Have you ever wondered what Jesus would pray for his church? If Jesus could offer one prayer for his followers what would it be? We have this recorded in John 17. It’s a part of the Bible called the High Priestly Prayer. This week Pastor Derrick unpacks the truths found in this chapter and the one thing for which Jesus prays for his church. Our one takeaway truth this week was:
The One that unites us is greater than the things that try to divide us.
I love listening to people talk about work. Some people love to work and others will do anything to avoid it. I know some people who are somewhat addicted to work while others seem more allergic to it. This week we look at another aspect of parenting and family life. We’ll gain a better understanding that when something is done intentionally and over time it produces a specific outcome. And in this case, when we work with and for our children they gain a better sense of significance. Continue reading
This week in our message at Living Word Galena we looked at an account in the bible from the book of Acts. It’s the time known as the ascension. This is the account of Jesus being taken up into heaven. You can find the whole story here, but here’s a quick summary. Continue reading
Before Jesus was taken up into heaven the disciples asked a question that indicated they still didn’t quite get it. They asked about themselves. They asked when Jesus would make them great again. Instead of telling them how wrong they were, Jesus led them to a deeper understanding of why they were here in the first place. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares some truths about where our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the world are.
In Jerusalem we’re called to share the Jesus we know with those who know Jesus.
In Judea we’re called to share the difference Jesus makes with those for whom Jesus wants to make a difference.
In Samaria we are to share the love of Jesus even with the unloveable.
And at times we’re called to go to the end of the world. While we’re there we’re supposed to share Jesus wherever we go with the people for whom Jesus went.
You will be a witness! The question is how intentionally will you make that happen?
Loneliness sucks. There’s no easy way to put it. We sometimes will sit in our homes, or in our dorms, or in our cubicle at work and realize that we’re alone. And sometimes that loneliness pushes beyond the moments when we’re physically without company to the times when we’re with others but still feel disconnected. Continue reading
Stories are found in every part of our lives. We start children off with stories. We tell them stories of fairytales and of heroes. We build stories around princes and princesses. We tell stories to get our points across. Even the bible is filled with stories. We tell true stories and we make up stories. Stories are all around us. Every page of our lives is another part of a longer story. What’s the value of all of these stories? Continue reading
One of the staples growing up was to watch the movie The Wizard of Oz. As you may know, the movie is the story of a girl who’s transported by a tornado to a far away fantasy land that’s in Dorothy’s words not Kansas anymore. As the story unfolds, we journey with Dorothy along the clearly marked, yellow brick road to find the city of Oz. It’s home to a great and powerful wizard. Along the way, Dorothy picks up a few friends who each have their struggles, but Dorothy convinces them that help can be found in the great Wizard of Oz. Continue reading
Our culture tells us that being reckless is a back thing. When you’re reckless, you generally are not cautious. You throw caution to the wind and just go out and things without thinking about the ramifications of your actions. You cross the street without looking. You spend without checking your account balance. You schedule a meeting without looking at your calendar. You drive whatever speed you choose without caring about the speed limit. These are reckless behaviors that could end with some not so good results! Continue reading
Have you ever had one of those communication breakdown moments? The type where you say one thing and the other person hears something totally different? This week Pastor Derrick shares a little insight into one of the biggest moments of talking past one another ever recorded!
A couple of weeks ago we started a series titled Overtime. The purpose of the series was to talk about the time we spend as parents with our children. It’s been said that a parent has about 940 weeks with their children before they graduate from high school and move off to college. So the issue we face is how do we intentionally use the time we have to have the longest lasting impact possible on our children? Continue reading
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