us. When my father died back in January my children could not stop talking about how amazing heaven must be, how much fun Grampy must be having in the presence of Jesus. Their giddiness about heaven at first felt overwhelming and disturbing. I’m not sure if it was my grief or the thought them facing death, but I didn’t want to hear them talk so much about dying and going to Heaven.
The more my kids talked about Heaven and Jesus the more I found myself growing in excitement with the idea of being there with my dad and other loved ones in the presence of our Lord Jesus. I no longer hush my children when they talk about heaven; in fact I often say “tell me more”.

By the way, Abby’s excitement about the Disney cruise has rubbed off too…I can’t wait!!

Happy Mother’s Day! article 2

Thud … thud … thud … thud …     That was the sound every two seconds as we drove through the desert of Arizona; we were on our family vacation to the west coast. The roads were awful, they reminded me of those mile long bridges that go across the Mississippi River in which you feel and hear every bump in the road. So halfway between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon my mother broke our zombie like coma of endless thuds by saying, “hey, let’s memorize Bible verses!” The 16 year old version of myself said, “do we have to, we are on vacation?” Of course I knew how that sounded right after I said it; however my mother was unfazed by my negativity and we started in Ephesians 3:16.
“16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:16-21 NIV

It took about an hour, but we finally got it down and I had it memorized, mostly. The words stuck, and their power has helped me throughout my life. It is easy to get lost in the mundane, lost in the endless thuds of life and forget how rich we are because of the love of Christ. I have my mother to thank; she is the one who woke me up from the thuds of this world in order to enjoy the riches and power of Jesus. Thanks mom. - Vic

Mother's Day article 1

“I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” ~Abraham Lincoln


When the rain came down and the waters began to rise in Nashville most adults didn’t know what to do. Some people ran, some stayed, and others panicked; however children all over Nashville knew exactly where to go and what to do. When we watched the news last Sunday we saw boat after boat bringing in survivors and on those boats were mothers holding on to their children. In many news videos I saw children clinging to the mothers as tight as they could. Times like these remind us of why mothers are so special, they are not just caregivers, they are also protectors and counselors. You may never had to cling to your mother because of rising water, but there have been cuts, scrapes, sad days, loss, and struggles that caused you to run and cling to your mother because she knew exactly what to do. Let your mother know how special she is to you today, tell her how much you love her, and say a special prayer thanking God for her. Happy Mother’s Day! - Vic

Leaders Allow God to Lead

When ever we feel responsible for an organization, family, or a church it is easy to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Some of us have the ability to go for years holding up the church or our family completely on our own. But after a while, hope seems to fade and we just don’t have the strength to lead anymore. The prophet Habakkuk did everything he could to turn the Hebrew people back to God, but they wouldn’t budge. In his perceived failure Habakkuk was able to turn to God for strength:


“17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”  Habakkuk 3:17-19

True leadership understands that only God is in control and that only by the strength that He offers will we ever be able to properly lead families, friends, coworkers, and churches in the right direction. Do not sit and worry about what is or is not happening, because we need to learn to rest in His power and control. And no matter what happens we must learn to praise Him for He is our hope and salvation. So do not give up on what whatever position you hold, whether that is a parent, manager, or church leader; rather place your faith and hope in the direction of God, for it is He that gives success in His time and in His way. – Vic

His Word Is Powerful!

"Flight 1234," the control tower advised, "turn right 45 degrees for noise abatement." "Roger," the pilot responded, "but we're at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir," the control tower replied, "have you ever heard the noise a 727 makes when it hits a 747?"

Sometimes advice doesn’t always make sense, at least not right away. Sometimes God Word is like that. We don’t always understand it; however if we stay connected to God (the ultimate control tower), He will guide us in for safe landing. The vision for the White House Church of Christ is to love God, love each other, and love the world. This vision begins with a deep relationship with God. His Word is powerful and can influence every aspect of life. Listen to Him, listen to His advice and allow it to be the guide that brings you home. - Vic
“17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 NIV

Happy Easter: Your Prince Has Come!

We all know the story of Snow White; she was a young maiden who the mirror said was the fairest in all of the land. Enraged by the mirrors declaration, the evil Queen set out to destroy Snow White. The Queen disguised herself as a poor old woman who happened to be an apple peddler. The old woman offered Snow White the poisoned apple, claiming it to be a magic wishing apple; that anyone who made a wish and took a bite will have their desires come true. Snow White's animal friends were not easily convinced; they ran off to warn the dwarves. While they were gone Snow White took a bite of the apple, and she fell to the floor, seemingly dead. How many times have we bitten into the apple, the forbidden fruit of this world? Many times I have found myself sleep walking, living for stuff that promises to make my wishes come true. Like Snow White many of us have fallen asleep and have become overwhelmed by the pressures of this world. If the world has turned you into a grouchy, angry, guilt-ridden, and (or) tired person; then you are living in a nightmare, and it is time to wake up. Listen to the words of Paul.
"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:14 NIV
Your prince has come to wake you up, to help you have the life you have always desired. We were once living a nightmare, but now we have been awakened by our Prince who has called us to follow Him into everlasting life.

There's An App for that ... Faithfulness

King David wrote the following Psalm about God’s faithfulness.


“2 Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; 3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.” Psalm 26:2-3 NIV

In this passage King David was saying “God I don’t know why you do things you do, or why you allow me to go through the things you allow me to go through, but I trust that you have my back, that you have my best interest in mind, and I trust that you will be faithful to me.”

Faith in the faithfulness of others is easy when things are going well, but when things become difficult that is when our faith is tested. Faith in your spouse is easy when they are doting over you with hugs, smiles, and kind words. But what if there is a disagreement, what if they don’t give me what I want? That is when both faithfulness and faith are tested. If we can’t trust each other we will begin to think the worst about each other. We will question their every comment, every action, and we will find slights in the most subtle of things. In the same way if we don’t trust God, we will think the worst of God. We will begin to think that God is out to get us; that He enjoys testing us or that He doesn’t care about us. When we lack faith in His faithfulness we will not trust Him, and in turn we will not be faithful to Him. Remember David’s words when he said that God is faithful and His love for us is unfailing. That does not mean we will not face trial or adversity, but it does mean that God will give us whatever we need to overcome our struggle in order to grow from it. Not only is God good all the time, He is also faithful all the time. Wait for Him, trust in Him, call to Him; because He is faithful to you!

Small Group Lesson “Headline News”

Life Group Lesson “Headline News”


Begin with a prayer.

What is the best news headline that you have ever seen?

Why do some stories receive more publicity than others?

Read Mark 15:16-20
Why would people mock the idea that Jesus “was King of the Jews?”

Does Jesus understand what abuse is? How could this help someone who has been abused or mistreated?

Read Mark 15:21-32
What are some things that you noticed from the text we just read? What stands out?

Why do you think Jesus wouldn’t take the “wine with myrrh” drug to ease the pain?

(Just as we take drugs for pain relief now, it would not have been sinful for Jesus to take something for the pain.) Why would He want to experience the full extent of the pain?

How do your sufferings compare to what Jesus went through? How does it make you feel to know that He suffered for you?

Read Mark 15:33-38; Mark 15:1-7
The darkness over the land symbolized a world without God. How does this story help you stay connected to God (light) in every part of your life?

Why do you think that the events surrounding Jesus’ death caused the centurion to say, “surely this man was the Son of God”?

What were the women expecting to find at the tomb that Sunday morning? Why were they surprised (frightened)?

Jesus the man who died saving the world, is back and alive! How does this true story inspire you? How does it help you?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
What does the headline “Christ died for your sins” mean to you? How does the Gospel affect your life on a daily basis?

If you were writing a catchy but honest headline for this story, what would it be?

Close in prayer.

FIVE MINUTE MINISTRY

You can be a minister and a missionary without leaving your job or your country. In fact, we are officially asking you to take on this responsibility starting this morning. Here is how it works: this week and every Sunday, we ask that you refrain from talking with your closest friends and associates for the first five minutes after the closing prayer. Instead, seek out visitors or members you normally do not spend time with and speak to them. Get to know their names, where they live, and what they do. Afraid you will approach a member when you thought they were a visitor? Relax! They are probably wondering if you are a member, too! Get to know their names and shake their hands. Smile at each other and you will know each other from now on. Five minute ministry… easier than relocating to Venezuela but just as critical for the health of the kingdom of God. Start now. (Author unknown)

God is Good

Do you ever see those t-shirts or bumper stickers that say “Life’s Good”. That is true, but the statement is incomplete, it should be “Life’s Good with God”. I want that t-shirt. Every moment we give Him is one filled with all of His goodness and blessing. Those are our best moments. The Apostle Peter said …
“3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV

We say that God is good, because what He does is good. This life and this world can be hard and full of trouble, what gives us hope is that fact that God brings His goodness into it. Not only is God good, He invites us to participate in His goodness. The more connected we are to Him, the more of His goodness we can share.
People all over this world, even in this community are in need of help, they are in need of God’s goodness. God has asked us to participate in showing them that goodness in every moment of life. Allow Him to lead you at home, at work, and anywhere else you might go. It is in those places we can share His amazing goodness with people who are in desperate need of some good news. God is good all the time!

Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

The best practical joke you ever played on someone was …
Was there payback?

How would you define revenge and vengeance?

READ Romans 12:17-19
Has anyone ever really hurt you? If so, were you tempted to carry out some form of revenge?

Without the going into the specifics, if did you carry out revenge, what benefit did you find in it?

What negatives did you find?

Why is it hard not to pay evil with evil?

According to scripture, whose responsibility is it to handle vengeance?

What are the benefits of trusting God to handle vengeance? (Brainstorm a bit on this one. Think of all the ways of how God is superior and more qualified to handle our hurts, anger, and need for vengeance?)

How is it disrespectful and even blasphemous to carry out revenge? V.19

IDEA: When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t get it right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it.

READ Romans 12:20-21
IDEA: You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship.

Have you ever considered sincere kindness as a form of revenge?

How is kindness a more proactive and positive response when someone hurts us?

READ Ephesians 4:31-32 (preferable New Living Translation)
Jesus dying on the cross was the kindest act ever shown to us. Think of all the sin, hate, and vengeance that was piled on Him while He was on that cross. We hurt God, we sinned against Him and rather than respond with vengeance He responded with love, mercy, and kindness. What do we learn from this example?

Close in prayer…

Kill Them With Kindness

Last a week a man chased a robber out of his house with an ax. After running a few blocks he caught up with a man who he thought was the robber and brutally killed him. The problem was, it wasn’t even the right man, and the man that was killed had car trouble and was walking to a gas station for help. We live in a world that loves revenge, we see it movies, books, TV, and in the news. Revenge is in. Most revenge stories both in the Bible and in the 21st Century happen within families, marriages, friends and neighbors. When we participate in revenge, we destroy the relationships that matter most to us. Paul said in Romans 12 …

“17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NIV

When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t even it get right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it. Let’s read a little bit more of Romans 12.

“20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21 NIV

You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship. We kill anger with love and kindness. We kill bitterness and jealousy with mercy and humility. Through kindness and love we can save marriages, friendships, churches, businesses, schools, and nations. Here is a good definition of kindness, it is learning to treat others the way God has treated you.

There's An App For That: Gentleness

It is easy for me to be a jerk, to be rude, or to be selfish. If you are like me and struggle with those things, there is an app for that, it is called gentleness. You can’t find an app for gentleness on your I-phone or computer; you can’t consistently force yourself to be gentle either, not by will-power alone. The Apostle Paul said in Gal. 5:22-23 that gentleness is a fruit grown by the Holy Spirit in our lives. The definition of Gentleness is to have a mild and kind nature or manner; being moderate in force or degree so that the effects are not severe or harsh; not steep, not rising steeply.

I like the part about gentleness being not to rise steeply. As a runner I hate running up hills, especially steep hills (they are the devil). Steep hills wear me out when I have to run up them, however I don’t mind running up a gentle slope. Gentleness is all about steepness; it is about not burdening others with steep demands or selfish expectations. We make things too steep don’t we? We make it difficult for people to meet our expectations. What is the price of our love? What is the price of our mercy? What is the price of our service? We often set the price too high, so steep that it has become a burden to work with, to serve with, to worship with, or even live with us. In business we always say buy low, sell high. Make someone else pay the high price that we don’t want to pay. Do we do that in relationships, do we make the people around us pay a steep price for our selfishness; do we dump our negativity on them? Ask yourself what is the price of interacting with me? A lack of gentleness maybe great in dealing with the stock market, but it is not good in dealing with people; whether it is family, friends, coworkers, Christians, or even our enemy. To not be gentle is to be ungodly, it is sinful.

There is wisdom in gentleness. Listen to these Proverbs: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV “Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.” Proverbs 25:15 The MESSAGE

Gentleness is not a wimpy or weak thing, it is a powerful tool of the Spirit that allows us to connect and work with each other. Gentleness makes it a joy to be with us rather than a burden. Allow the Spirit to guide you this week into using one of the most underutilized fruit of Spirit, if you do, everyone you interact with will be blessed. - Vic

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace


Why is it easier to give rather than to receive gifts?
How would you define words like “grace” & “unconditional love”?
Who have you had the most unconditional love relationship with? Explain.

READ 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
According to v.16-17 what does God’s grace and love help us do?

When you are hopeful, encouraged, and strengthened; do you find it easier to be filled with joy? Explain.

READ 2 Timothy 1:6-12
In v.9-11 Paul describes unconditional love. According to these verses how did God demonstrate His unconditional love towards us?

How would you define conditional love?

What is the weakness of conditional love?
Why is it dangerous for relationships? For a marriage? For a church? For faith?

If grace allows us to be free of earning someone’s love; how does that help us be honest and real?

READ Hebrew 12:1-3
When Jesus was headed to the cross, the Hebrew writer said that Jesus had joy. How can anyone find joy in midst of such terrible circumstance?

Do you think Jesus found joy in sacrificing for God, or do you think He found joy in doing the will of God? Explain.

What can we learn from Jesus when it comes to finding joy in being connected to God?

The Apostle Paul said to the Roman church: “32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Romans 15:32-33 NIV. The true source of joy is found in our connection to God and to the people around us.

What barriers do you need to remove in order to have deeper and more fulfilling relationships with God’s people?

What needs to change in order for you to have a deeper and more authentic relationship with God?

Close in Prayer…

Joy & Grace

The life of Jesus demonstrated what joy is all about. Jesus had tremendous joy yet he encountered constant opposition. Joy is not free of opposition. We live in a world that values other people’s approval; therefore we often try to earn the approval of others. The flaw in that is that if my joy requires your approval, I probably will not be honest with you; instead I will do everything I can to make you like me, including putting on a false image and then tell lies to back it up. When we are not honest, we live in fear that we will be found out, that people will one day see the real us. We are afraid they will like what they see. We can’t have true joy if we can’t be honest; there is no joy in pretending to be something we are not. In his book What's So Amazing about Grace, Philip Yancey recounts this story about C.S. Lewis: “During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began thinking about the possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." After some discussion, the others agreed.” The idea of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist have an eight-fold path, the Hindu believe in Karma, & Islam have the code of law. Each of these offers a way to earn approval and salvation; only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional. Conditional love is harmful to relationships. What if I don’t meet the expectations of my wife, and she decides to give me the silent treatment? The implication is: "If you do what I want you to, I will talk to you. Otherwise, I won't." That is always fun isn’t it? It’s really fun when both people give each other the silent treatment. Then the only way to communicate is through banging doors, loud sighs, and evil stares. Could you imagine if a preacher did that to a church? There would be the silent treatment every Sunday. Conditional love in the church kills joy. What if I only sang when songs I like are being led? What if I only give when projects I like are being done? What if I only serve when it is convenient and what I want? What if I only pray only when God gives me what I want? Conditional love destroys churches, it destroys faith, and it is a joy killer. That is why God’s grace allows us to have true joy. Grace allows us to be who we really are; in fact grace is only understood by those who are honest. When someone loves you for you, and you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not, that kind of honesty allows us to have joy. The world wanted Jesus to be Superman or an earthly king, and when He refused it rejected Him. In Hebrews 12 it says that Jesus had joy even when He knew He was headed toward the cross. The reason Jesus had joy was not the cross, but the relationship He had with His Father, because God accepted Jesus as he really was.
If you follow the path of Jesus, you cling to God, to a father who you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not; He loves you for who you are, and for what He created you to be. It is His loving grace that propels our joy. The more we connect with Him and the people He puts in our lives the more complete our joy will be.

Small Group Lesson on Joy

Small Group Lesson

There’s An APP for That … JOY / March 6, 2011

What things bring you the most joy in life?

Is joy simply a state of mind?

What is JOY?

READ Psalm 16:11
IDEA: In Psalm 16, David was saying that to be in the presence of God in every moment is to live a complete life, and in that completeness we find joy. The problem is that most of the time we don’t feel complete; we don’t feel connected to God.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lowest, 10 being highest), rate how connected you feel that you are to God right now?

How does that affect the joy that you have right now?

READ Romans 15:13; 32. Galatians 5:22
Where does JOY come from?

What we find from scripture is that joy is not found in yourself, it comes from God. How does that compare to what we have traditionally believed is the source of joy?

IDEA: We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy is a fruit that is grown from relationships, both with God and with others.

READ Philippians 2:2 & 2 John 1:12
There is a term in the Bible that really has thrown me off over the years. Several times in the Bible the phrase “make my joy complete” or “to have joy complete”.

The idea of joy being complete is interesting, is there such a thing as incomplete joy?

IDEA: Like everything else, when something is left incomplete, it is just not satisfying. Finish the sentence “I am miserable when I have an incomplete … …”

READ John 3:27-30
In John 3, some of John the Baptist’s most loyal followers noticed that the people who once followed him were now following Jesus. They were bothered by their lack of loyalty; John addressed this issue in John 3:27-30. First John the Baptists is signifying to the people that the old way of doing things was coming to an end. Then he gave a wedding illustration. John was saying that he is like the friend (the best man) who organized the wedding making sure everything was ready. By bringing people to Jesus (by doing the will of God) it made John’s joy complete.

What needs to be removed in your life so that God can make your joy complete?

What steps can you take to be more obedient to God’s will?

Close in prayer…

Where does JOY come from?

Where does JOY come from?  Paul said to the Roman church: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV “so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.” Romans 15:32 NIV

We learn from the scriptures that joy is not found within ourselves; it comes from God. Most of us have this weird view of joy, thinking that we can decide on it, or that we can find it in meditation or through some personal strength. Joy is not something that we can will into our minds; it is not a concept that I can just decide to start having. Joy is a fruit that is grown from God. That is why it is a fruit of the Spirit; it is the result of giving ourselves to God and to others.
We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy begins when we start the removal of the old life, the removal of selfishness and independence from God. Joy continues the more we give ourselves to Jesus. By following Him, by doing the will of God, our joy is made complete. Each moment with Him is a complete one filled with joy.

Small Group Lesson: control thy self

Life Group Lesson: self-control

What food item do you find it almost impossible to say no to?

How would you define self-control?

I have great self control when … (finish the sentence)

I have very little self control when … (finish the sentence)

READ 1 Timothy 3:1-3
Why would it be important for an elder to have self-control?

What are the positive implications of an elder that demonstrates self-control?

What are the negatives if he doesn’t have it?

READ Titus 2:1-10

Why does Paul keep repeating the need for God’s people to have self-control?

Why does Paul place responsibility on us to teach each other self-control?

In v.10, what value is there when Christians can be trusted and seen as people who have self-control?
READ Titus 2:11-14
When you think about God’s grace, what all do you think of?

Do you see a connection between grace and gratitude?

Why do you think we call prayer before dinner grace?
The idea is that God’s grace inspires us to live upright, godly, and self-controlled lives. So if we wanted to be more self-controlled, we should spend time thanking God while meditating on the grace He has shown us.

Do you agree or disagree? What would you add to that statement?
READ Jonah 2:1-9
In the story of Jonah, he rebelled against God, he was unwilling to do God’s will, to do good. But after being thrown from a ship and swallowed by large fish, Jonah had a change of heart. What is interesting is that it was not fear or sorrow that caused him to change, it was something else. Thankfulness & a focus on God’s grace changed Jonah’s heart, it allowed him to finally say “YES” to God. The scriptures say that we can move on from just saying “no” to temptation and that we can start saying “yes” to opportunities to serve; “eager to do good”.
How do you think focusing on God’s grace can help you be more self-controlled?
What do you need to be saying “no” to in your life?

What do you need to be saying “yes” to?
Close in prayer?

Grace + Thankfulness = Self-Control

I like to think of myself as self-controlled, most times I am. But if you put a chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I will eat it. No self control there. I will eat my children’s last cookie, I will smack their hand away and say, “that’s daddy’s cookie”. It is a problem; I have no self control when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. It is easy to have self-control until you see something you want. If you struggle with bad habits, a rebellious spirit, if you are like me and you feel compelled to be selfish, there’s an app for that, it is called self control. Self control not only helps us say no to sin, but it also helps us say yes to what is good.

Paul said in Titus 2:11-12

“11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”NIV

Most of us struggle in that we often lack the self control to overcome temptation, we struggle to say no to sin. It is impossible to overcome sin by willpower alone, you can’t do it on your own; we must turn ourselves over to God’s will. By focusing on God’s grace we are reminded that God has always used His power to help us overcome sin. Some of us are great at saying no to sin, but we struggle to say yes to doing what is good; we struggle saying yes to opportunities to serve. We say yes to God when we focus on God’s loving grace. When we look for new ways to say thank you to Him, it makes it very difficult for us to ever tell Him “no”. Being thankful to God will not only compel us to have self control, it will compel us to living blessed lives that are eager to do what is good.

Small Group Lesson: pray, pray, pray again

Life Group Lesson: pray, pray, pray again


ILLUSTRATION: In the movie “Rudy” we see the story of an underdog, someone who overachieves and beats the odds. His main goal in life is to play football for Notre Dame. , Rudy's grades had improved dramatically. But three semesters and three rejection letters later, he is devastated and hopeless. His next semester is his last chance, because Notre Dame never allows seniors to transfer. He has managed his way to South Bend, labored in class, and even scraped up enough odd jobs so he can eat. He has been diligent and worked every angle he knew. But it hasn't been enough. Rudy finds himself in the chapel where he meets a priest named Father Cavanaugh. And he poured out his soul to the old priest. "Maybe I haven't prayed enough," Rudy says, almost frantic. Father Cavanaugh answers with kind, narrow eyes, "I'm sure that's not the problem. Praying is something we do in our time. The answers come in God's time." Rudy isn't satisfied. There has to be something else he can do. "Have I done everything I possibly can? Can you help me?" Father Cavanaugh's answer is measured but sure. "Son, in 35 years of religious studies, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: There is a God, and I'm not Him."

When you hear someone say something like Father Cavanaugh did about prayer in the movie “Rudy”, do you agree or disagree with his statement?

What do you think when you hear someone say “God answers prayer in His own time?”

READ 2 Peter 3:8-9
The context of 2 Peter 3 is about the Lord’s 2nd coming, however what do we learn about God’s desire and purpose for people?

Whose schedule is He on?

It is also important to see who the focus of God’s love is on. This passage clearly says God works on His time but for our interest. Why is that not always easy to believe?

READ Luke 11:1-12
In v.1-4, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. What qualities does Jesus demonstrate in His prayer?

How do qualities like humility, submission, reverence, and trust help us have better prayer lives?

Look at v.5-8, why would a friend give you what you need when you ask them?
(IDEA: You ask, you never stop asking because you believe it will be given to you if you ask enough.)

Do we ask God enough for what we need or want?

Why do we stop asking for what we need?
(IDEA: either we don’t really need it or we have a lack of faith)
In v.9-10, Jesus says that we are to ask, seek, and knock expecting God to hear us and to give us what we need. The previous verses mention that prayer requires audacity. Prayer requires a faith that is both unstoppable and determined. Compare you’re life right now to that which is described here, do you pray with audacity? Why or why not?

I love and v.11-12, because we are reminded that God is a loving Father who meets our needs, who gives us His Holy Spirit that transforms us to be more and more like Jesus. Close in prayer.

To love or to hate?

On Valentine’s Day I witnessed two very different interactions between people. The first one was between children at a Valentine’s Day party for Abby’s class. There was this little kid who was about two maybe three years old, he was obviously a younger sibling of one of Abby’s classmates, and he was into everything. He was going around the room shooting people (mostly 3rd graders) with his finger. Of course he was making that shooting sound with his mouth that required saliva being spit out in the process. Most of the 3rd graders were very patient with him, because he was two. But one 3rd grader after this two year put his finger on his back and shot him, turned around with an angry face and an angry tone, and he said “Get away, I’m going to kill you kid”. It was shocking for me and the others that witnessed the event. Immediately I felt sad for this young man, this 3rd grader who had enough anger and hate in him to say something evil in such a threatening way. It broke my heart to see someone so young being led by anger and hate, being led Satan. That 3rd grader was angry before he came into that class; he woke up and decided to be angry. When confronted with an annoying 2 year old, he was given the opportunity to display that anger.

Later that same day Stacy and I were drinking coffee at Barnes and Noble (that’s what cool people do), and we witnessed something powerful. There were two other couples sitting in the coffee section of the store, one older the other younger. The older couple said to the younger one, “we haven’t seen you in a while at church”, and the younger couple said “yeah we moved down to Franklin and go to church down there.” Then the older couple said, “are you still trying to adopt a child?” The younger couple said, “yes, but it is very expensive, we are trying to adopt an orphan from Haiti, and we have had to start a fund raising campaign to make it happen.” The older couple said, “we want to contribute to that account, we want to help you adopt a child.” While he was writing out a check he said, “I woke up thinking that God would use me today to bless someone financially”.

Two things I learned on Valentine’s Day: First, do not conduct business around me because apparently I will eavesdrop. Second and more importantly, the older couple woke up that day and decided that they would bless someone, that they would live by the Spirit of God, and that they would do something special for someone out of love. When we hate or love, it is not an accident, it is a commitment we live with everyday. To live without God or to ignore the urgings of the Spirit is to choose hate, but when we choose God, we choose to live His Spirit; it is to commit to love people before you even meet them.

Walking By the Spirit is Easier Than Crashing in the Flesh

While practicing military night training exercises, a Huey Cobra messed up the landing and landed on its tail rotor. The landing was so hard that it broke off the tail boom. However, the chopper fortunately remained upright on its skids, sliding down the runway doing 360s. As the Cobra slid past the tower, trailing a brilliant shower of sparks, this was the radio exchange that took place...
Tower: "Sir, do you need any assistance?"
Cobra: "I don't know, Tower, we ain't done crashin' yet."

I think for most of us, we are just not done crashing yet. Whether it’s sadness or fear, anger or hate, anxiety or depression, lust or jealousy … We are just not done crashing yet. As Christians, when we sin or when we spiritually crash, we feel guilty, maybe even angry. Sometimes we crash because we made a sinful choice, other times we crash because we were not prepared for a loss or tragedy that impacted us. If you feel like you are crashing today, listen to the words of the Apostle Paul:
“16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:16-17 NIV
The Greek word for flesh is (sarx). It refers to the sinful state of human beings who are often in opposition to the Spirit of God. The “flesh” refers to the part of us that is intentionally sinful; the part of us that says “it’s all about me and what I want”. To live by the Spirit is to live in harmony with the will of God. It means that we wake up each day to be Christian on purpose, that in every moment we choose to be connected to God through Christ. If you are tired of crashing, then make a commitment to no longer be controlled by whims and events of world but to be empowered and led by the Spirit of God that brings peace and life.

Football season is almost over and I am so bummed that I will have to wait till next fall to watch my favorite teams play in my favorite sport. As a Texan’s fan, it has been a bad year, REALLY bad. As a Longhorns fan it was pathetic. Getting back to the Texans, they had such high hopes this year and in the end they flopped. The Packers and Steelers will be playing in Super Bowl this Sunday. Do you know who will win? I have no idea; my guess is the Steelers (I hate those guys).

Everyone will be watching the BIG GAME; it has become quite the spectacle. Everyone comes together to watch two of the best NFL teams compete for the championship. When it comes to the Super Bowl, we don’t know who will win until the game is over, that is part of the fun and excitement. We all have opinions on who will win. Will the Steelers win in a blowout or will the Packers pull out a last second play to win the game? When it comes to football there is a lot of speculation, because we don’t know who will win. So who do you think will win?

Now for a spiritual thought. Let’s pretend that the Super Bowl is not about two teams playing each other, but rather it will be a contest between God and Satan. Is there any speculation on who you think will win? Absolutely not, God wins every time. That is the good news; when it comes to defeating Satan’s work in our lives God wins every time. There is no suspense, there is no worry of a fourth quarter comeback by Satan, he loses and God wins. Therefore we win, and we are defined by God’s victory.

There’s An APP for That … Series: PEACE

Life Group Lesson: Peace
Today is the big game. Who do you think will win the Super Bowl? Who do you want to win?

Answer the Following question on a scale of 1 to 10. (1 meaning very little and 10 being very much)

How strong is God in your life?
How powerful is He in your life?
How much is He in your life?

Is anyone willing to explain the ratings they gave to the previous questions?

The things we do, the way we act is connected to the strength of our God. The smaller or lesser view of God we have the more powerful our fears and stress will be because all the power and answers fall on us and not on God. Is there any peace being independent from God?

How would you define peace? How would you explain the idea of “inner peace”?

How does the following passage help you?

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 NIV

Does it inspire you to be closer to God so you can be stronger?

How has God strength brought you peace?

READ Matthew 11:28-29

In Matthew 11 Jesus has traveled through the towns of Capernaum and Bethsaida. He saw the lack of faith and peace in their lives, therefore Jesus warned them of this & predicted that their independence from God would destroy them.

What does Jesus promise us in v.28?

What does Jesus say we need to learn if we are to have peace or rest?

To be gentle means that I do not force my will upon others including God. How does being gentle in this way help you find peace?

How does humility help us find God’s strength?

What part of your life do you experience the most peace from God’s strength?

What part of your life do you experience the least amount of peace?

If you are ready to allow God to give you strength, if you want peace, then do as v. 29 says, learn from Jesus, follow His example of humility and trust in God. Close in prayer.

Peace that overcomes weakness and fear.

There’s An APP for That … Series / Peace that overcomes weakness and fear.
 
How strong is God in your life? How powerful is He in your life? How much is He in your life? The truth is if we can’t answer “God is strong in my life” then we probably enjoy little to no peace. When we believe God is working in our lives, we commit to and do big things. Can you honestly say the following words and mean them?

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 NIV

The things we do, the way we act is connected to the strength of our God. Most of us have a hard time believing that the all powerful, always strong, and forever loving God is with us. The smaller or lesser view of God we have the more powerful our fears and stress will be. There is no peace if we believe we have a weak God. If God is not our strength, then all the problems and struggles of life fall on us. That’s stressful! Imagine everyday not being determined by the powerful and loving God working in our lives, but rather our confidence and faith being determined by the random events of each day. There is no peace in that. If you feel weak, pushed around, filled with fear; there’s an app for that. It is found in letting God be big and strong in your life.

Small Group Lesson 1: Patience

There’s An APP for That … Series

Life Group Lesson 1: Patience / January 30, 2011

Do you use your mobile phone too much, hardly ever, or just right?

What is the funniest thing you ever saw someone do because they were too busy talking on their phone?

Do you own a smart phone? If so what is your favorite app? Why?

Explain what a smart phone and app is. Smart phones have apps (applications) that can help you with just about anything you do or want to know. The problem is that we have not found apps on our phones that help us be better people. I have not found an app on my phone that will help me live with joy, peace, kindness, or patience. READ Galatians 5:1, 16, 22-25

The Bible is a place you can go to find all the apps you need to live your life.

What are the fruit of the Spirit?

How do the help us be better Christians (better people)?

What do these verses say that the Holy Spirit will do for us?

Have you ever experienced the Spirit guiding you? Explain.

How has being a Christian helped you be more patient?

Why is it easier to be patient with a circumstance rather than with people?

PATIENCE in this verse is the word “Makrothumia”. It means “to be slow to anger with someone, or simply to wait and be patient with someone. To be patient here means, don’t be ready to attack someone when you don’t get your way.

What do you do to be patient when someone repeatedly offends or bothers you?
Read 2 Peter 3:9.
In Scripture we learn that God is “slow to anger and abounding in love.” God is intentionally patient with us. Why?
Possible answers: Because His goal is to save us, to teach us to change our lives, to repent. God is not just waiting around for us, He is working on us, changing us so that we can grow in His love and be more like Him.
How does God’s patience with you inspire you to be more patient with others?

Where plan practice godly patience this week?

Close in prayer.