Frame make stories famous. It is telling not only what is inside a frame but also what is left out. We life in a culture where we as humans only frame the good for others to see. But, God will frame the ashes we want know one to see in order to transform them into something beautiful. In this sermon, we are encouraged to remember what God can do with our ashes. In doing so, we are also challenged with what He wants to do with our beauty.
Each stage of life has a God-given purpose. Within each purpose, we will experience both prosperity and pain. In fact, we will never experience pain until we have first experience prosperity. The more we have to lose the more pain we feel when we do. In this sermon, we give space for the pains we so often feel. While we remember our pain well, our pain does not have to determine our perspective of life but the hope of God’s loving kindness.
As God’s people we are called to stand out rather than the blend in. When we start to blend in more than we stand out, there are severe consequences. In this sermon, we are called to persevere as part of God’s faithful remnant to change the world.
Purpose is the prelude to priority. When we know what our purpose is we will prioritize according to it. The problem for God’s people is rarely discovering God’s purpose for their life. Rather, the problem occurs when we have to prioritize it. In this sermon, we discuss some of the priorities (cisterns) that often lead us away from God’s purpose (spring of living water).
Culture is constantly moving in a multiple directions. It can be difficult at times to navigate life with all these directions competing with and colliding into one another. Without a purpose, we become lost by the wrong directions. As culture has shifted the church has lost its purpose within it. And yet, this becomes the time when God calls us into His new purpose.
What if respect is not so much something that has to be earned but something that is to be lost? For many of us, the way we are taught to respect is in a vertical fashion. This creates a level of disrespect that we often overlook. In this sermon, we view respect has something we share in common rather than something we give and take from one another.
We have all heard the adage: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Oh, how we wish that statement was true. But, words are economy that either enrich our lives or cost us dearly. Since we know from experience just how powerful words can be, the focus of this sermon is to dive deeper into why we say the words we do. Ultimately, what comes out of us is a reflection of what lives inside of us.
All great leaders are followers. And all great followers are leaders. It is much easier to believe the first statement than it is to believe the second. So often in our journey to follow Christ, we disqualify ourselves from being a spiritual leader who can influence the lives of others. But, what if, the only perquisite for leading is being a great follower of Jesus? In this sermon we unpack that question and provide practical implications doe dong so.
