Articles Tagged '' (Page 24)

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Jesus Came to Be One of Us! (SOR 4.1)

God didn't come to our world as a heavenly tourist with special arrangements to keep him safe and to give him special treatment in his journey through mortality with all its grit and danger.

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights of Christmas and see that God came to be one of us in the gritty and dangerous birth of Jesus of Nazareth to a virgin named Mary and her faithful to Torah husband to be, Joseph the car

Jesus' Loose Lug Nuts and His RagTag Band

Could it be that we are more afraid of being contaminated by the world than motivated by Jesus to be salt and light?

Phil Ware reminds us that we want to not only share in the Lord's Supper, but we also want our table to be like Levi's table of grace and friendship.

ToGather: A Party for Jesus with Sinners? (May 31, 2020)

Let's awaken our hearts to the greatness of God, the assured hope we have in our future with Jesus, and our mission to take Jesus' grace to the world.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and remind each other of those who are lost, left out, and left behind that need to be at Jesus' table of grace and how we are called to reach the lost as our mission.

This Is Our Story, Too! (SOR 4.0)

The more most of us examine our past, the more we realize that our family tree is full of interesting stories that have shaped our identity.

James Nored shares about God's story through Abraham and David to Jesus and Phil Ware helps us understand the meaning of the story through the genealogy of Jesus.

Forgiveness and Power

Can I actually be better?

Phil Ware reminds us that God can make us better after we have been broken and use us to do his work in the Kingdom because of two things: forgiveness we receive in Jesus through baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Donny, Marie, and LeBron: Real People, Real Words

We actually exchanged real words with both of them. It was amazing. Would you believe that they are both real living, breathing human beings?

Michael DeCamp shares a chapter out of his new book, "Loving Out Loud," and challenges us to use our words to bless and not hurt, to give life and not steal it from someone.

ToGather: How Do I Keep My Sinful Flesh in Check? (May 24, 2020)

Those of us who have followed Jesus for any significant length of time know that keeping our sinful flesh in check is a challenge.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and keep our sinful nature, our flesh, in the past and nailed to the cross and lead us in worship through this practical home worship guide.

One Like Moses (SOR Egypt 5)

Moses brought down God's Law from his mountain. Jesus demonstrated God's love on a hill outside Jerusalem!

James Nored and Phil Ware move from Abraham and Moses to Jesus in God's great story of redemption and show how Jesus becomes the fulfillment

In the Power of the Spirit

We live our lives where we place our focus!

Phil Ware reminds us that by focusing on Jesus and our need for Jesus to be the transforming presence in our lives the Holy Spirit transforms and conforms us to Jesus with increasing likeness.

ToGather: How Can I Start Over with My Life? (May 17, 2020)

Our message points us to 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Paul's promise that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation!

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as we trust in God to give us a new fresh start in life because of Jesus!

God's Character Shapes His People

God alone had earned the right to speak truth into their lives, compassion into their hearts, and righteousness into their behaviors.

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the importance of the 10 Commandments and the two divine principles of God and Jesus and call us to live them in our daily lives.

A Shattered Lamp and a Broken White Stallion

How do you put a shattered life back together?

Phil Ware talks about a broken horse statue and a shattered pink lamp and how God not only forgives but also purifies us and makes us whole.

ToGather: Valuing Women of Faith and Courage (May 10, 2020)

Happy Mother's Day! Today is Mother's Day in many part of the world, so let's celebrate women of faith and courage who have blessed our lives and empowered the work of God in our world.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Way Over Our Heads!

God has you in a great position to see his deliverance and make your life an enduring testimony when you face trials with endurance and faithfulness.

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that God's great stories of deliverance, like the Exodus with Moses leading God's people to victory over Egypt and Pharaoh, are reminders of Jesus' greater deliverance and God's faithfulness.

Leaving the Imprint of a Mother's Faith

What's a mom supposed to do with wet cement?

Phil Ware writes about Mary as the mother of Jesus and reminds that Jesus, along with every other child, was 'wet cement' given by God to form into the person the Father wants them to be.

ToGather: Waiting in Expectation (May 3, 2020)

We can approach each day with hope and expectation because of God's faithfulness.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Who Is God?

Moses wanted Pharaoh and the Egyptians to see that only Israel's God was truly God. Anything in addition to God was less.

James Nored and Phil Ware look at Moses' showdown with Pharaoh to remind us that this was really a showdown to show who was truly God and our need to choose to follow him.

Time to Stop the Whine

We can expect God to show up if we will invite future generations to experience his power and presence with us!

Phil Ware writes to encourage and challenge our older generations to live with passion and faith so the younger generations can experience the presence of God.

Living My MUSD #6: Shared Prayer through Forgiving Redemptively

Living My Mission Under Social Distancing

Phil Ware opens the New Testament and reminds of a great way to live out our mission while under social distancing, prayer because prayer has always been a virtual way of blessing others.

ToGather: Dealing with the Anger Inside

We are ToGather: People from around the world, gathered virtually, to honor God as we are reshaped by his Spirit to do the work of Jesus in our broken world.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

When Life Is Unfair!

God’s great story of redemption reminds us of three truths that we must take with us as we live in a world that always seems to tilt away from fairness.

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the importance of God's past stories of deliverance to help us know how to live in our times of unfairness and hold onto hope in the middle of oppression.

Beyond Our Impatience, Loneliness, and Fear

What if loneliness has an invitation for a great discovery about God?

Max Lucado reminds us that discovering God's love for us in Jesus, his perfect love, helps us overcome our feelings of loneliness, impatience, and fear.

Living My MUSD #5: Shared Prayer through Interceding Personally

Even when confined to our houses and limited in our travels and frustrated with social distancing, we still have the incredible ability to pray for others.

Phil Ware opens the New Testament and reminds of a great way to live out our mission while under social distancing, prayer because prayer has always been a virtual way of blessing others.

ToGather: Until Christ Is Formed in You

We are gathered to honor and praise God and to be reshaped by his Spirit so we can do the work of Jesus in the world.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we are transformed to be more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Power Behind Our Story

Jesus walked triumphantly out of the tomb and transformed the lives of defeated and afraid friends into world-changing witnesses!

Phil Ware and James Nored remind us that the center of our faith is Jesus' resurrection and that the Lord's resurrection from the grave has changed everything.