Preacher of Habit

Real ID: God Made Me           1/26/20 Psalm 139: 13-18 Good morning friends. Thanks for choosing to be with us on Sunday. I know on cold winter days it can be hard to find the motivation to do anything. But I’m grateful that you’re here. Today we’re continuing our sermon series called Real ID: Discovering the Real You. We’re exploring the words of Psalm 139 as we counter the lies of our world with God’s truth, specifically what God says about us. And today we consider the truth that God made us.  Would you read with me?  Several years ago I ran my first ever youth retreat. It was a surreal moment for me. I had grown up attending spring youth retreats, and they were instrumental in helping to shape my life and faith. In fact, it was at a youth retreat where I led my first devotion, and afterwards, the main speaker for the morning, as well as several adult mentors, began to speak words of encouragement into my life, claiming the gift that God was planting within me. And so

Read ID: God is With Me  Psalm 139: 7-12              Well friends, it is another tremendous day to gather for worship. I hope that you experienced God’s presence and blessing this week. I also hope you’re ready to hear from God’s Word this morning. Today we’re continuing our sermon series called Real ID, which is our humble attempt to discover the real “us” in a world full of lies. Last week, we learned from Psalm 139 that God knows us and accepts us. Today we’re reminded that God is with us.  Would you read with me?              There’s been a lot of attention given over the last several years to something known as the  Loneliness Epidemic . If you were to do a quick Google search, you could spend hours upon hours reading the latest research on the topic of loneliness in our world. For instance, in a recent survey in the United Kingdom, a large percentage of respondents listed the fear of being alone as their number one fear. More than death. More than cancer. More than

Real Id:            God Accepts Me  Jan. 12, 2020 Well friends, it is so good to be back with you. We enjoyed our family time away, and the weather in California was pretty nice, but can I be honest? I really did miss you. It’s good to be back home. I had a chance to livestream worship last week and found myself inspired and convicted by Paul’s message. I hope you heard the heart of God in Paul’s message, to see the masterpiece in every person, especially when the masterpiece is hidden behind layers of shame and disappointment and hard living. And it can be difficult to see that masterpiece, especially when the person you’re trying to see and love is yourself. That’s what lies at the heart of this next sermon series called “Real ID.” Over the next four weeks, we’re going to explore what the Bible says about us, because, let’s face it, sometimes we get ourselves wrong, and we need to hear once again what God’s Word, specifically what Psalm 139, has to say about us.  Would you rea