Preacher of Habit

Sept. 14, 2019              The First Miracle John 2: 1-11              Last week we began a sermon series on select miracle stories of the Bible, and each week we’re looking at a story of God breaking into a life or situation that seems less than ideal and doing a new thing. And my hope is that these stories will inspire us to embrace a faith that believes God  CAN  do the impossible. Last week we looked the Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones, a story of hopelessness and despair. Today we turn our attention to Jesus’ first public, the story of Jesus turning water into wine.  Would you read with me?  So, confession time: I believe this is the first time I’ve ever preached on this passage. Ten years’ worth of preaching and this is my first go-round. And I think I know why. I’ve always struggled with it. So naturally, I’ve tried to avoid it. This is just one of those passages that has never struck me as extraordinary. If I can be honest, I guess I’ve never seen the value

Give God a Chance Sept. 8, 2019 Ezekiel 37: 1-14 July 20, 1969 was a monumental day for the world. On that day 50 years ago, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. With one small step, the world was instantaneously opened to new possibilities and new frontiers. A decade earlier, when President Kennedy cast his vision of space exploration, there were those who sneered and jeered and said it was impossible. It could never happen. But it did . The unthinkable, the impossible, the inconceivable happened. There was a lot of attention paid to this event this summer, and rightfully so. It was a wonderful achievement for humanity. Some may even call it a miracle, which got me thinking: Whatever happened to miracles? Whatever happened to the type of faith that expected God to show up and do the impossible? So for the next several weeks, we’re going to explore some miracles stories in the Bible, stories that will reintroduce us to the power of God. If you have your Bibles with you… If y

A People Who Serve Sept. 1, 2019 Scripture: Acts 9:1-15, 1 Corinth. 9: 19-27 Today we’re concluding our series called, “This is Us,” where we’ve been looking at three key words that define the type of church and the type of disciples we believed God has called us to be here at Lakeside. Three weeks ago, we talked about the desire to be a people who know God. God has designed us to be in relationship with him, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less. Last week, we talked about love, and how God has called us primarily to be a people of love . We wrap up today with the word serve . You might remember in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus once said he came not to be served, but to serve. And he invites us to the same way of life. As the “hands and feet” of Jesus, and as people who want to be like Christ, we are called to serve. Would you read with me… A young church planter took his team to a local restaurant, week after week, to meet new people, dream of ministry possibil