Joy!Cast

This week we explore Mary, Jesus’ mother and the impact of her faith. The minute Mary agreed to be Jesus’ mother she became a Person of the Passion, one of the main characters in the story of Jesus’ last day. After the Christmas story we don’t hear much about Mary until we find her “near the cross” when her son Jesus was crucified. It was at this moment of deep grief we witness Mary’s deep faith.

Cyberbullying is on the rise. Children have taken their life over being bullied online. But kids aren’t the only one bullying. Our elected officials do it. Athletes do it. Recording artists do it. Movie stars do it. What we SAY MATTERS. Ours words have the power to raise up or tear down. Which raises a very good question. Who is going to set a better example? Listen this week to find out.

Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and empower every Christian (Acts 2:8). However, as Paul points out in Galatians 5, there is a constant battle between the Holy Spirit and our own sinful desires. Paul introduces the fruit of the spirit to help Christians identify the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives with the nine “fruit” (attributes) he outlines in this passage that all Christians should be producing in their lives. As we give the Holy Spirit more control of our lives, the Spirit shapes us to be more like Jesus and rid our lives of the evil things in our sinful nature.

Take the next step. You can play it safe and fly 2000 feet above the highest mountain, or you can learn to be a better pilot and fly through the valleys. We become better neighbors and love people better when we fly with them through the valley’s rather than play it safe and stay clear of their struggles. Playing it safe doesn’t help us grow. Being brave means our trust in God grows, our need for God grows. God is with us in the valley, growing our faith in Him. We don’t need to have every step through the valley planned, we just need to be ready to take the next step.

How did it get to the point where working 7 days a week is common and answering emails and texts while on vacation is expected. Even though we know, “that all work and know play makes Jack (and Jill) dull,” we fined less and less time to rest and play. Does our play and rest matter to God? It does! And would you like to know why? Because you matter to God. Listen to this week’s message on the value of adopting a Sabbath lifestyle.

Ever wondered why some people seem so brave. There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Stupid people challenge their giants without any idea of the outcome. Brave people have enough history to know the outcome may not be what they want, but they choose to move forward anyway. The fine line that separates bravery from stupidity is faith, faith knowing that the God who was with them when they faced challenges in the past will be with them when we face them today.

Good things and bad things happen to everyone. God can use both the good stuff and the bad stuff and put it all together to make something great. Over and over again, bad things keep happening to Joseph, but he continued to live as he believed God wanted him to. He was loved and adored by his father Jacob, but this made his brothers jealous and they sold him into slavery. What his brothers intended for harm, God used for good. Joseph tried to always do what was right, no matter what bad things happened to him, and in God’s time, he saw the amazing plan that God had for him.

We speak of throwing up personal walls to prevent being drawn into views or perspectives that might breach our personal space or challenge our emotions.

We speak of building fences so that neighbors do not encroach on our privacy. We create gates so that our neighborhood is safe from the intrusion of outsiders.

This week we learn from Jonah how to tear down the walls that divide us.

Love, according to Jesus, has everything to do with serving others, even in the most detestable work. This is the manner of love he taught his disciples in John 13, on a night when he understandably might have chosen a different path for himself. Right before he was crucified, Jesus shunned the power that was rightfully his; instead, he chose to perform a demeaning task for the benefit of his disciples. My hope is to explore what it means to humble ourselves and serve the people in our world.

When we are going through trials, we have asked God our questions, we have listened for God’s response, we have prayed for God to intervene, and then we... WAIT! As human beings, most of us do a poor job of waiting. We are anxious and want our answers or action NOW, but God doesn’t work on our timetable. He calls us to wait with faith in the knowledge that He always keeps His promises, and His timing is always right!

In difficult time, it is perfectly ok to ask God the tough questions. Asking God questions isn’t a lack of faith. When we ask God the tough questions we still believe that even though God has not answered yet, God will. And after all those tough questions are asked, it’s time for us to do something evermore difficult. Stop talking and start listening. Hope in the darkness begins when we are willing to ask God the tough questions. Hope in the darkness continues when we choose to stop talking and start listening.