What a great Sunday! I’m still processing the overwhelming and beautiful truths we dug into today from Hebrews chapter 2. Jesus has defeated the enemy and delivered us from the bondage of fear and death! Let’s walk in that truth this week!
Tag: sunday
Oh the Wonder
There are some things that happen which cause us to gaze in amazement. As the snow fell this morning, I was refreshed and strangely mesmerized by its beauty and calm. My son was up early, and upon seeing the white out the window, insisted on running out in his pajamas. Call us bad parents, but we let him. It was joy for us to see him so enraptured and excited.
It’s how I felt at church yesterday. I watched people worship Jesus with passion, engage in the Word of God, and respond to the gospel. As we prayed for 5 new believers who came forward, a holy awe filled the room. We were weeping with tears of joy and amazement at the life changing power of Christ.
I think it brought God joy. Not only to see the lost saved, but to see his people so happy in His presence.
I pray you have a wondrous week.
Isaiah 29:14 – Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
Week in 4 Words
What a week and weekend it was! I’ll try to recap it in four words.
Inspiring – we finished 1 Corinthians 15 at our Wednesday night service. In short, Paul finishes his defense of the resurrection with an inspiring conclusion. Everything we do for Jesus this life is worth it because He rose from the dead, and one day we too will rise in Him to eternal bliss! Quite a motivation to live now for Christ, knowing that our labor is not in vain.
Heartbreaking – my uncle RC passed away this week. We weren’t extremely close, but he was an incredible man who loved Jesus deeply. I have some wonderful memories growing up… especially of his incredible tenor voice singing, “Down the road a little bit farther, we will all understand…” Today He understands more completely than all of us, but he will be missed. Please pray for his family.
Memorable – our Crossroads marriage retreat happened this weekend and everything lined up for a powerful and meaningful time away. It lasted just two days, but they were full of building new friendships, investing in intimacy, and gleaning helpful tools for our marriages. My friend Pastor Rob Salvato and his wife Denise shared a special set of teachings. We appreciated their transparency and vulnerability as the shared their life and lessons with us. And of course, two days alone with my wife was much welcomed!
Encouraging – the weekend concluded with Pastor Rob giving a powerful message at North Campus on how Jesus handles bread… and people (you need to hear this sermon). Pastor Jason shared his heart and vision for South Campus, and I had the blessing of guest teaching for a church in Roseville. I passed several churches on my way down the hill and was grateful that the Word of God was going out in so many places and impacting so many lives.
God is at work, in the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, the joy and the pain. May your week be empowered and guided by Him! Love you all.
Pastor Josh
Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Sunday Recap
You never know quite what to expect at church on Super Bowl Sunday. I would love to say that football and church never compete, but alas… (BTW, nothing against football here. I enjoyed watching the Eagles handle the Patriots just as much as the next guy. And how about Nick Foles? Grateful for his witness!). Despite my skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people show up at church with excitement, anticipation, and open hearts!
The Ascending Life 