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Matthew 16:1-12 - Jesus says obvious things that we still neglect.  First, read the signs.  God works in the obvious!  Second, like yeast, it only takes a little bit of bad thinking to mess up a whole life - or a whole church.

Acts 22 - Tell your story.  Don’t worry about the consequences.  Plus, God can use something as basic as where you born to prepare you for an episode of life 40 years later (Paul being born an Roman citizen).

Psalm 37:1-22 - Again, a familiar promise in the Psalms:  Verse 4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he wil give you the desires of your heart.”  This is the OT version of “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Exodus 35-37 - Two big things stand out to me in these chapters.  In reaction to God’s grace (He didn’t wipe them out after the big party with the golden calf), they bring an offering so great, Moses had to tell them enough - don’t bring any more.  That’s important.  God doesn’t want us to give until there’s nothing left!  He wants us to destroy selfishness through giving!

The other thing hat stand out - When they were busy constructing the Tabernacle, they weren’t partying or fussing!

Matthew 14:22-23 - Jesus remembered to pray after the big event of feeding the 5000.  Why?  It is after the big event you can be tempted by exhaustion to say yes to the wrong thing - John tell us they wanted to make him king.  Prayer is the antidote to pride.

Acts 20:13-38 - Paul is an inspiration to me.  God warns him what lies ahead, but he still is faithful to go ahead.  That is mature trust in God.  I want to be a wise shepherd like Paul - listen to how he talks about his role and the role he hands off to the leaders of the Ephesian church.  And then in Acts 21:1-26, even though he has done great things for God, been on mission journeys, been a transforming teacher, he is still submissive to the authority of the apostles in Jerusalem.  Every good leader knows how to be submissive.

Psalm 34 - One of my favorite Psalms - It teaches me that God is close by and wants to take action on behalf of His people.

Exodus 30:11-16 - Two very important points.  One, everyone has to bring the same atonement offering.  Second, the offering was used to support the work of the Tent of Meeting.  There’s an answer to all who say they give, just not to God’s work. 

Exodus 31:  God had prepared skilled workmen for skilled work.

Exodus 32:  Aaron comes off as a goof ball in this chapter.  He lets the crowd control him.  Remember that a majority that is wrong is never right.  Listen to him, “I threw the jewelry into fire, and out popped this calf!”  But here’s the piece that gets me - this is catastrophic failure.  But God forgives Aaron and still allows him to serve a the priest who enters the Holy of Holies, into the very presence of God.  That’s amazing grace.

Exodus 33:  I want our church to have the prayer of Moses - If you do not go up with us, we aren’t moving!  And God, give us as much of your glory as we can handle - and then just a little bit more!

It started in the second service Sunday.  I could feel my voice – never a good sign.  You are supposed to hear your voice, not feel it.  It started as a little burn in my voice box and by the third service it had progressed to a full fledged fire.  The smart thing would have been to stop and not talk – but instead I pushed and hoarsely finished the last service.
We went to lunch with some friends, and my voice shifted from quiet to whisper.  By Outreach at 5:00, I had nothing.  My lips were moving and deacons were laughing.  There was no sound.
Here’s what I learned from having no voice.  First, people match your volume.  More people have whispered to me this week than when I was in kindergarten.  Even when I have a full voice, I need to remember to lower the volume sometimes.  Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Second, I learned that when you can’t talk, make your words count.  There were some conversations I really needed to have.  Others were optional.  I got more to the point and I let go of some words that never needed to be said or heard.  Listen to Ecclesiastes 5:2:  “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
Finally, I learned to lean on others. I asked Clayton to take TruLife teaching for me.  I had to ask Mark to pray during Prayer Force.  We had a five hour calendar planning meeting – I had to let others carry to ball.  And they did.  God’s work doesn’t depend on me.  There is great joy in stepping back and seeing others step forward.
My voice does seem to be coming back, slowly.  I have gotten some rest and I am praying I’ll be ready on Sunday to preach.  But given what I learned from losing my voice, it makes me wonder – Did God want to teach me a lesson?
Does God want to teach you a lesson too?

Yesterday I decided it was time for the tree in front of my house to come down.  A river birch, it had overgrown its space.  Out came the trusty chain saw.

I know how to cut down a tree - really.  First, you notch the tree for the direction you want it to fall.  Then, you do the back cut.  Then the tree falls.

I think my back cut was too low - plus the wind started to blow.  At any rate, my son called out to me, “Dad, it’s about to hit the house!”  Sure enough, the wind was making the tree lean toward the house and I could hear the wood starting to crack.

I yanked out the chain saw, and pushed myself against the tree.  My son joined me - and we stopped the tree from swaying.  Now what?

My neighbor heard our cries and came walking up.  He said, “I bet you wish you had never started cutting it!”  At this point, I was too paniced to argue.

To make a long story short, we tied the tree off with about 150 feet of rope to my truck and pulled it down.  It made a perfect landing - away from the house.

The lesson?  It took the tree 13.5 years to grow.  It only took 45 minutes to bring it down.  It could have caused a lot of damage when it fell.  Somebody - like me - could have really gotten hurt.

Churches are like this - it takes time for them to grow.  It doesn’t take long to bring them down.  Guard and protect God’s work. 

Throughout this series I have been amazed at different Jesus is  - in His response to crisis, in His forgiving nature.  Several people responded today at the altar.

You would touched if you could see an older gentleman in our church, standing before the PRAYER FORCE requests in the prayer room, praying on Sunday evening.  No one else noticed - but God hears the prayers of this godly gentleman.

Great to see two folks baptized at 11. 

Commissioned the second African mission team.  These seven ladies leave on Valentine’s Day to teach people how to sew.  I know God will use them and change them!

I hope you are still pursuing reading the Bible through this year.  Sorry that I have been behind in my sharing insights with you!

Exodus 19-21:  We often are dazzled by God’s appearance on the mountain, but blip past the laws that begin to be laid out in Ex. 21.  But think about this:  God knows us well.  He could have given an edict “DO RIGHT!” and expected us to figure it out.  The law was given as an act of mercy - to provide clarity.  It teaches us the right thing to do in given situations - even when an ox gores a slave.  God was protecting His community from needless squabbling.

Psalm 30:  Give God thanks for all His favor!

Matthew 13:  The parable of the sower.  I pray God will help me deepen my roots of faith so I will produce much fruit.

Acts 18:18- 19:  Paul excelled at developing leaders and trusting them.  He then went on to the next assignment.

The riot at Ephesus:  Whenever there is money to make in religion, truth always comes in second.

I know a lot about George Bush.  I know he was born while his Dad was a student at Yale, he himself is a graduate of Yale and Harvard, and he served in the Air National Guard.  I know he lost a race for Congress, but won the hand of his wife, Laura.  I know he has twin daughters.  I know he was managing partner for the Texas Rangers and Governor of Texas.  I know he was elected President of the United States in 2000 in one of the closest races in history and re-elected in 2004.
But I don’t know George Bush.  I’ve never had a conversation with him.  I have no idea how he acts when the cameras are off.  I don’t know what he’s like away from the White House and the pressures of the presidency.
I wonder how many people think they know Jesus?  They know He was born in Bethlehem, that angels, shepherds, and wise men were all witnesses to His extra-ordinary entrance into the world.  People know He did miracles, He taught the Golden Rule, and was the center of controversy.  Most people know He died on a cross.  They know that His followers believe He rose from the dead.
But do they really know Jesus?  Do they know His character?  Do they know the hurt He endured?  Do they know His grace poured over their soul?  Do they know His forgiveness for their sins?  Do they know His love that reaches to our deepest hurts and hopes?
The message series Would You? is about knowing Jesus – not just the facts of his life, but reality of His presence.  I hope you will be here and bring a friend.
Arthur Burns, a Jewish economist of great influence in Washington during the tenure of several Presidents, was once asked to pray at a gathering of evangelical politicians.  Stunning his hosts, he prayed:
“Lord, I pray that Jews would come to know Jesus Christ.  And I pray that Buddhists would come to know Jesus Christ.  And I pray that Muslims would come to know Jesus Christ.”
And then, most stunning of all: “And Lord, I pray that Christians would come to know Jesus Christ.”*
Maybe we should pray this prayer too.

*Christianity Today, February 2008, p. 33.

Don’t miss PowerLunch tomorrow!  I’m talking about pulling heavy loads in life - and we all have them.  They can be relational, emotional, professional - but someone you know needs to hear about how to handle the heavy loads we have.  Join us at 11:50 for lunch.

PS:  Don’t be surprised to see my four wheeler on stage - Oops, said too much.

Would You?  got off to an intense start.  I think many of us left the service thinking about the times we had tried to lie to God - and being aware of how different Jesus is than us.

If you have a friend who doesn’t know much about Jesus, this is a great series to invite them to.

Nathan and Leandra did a great job with the students - about 140 students, adults, and parents turned out for the Flag Football tournament.  About 75 stayed around to attend the Middle School and Senior High Super Bowl parties.

I was so touched at First Sunday.  First to baptize a older gentleman - and know that his Bible Community group had been praying for a year for this to happen!  Second, the joy of an intimate Lord’s Supper and the chance to say to many of you, “Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ!”  Wow!  A great feeling!

I just finished the sermon for kicking off the “Would You?” series.  I’m really looking forward to this series - it’s different than anything we’ve done in a while.  While we often focus on practical application of scriptural truth, this series is about understanding Jesus and the last 24 hours of his life. 

I think you will find the scripture challenges us to look at the contours of our souls - who are we really?  Be here Sunday!