Preacher of Habit

Message          Jan. 21, 2016              Losing Our Big Heads Scripture:   James 4: 1-10       Today we are continuing our Biggest Loser, Blairsville Style sermon series where we are attempting to lose the hurts, habits and hang-ups that keep us from experiencing God’s best for our lives. Last week we looked all the excuses and reasons we give God for not living into his call for our lives (our big buts), but today we’re going look at one the biggest daily struggles we face when trying to be faithful to God: losing our big heads that are often filled with pride. From the moment we were born, we have struggled with sin, or those behaviors and attitudes that keep us from missing God’s best; we’ve struggled to live lives that reflect God’s glory and character.   And it really shouldn’t surprise us.   It takes only three chapters in the Bible to regress from the goodness of God to the problem of sin. And we could spend some time naming all the sins of the world, and the s

These are my preaching notes for last Sunday's message. I decided against a manuscript, so I hope you can glimpse the thoughts that were rolling around my head!  Be blessed! Losing Our Big Buts     January 14 th , 2017 Exodus 3: 1-15 I.                I attended a “Kick Start” Retreat earlier this week. a.      Reminded of our collective mission. We have a hurting world that God loves, so much that he sent his Son to die for it. This is our “why.” And sometimes we need to remember “why” we are here in the first place. b.      On that retreat, I was reminded of my calling. You know, each of us has a calling. Each of us has a role to play in God’s mission. Jeremiah writes, “I know the plans I have for you.” Someone once said that God’s plan A is us, and He has no plan B. We’ve been invited to participate in God’s activity, given a role to play. It’s not that God needs us. No, God could transform the world on his own. But he chooses to do it with us and through us. Tha

Jan. 8 th , 2017              Making New Connections Matthew 3: 13-17             Last week around 6:15, I looked at Joanna and said, “It feels strange to be here, doesn’t it?” We were at my mom’s house, the place where I was raised, the place that had always been home to me. But it felt odd not being with you. Connect has become a community that I want to be a part of, and I missed you last week. And so as we watched the ball drop, signaling the beginning of a new year, I was quietly thanking God for you and for the great things that are going to happen this year. It’s good to be back.             What’s not good, however, is the image I saw when looking into the mirror the other day. Mirrors are funny objects. They show us what we need to see, and sometimes they provide us with the necessary motivation to make significant changes in our lives. I joked around a few weeks ago that I was already at my post-Christmas weight (long before Christmas had arrived), and the mirr