In part 4 of our sermon series titled MADE, Pastor Derrick explains how death is MADE life. A venemous snake is MADE into a symbol of deliverance. A cross is a method of torture, but when Jesus was up on a cross it too became an instrument of salvation.
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Last week the moon here was truly amazing. 
It was big, bright, and full. I’m certainly not a guru on scientific matters, but I do remember from my childhood science class that the moon absorbs the light from the sun and reflects it back. This is why the moon shines at night. It’s more of a glow or reflection than shining its own light.
As I was driving home the other night, I started thinking about this whole reflection business. The moon has nothing to offer but simply reflects everything that the sun shines on it. It got me thinking about my life as a pastor, and if you’re not a pastor just as a follower of Jesus. How much of my life is spent trying to shine my own light? How much of my time is devoted to casting some light of my own?
I find it all too often the case that well-meaning followers of Jesus try to be the best at something so as to make a name for themselves. It’s disheartening to listen to pastors and churchgoers talk about my church and our focus is on growing our own church by any means possible.
I honestly think we can learn something from the moon. It does exactly what it was created to do – reflect the light of the sun. It does exactly what Jesus did in His ministry – it only reflects what’s given to it. Jesus taught a lot of powerful things. He was put in some pretty tricky situations and even was bombarded by temptations from a very powerful enemy. But in the midst of all of this He never did anything on His own. He only reflected what the Father gave him. It says in John 5:19 the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.
What a powerful thought! Jesus, the very Son of God who had all the power of God at his disposal didn’t do anything that wasn’t a reflection of the Father’s will and action. This means that Jesus’ death and resurrection were a reflection of the Father’s love for us.
Now as followers of Jesus we’re not called to come up with some bright and witty statement of faith or some great tactic to share who Jesus is with those around us. We’re just called to be a reflection of his presence where we live, work and play. This is the Jesus in me. We’re called to reflect the presence of the Son of God into our everyday situations.
Today don’t try to be your own light. Don’t push to come up with your own presence and power. Instead, today try reflecting the Son into your daily relationships. As you reflect Jesus’ love, people will get a glimpse of the power of God in normal, everyday situations.
Foolishness is lacking wisdom. And to be honest, there are a lot of foolish people running around. As a matter of fact followers of Jesus appear pretty foolish until you know the whole story. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick shares why followers of Jesus are fools made wise.
I’m not sure why but I’m intrigued by tattoos. I’ve even thought about getting one. I have a friend who has many tattoos and every time I see them, I think of the story that they tell. Like the dog-tags on his arm that tell the story of his love for his dad and brother who served in the Army and Air Force. Or the many tattoos of his favorite college sports teams. They each have a story associated with them. It’s like he has marked his story on his arms to let others see who he is and what’s important to him.
His tattoos remind me of a story about three boys. They were kidnapped by an evil man. They were forced to change their names to give them a new identity. They were then brought into a society that liked to brand or mark their captives with a special marking to show that they were no longer who they used to be. They were marked to give them a new identity. Continue reading
Have you ever watched one of those home rehab shows? You know the kind of show where someone buys a house that is rundown and falling apart. Then they sink some serious cash into fixing it up. And when it’s all said and done, you can’t even tell the house was run down in the first place. I do love watching shows like this. I love to watch old things made new. It’s very rewarding to be able take something that is broken and fix it, making it good as new. Continue reading
Have you ever felt like you didn’t have what it took to accomplish a job? Like the burdens of your day were too much for you to handle? Like you were under qualified for a task? This is a scary thing for many people. When we don’t feel confident for the task at hand it’s as if we’re wearing someone else’s armor.
In the movie Men of Honor a young diver goes through intense pressure to become a Naval Diving Officer. After an accident, he loses his leg and needs a prosthetic to allow him to walk. After a period of recovery, he attempts to finish his officer training only to find out that the regulations have changed and the armor is now heavier. The climax of the movie comes when he is called to walk 12 steps carrying this new armor’s weight using his prosthetic limb. Continue reading
We all have stories of faith. If not faith in God at minimum faith in someone around us. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick shares the importance of a faith that is made alive. #livethestory
As a parent I know that there are a lot of things that I simply don’t know. I’m not the best dad in the world. I make more mistakes in this whole parenting journey than most people. I lose my temper. I raise my voice. I get upset and sometimes downright angry.
I’ve tried reading books about parenting but I just get lost in the middle of them. They are full of rules and multiple steps. So I set out to determine what’s the one thing that I could teach my children that would have a lasting impact. Something that could change their lives. That one thing is you’re not perfect and that’s ok. Continue reading
Just about everyone carries a smart phone now.And even if you don’t chances are you have a method of connecting with people quickly at your home. With the enormous uptick in the use of social media and instant message methods, there is virtually no one who can’t be reached. 
Relating to people in the bible is a difficult thing to do. They are always so much more “with it” than we are. Listen this week as Pastor Derrick explains how we can live an incredible life!
