We’re in week 4 of our Blind Faith series and this week, Fr. Timothy walks us through the 4th sign that Jesus performed, the feeding of the multitudes with just 5 loaves and 2 fish (see John 6).
After seeing this sign, the question that we all must ask ourselves is this: Is Jesus enough, even when I don’t get what I want?
The point isn’t the sign or the gift; the point is WHO that sign or gift points us to.
Read More“You’ll never reach new heights, without letting go of familiar places.”
That’s our key thought from Part 5 of our series, First in Faith: The Life of Abraham. Abraham finally gets the gift he’s been waiting for (Isaac), but in order to get there, he’s got to let go of something dear to him (Ishmael). Why? Check out the video above and see for yourself.
Read MoreEver read the story of Abraham and think “Wouldn’t it be great if God spoke that clearly to me?” In this week’s message, Part 4 of First in Faith: The Life of Abraham, we look at why it was that God spoke to clearly to Abraham and what we need to do to hear God’s voice as well.
Hint: it’s not as complicated as you might think.
Read MoreIt's the finale of WanderLOST and in this week's message, we talk about the one thing we can do to keep the message in front of us at all times.
We need DAILY time to RENEW our minds. Without it, we'll be in danger of SETTLING for what we merely WANT vs STRIVING for what we truly VALUE.
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Don’t answer too quickly. Of course we all know the “right” answer. We all know that God’s plan is better than our plan and that His ways are higher than ours, yadda yadda yadda. We know the right answer in our head, but let’s be honest – it’s not always easy to believe it, is it?
What happens when your plans get changed against your wishes? When the thing you planned for doesn’t happen the way you want it to or in the timing you need? What happens when your "perfect plan" is turned upside down against your wishes and the only one to blame is God? What then?
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I am NOT a natural born driver. Never have been and never will be. I'm not one of those people who just gets into a car and "just knows” how it works. In fact, the first time I put my foot on a car pedal I was so anxious that my nose began to bleed.
Despite the effort it takes, there’s great value in trying to learn something new. Since learning is multiplied when shared, I decided to share some lessons I’ve learnt whilst learning to drive a car. These lessons can be applied on the road just as much as they can on your spiritual path.
So buckle up because here we go!
Read More"The area you are trying to control the most is the area you are trusting God the least."
You may not consider yourself a "control freak" but I'll bet you that if you look closely enough you'll find at least one or two areas where you struggle to truly let go... where you believe that you need to take matters into your own hands.
How do we let go of our need to control? Believe it or not, the answer lies in having LESS control, not MORE.
Wanna know more? Check out Part 3 in our I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME series and see for yourself.
Read More"Surrender isn't about WHAT; it's about WHOM."
Surrender. What does it mean? What does it look like? Is it just something that we talk about, and read about, and sing about? Or is it something that we actually do? And how do we know if we've done it or not? Is it possible to kinda surrender some things but not really surrender everything?
That was our topic in Part 4 of INTO THE WAR ROOM. We focused on the issue of surrender and saw how it might be the most important part of our prayer strategy.
As Miss Clara taught us in the War Room movie, "If you wanna win, you're gonna have to first learn to surrender."
“One of the first necessities of prayer is to get rid of “prayerless praying”. Prayerless praying is often beautiful in words and in execution; it has the drapery of prayer in rich and costly form, but it lacks the soul of praying. It has been said that prayerless praying is a heartless performance, a senseless routine, a dead habit, a hasty, careless performance. It has no life, gives no life, is dead, and breathes out death... Prayerless praying is insincere. It has no honesty in heart. We name in words what we do not want in heart.” On Prayer, E.M. Bounds
Have you ever heard of prayerless praying? Sounds like a contradiction in terms – something that shouldn’t exist...like foodless eating, or waterless showering. PrayING requires prayER; so how can there be prayerLESS praying?
Read MoreDISCLAIMER: this might be the most important message I've ever preached in my life.
What does it mean to be a Christian, or a follower of Christ? Is it just doing good deeds? Saying a few prayers? Going through some Christian motions? Or is it more than that?
Jesus said “If anyone desires to come after Me (aka, be my follower), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25
What does it mean to deny oneself and to lose my life for His sake? That's the topic of the final message in the THE GREAT HUNT: The Quest for God’sWill and it's something we all need to examine ourselves on
“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:12)
“MAN.” In that little three-letter word, there is a deluge of grace. Knowing that we’re created in the Image of God whilst entertaining that whisper of fatalism – assuring me that my spiritual transformation is pretty much impossible – tells me something isn’t right.
In Psalm 90, Moses prays for the Israelites wandering the wilderness in spiritual inertia; a feeling which, in all honesty, I’m no stranger too. Yet considering God is the same God who held the sun at a standstill over Gibeon and licked the Earth in flames on Mt Carmel, I can’t help but feel more than a touch of un-fulfilment. I find myself craving the transformation of the renewal of our minds St. Paul writes of in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
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“Why would Jesus say that to the man? It seems a bit unreasonable doesn’t it? Why is Jesus making it so tough on the guy?”
That’s what I honestly find myself thinking every time I read the story of the Rich Young Ruler – found in Mark 10:17-22.
The guy came to Jesus and asked a very reasonable and well intentioned question – “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
His request wasn’t bad. I’d love for more young people to be asking the same question. He wasn’t asking how to get rich or how to be famous or how to marry a supermodel. He wasn’t asking for anything material or earthly at all. He asking how to inherit eternal life – which seems like a question that would make Jesus really happy.
So why then did Jesus eventually answer the man this way?
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Today's post was inspired by a book I read recently called Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus. If you like the post, you'll love the book!
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole idea of "following Jesus” and what that really means. Am I a follower or not? Sometimes I wish Jesus would just make it simple and say “Following me = __________.” Just tell me what to do God and I will do it and then I’ll know I am fine and I can go on with the rest of my day.
But following Jesus is about more than just doing a task or finishing a chore. It is about life and how we live it, every single day. It is a conscious decision to follow Him at work, at home, at the gym, in front of my computer, behind my friend’s back, even while stuck on Route 66.
So how then do I know if I’m on the right track?
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