More Than Bread

Send me a Text Message! Sometimes we get scattered and distracted, we walk through difficult paths in life, in part, because we didn't have a good guide to life. Or maybe you had no guide; no one to show you the sights in the daylight; how to journey to all the good parts and through the hard parts. But here’s what I think James might say to us today, “You have a Father, a Father in heaven wh...

Send me a Text Message! One of the questions that comes up frequently in regards to prayer is simply, "Does prayer matter?" I often receive some version of that question in relationship to unanswered prayer. Every death, every war, every cancer, every season of depression, every divorce stands as a monument to unanswered prayer. And so we hear the question in our hearts, "Does praye...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode, we will ponder for a few moments how our lives can make an impact and leave a legacy. An impact is what we make while we're still living. A legacy is what that impact leaves behind when we are gone. Remember Hebrews 12:4, we read that one a few times in this series, it says, "Let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us, keeping...

Send me a Text Message! James says that you are a kind of first-fruits of God's creative work. His work in you, in the midst of the trouble, His work in you is a first-fruit of His creative work. Think about that for a moment. You are a first-fruit. You're not a remnant; you're His firstfruits. What do I mean by that? Sometimes in scattering times. When  persecution comes and follow...

Send me a Text Message! We will miss the thriving life God has for us if we believe that the best way to find life is to avoid suffering at all costs. Isn't that James message in the first words of his letter to the scattered? See I wonder, if the question that people in  James' day were wrestling with was the same question we ask in hard times? Is God  good? Can I trust Him? If I say ye...

Send me a Text Message! The bible talks so much about joy. It's all over Jesus' words just before the cross, in John 14-17. He talks about bringing joy as part of his overall purpose. Paul talks a lot about joy. And James leads with it in his letter to those who are scattered. It's almost like, joy is at the heart of God's plan for his people, his family. When James writes, &qu...

Send me a Text Message! If I told you there was a way to experience pure joy, 100% pure joy, would you believe me? Would you ask me to show you the way? In 35 years of ministry, one of the most significant convictions, I've gained is that we have a deep, deep need for pure joy. The corollary conviction I've developed is that there is very little relationship between the circumstances of...

Send me a Text Message! I will explain in the next episode, but #10 and ( the first) #11 were one and the same deal. This is the real #11. Sorry! :) ================================== The book of James is written, "To the Scattered..." They aren't just scattered from home, they're scattered from each other, and scattered from God. They've lost their way. There's sin i...

Send me a Text Message! The book of James is written, "To the Scattered..." They aren't just scattered from home, they're scattered from each other, and scattered from God. They've lost their way. There's sin in the camp, the rich are avoiding and even abusing the poor, there is little supernatural wonder, the word is not being received with meekness. They are judgmen...

Send me a Text Message! As we dive into the book of James, let's start by asking, "What do you know about James?" The author of the book of James was James the brother of Jesus. So ask yourself, "What would it have been like to grow up as the brother of Jesus? How many times did James hear, "James why can't you just be a little more like your brother? Jesus never lies...

Send me a Text Message! What if God brough you to this episode, just so He can say one thing to you: "Don't quit! Don't give up! I'm not done yet." Your story isn't finished, because Jesus is the author of your by-faith story and He's not done yet! Let me ask you, will you let Jesus author your story? I love these words from Pete Greig "Even now, this Gallil...

Send me a Text Message! I used to say that the greatest opportunities we have for spiritual growth are to either go on a short-term mission trip, or go through a time of suffering. Which is a great advertisment for mission trips! Who wants to schedule in some suffering? But in the last 7+ years, I've added to those two, a third opportunity for catalytic spiritual growth; times of transition....

Send me a Text Message! You see here's the deal...if you want to walk on the water, you have to get out of the boat. And here's what I can't get out of my mind; what I'm thinking is that I want your life to be filled with unforgettable walks.  I want your life to count, to mean something, to be significant. I want it to lead to something beyond fun, friends, a career, or even f...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode we are going to use the words of Jesus about prayer, the kind of prayer that matters, that gets answered... to ponder four essentials for prayer. We'll use the acronym PUSH to help us remember them. Pursue Jesus Understand Grace Set a Plan Hold Fast Diving into this four prayer essentials will help us pray until something happens!

Send me a Text Message! Where do you need a break-through to greater things that will cause your life to thrive? Where do you need to shine a spotlight on the courage and compassion and the power and glory of Jesus; Jesus the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Lover of our Souls. If we don't pray like prayer is essential, it's because our hearts have not been grabbed by desperation for things t...

Send me a Text Message! This episode will be a bit different. Mostly scripture, less explanation. In the last episode we started unpacking the acronym PUSH; "Pray until something happens." If there is a passage filled with the words of Jesus calling us to persevere in prayer, to push when times are tough, it’s gotta be the words that Jesus spoke to his followers just before he went to th...

Send me a Text Message! So Jesus tells this story to teach a lesson about prayer.  It is the story of man who has a late night hospitality emergency.  Late night guests have come, but as He and his wife frantically search their cupboards for bread for a late night meal. It's midnight, no convience stores, the only possibility is the next door neighbor.  They always have plenty. So he goes nex...

Send me a Text Message! As quickly as time goes by, if you don't put your heart into the things that matter, you'll miss them! There is a request in Luke 11, for Jesus from a guy who had spent one-on-one time with Jesus, and I think the request is meant to point us to something that matters.  If you miss every other point I make in this episode, write these two down.  1)  If prayer matte...

Send me a Text Message! Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us to pray..." They had been watching Jesus; front-row seats to watch the greatest pray-er who ever prayed. Jesus' habit was to rise early in the morning to talk with His Father.  In the evening He'd often go to the Mount of Olives or some other q...

Send me a Text Message! Our Lent series has carried along a minor theme of trusting God. The major theme was Jesus' last few weeks on earth, the crucifixion, the resurrection and the ascension, but the minor theme has been the question, "Can God be trusted?" I realize most of you listening, believe in Jesus, but do you believe Jesus? Do we trust what he says enough that when he says...

Send me a Text Message! I love to imagine that I was there, in the upper room, in those days right after Jesus went up home. But for a moment I'd like you to imagine you missed it. You weren't there. You didn't join the group. Got distracted. Got scared. Other things were more important. You missed it. What did they have to do in order to receive the promise? Just wait. Be there. 12...

Send me a Text Message! We celebrate the incarnation at Christmas, resurrection at Easter, but that's only 2/3's of the story at best. Where is Jesus now? After 40 days of post-resurrection, earth-walking, he went up...home. This is the ascension. Can I tell you why the ascension is so important? We need to know who Jesus is now, where Jesus is now, what Jesus is doing now. It's so...

Send me a Text Message! One of Jesus' last words before going up home was the word, "Wait." Now everyone, at some intersection of life will have to learn to wait. Lewis Smedes writes: "Waiting is our destiny as creatures who cannot by themselves bring about what they hope for.  We wait in darkness for a flame we cannot light.  We wait in fear for a happy ending we cannot write....

Send me a Text Message! Before Jesus left his team and went back to his Father in heaven, he gave them a cause, a calling, a great commission. Go and make disciples. Haddon Robinson once wrote, "Somewhere I must find a cause that is greater than myself that is worthy of my life." We deperately need to be committed.  Otherwise we have this awful sense that our lives don't count. We w...

Send me a Text Message! As we start to wrap up our Lent Series, we are looking at some moments in the 40 days between Jesus' resurrection and his ascension into heaven. One of those moments, was Peter’s campfire encounter with Jesus. In the last episode we set it up with a reminder of Peter’s betrayal and the Rooster’s notification. In this episode, we’re going to the campfire breakfast that...