More Than Bread

Send me a Text Message! We need more than bread to thrive. Jesus said that we need every word that comes from the mouth of God! We need more than food-stuff for our stomachs,  more than comfort-stuff, more than significance stuff; we even need more than  relational stuff in order to thrive. A live that thrives will involve a live that is  continually feeding on the words of God. And remember, eati...

Send me a Text Message! We've been talking about the beatitudes as a pathway to God's blessings. The blessings of God found in the Kingdom of God are amazing, but they rarely come easy. They require a "don't quit grit" that says, no matter what I'm going for it. And it all starts with "Blessed are the poor in Spirit." Blessed are the desperate, the begging p...

Send me a Text Message! In the last episode, you listened to my message on worry. Well it was actually Jesus' message on trusting God so that we don't worry. But there is a six word challenge in Jesus' words on worry, and it's a challenge that we didn't uncover in the last episode. We’ll probably  hit these six words again in a future message, but they are so important, so...

Send me a Text Message! At Calvary this last weekend, we dove deep into the subject of worry and we celebrated communion. You might be surprised how much those two are woven together. You know as I was working on this message, something occured to me. As we look at the whole of Jesus' mountain top message, the beatitudes take up 8 verses. Reconciliation and forgiveness gets 7 verses' adu...

Send me a Text Message! There is a booklet which has been used by God to lead many people to believe in Jesus. It's called the "The Four Spiritual Laws." Maybe you've read it. The first law is this, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." I believe that law is true, especially looking back. But what if the flip-side is also true? God loves you and has...

Send me a Text Message! As we come to the last of eight beatitudes we arrive at what I call the “Thanks-No-Thanks” beatitude. And listen I’m not saying that Jesus saved the best for last, I even hesitate to say that it’s the most important blessing, because they are all so important. Remember it’s a process, and as a journey, all the steps are necessary. But this one, #8, in our world today, it’s...

Send me a Text Message! Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will resemble their Father in heaven. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will remind people of their big brother Jesus. Are you a peacemaker? Is the family resemblance growing? Take a moment and think of a hard relationship; someone who has hurt you, disappointed you...

Send me a Text Message! What do we need more in our world right now, than peace? We are so quick to draw lines, so easily prodded into conflict. We need peace. I think everyone is seeking it, but few attain it, and keeping it is all too rare. But here's the problem; we have difficulty finding peace, because we are looking for peace in the absence.  That's how we define peace, right? Peac...

Send me a Text Message! Perhaps the first step to purity is seeking God. As we seek God, we come near to Him, and discover how much He loves us and our hearts  begin to burn for Him. In fact to be pure in heart Soren Kierkegaard said is to want one thing, to be undivided.  Or we have said it this way, "To be pure in heart is to have an unrestrained affection for God.   So let me ask you what...

Send me a Text Message! So let me ask you, when it comes to purity, what images come to your mind? What images, what thoughts, what emotions come to mind and heart when I say that we are diving again into purity?  There is a call to purity woven throughout scripture. It's all over the place.  Let me tell you upfront. The primary issue of purity is where am i seeking life? If I primarily seek...

Send me a Text Message! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. I want to see God. I believe that our world today desperately needs people who seek and see God.  Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God. The purity of heart that He is seeking is both a quality of heart and a quantity of heart. In this episode, we will dive a bit into the idea of a quantity of heart. In the Gree...

Send me a Text Message! Mercy is what Erika Kirk showed last weekend at the memorial for her husband  Charlie. The choice to forgive is mercy in action. And in so many ways from my  perspective it was the highlight, the most holy moment of the memorial. I closed  the last episode with the question, "Does our mercy show?" And I challenged you  to take a survey, find out people’s perceptio...

Send me a Text Message! I am so in need of mercy. Have you ever felt that way? I think that's why..actually I know that's why I love this next step in the blessed life. It's the mercy blessing. Blessed are those who are merciful for they will be shown mercy. In some ways I think this is the first "blessed are" that really reveals the heart of God. The Mercy-Blessing descri...

Send me a Text Message! So this episode, isn't current. I didn't preach at Calvary last week, I was visiting my mom and dad and celebrating my niece's wedding. In fact, might even be on my way home as you listen to this. So this isn't actually last weekend's sermon at Calvary, but in the past I have preached on Matthew 6:19-24. It is a crucial passage, so here is a message...

Send me a Text Message! In the last episode we ended with the question, "What is righteousness?" Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. So what is righteousness? That's a key question right? I know what food is and I hunger for it. I know what success is, I have hungered for it, along with friendship and affirmation. But what is this righteousness that we should...

Send me a Text Message! The beatitude for today is, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied." So the question that I will ask us is "Are you living a satisfied life?" Are you satisfied with what you have? But for the purpose of the notes here, I'm going to print the prayer I close with, just in case you want to pray for more th...

Send me a Text Message! Jesus' mountain-top message is a blueprint for a life that thrives. And as I’ve been studying it this time around, I’ve also run into a number of pastors and theologians who think of the Sermon on the Mount as basic training for people heading into a spiritual battle. Knowing what his followers were going to face in the days and years to come Jesus took them on the mou...

Send me a Text Message! Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth! Be honest, when is the last time you prayed for meek? Are you seeking meek? What comes to mind when you paint a picture of meek? Well meek is weak right? Blessed are the weak for they shall become the doormats of life and everyone will walk all over them. In fact Webster defines meek as TOO submissive. Blessed are the...

Send me a Text Message! Hey Folks, for those of you who download early, sorry this is coming a little bit late. It's the message from yesterday (Sunday) on Matthew 6 and it's all about fasting. Fasting focuses our hunger on Jesus. Fasting is a humble cry for Jesus. Fasting is a hopeful cry for more.  But I also believe that there is a sense of urgency that fasting brings, that is despera...

Send me a Text Message! Have you ever asked God to give you tears? There is so much pain and suffering and brokenness in the world today. But do we mourn for the brokenness? Perhaps we need to pray that God would help us be tenderly moved.  When we die and stand before Jesus and he asks us, "How did you feel about the suffering around you?" What will you say? Jesus felt enough cmpssn for...

Send me a Text Message! When Jesus showed up, on that mountain-top, the people who gathered around were going through a time of deep darkness. While some Jewish leaders  experienced an element of prosperity and security, most of them were politically, religiously, and economically oppressed by the Roman Government. High taxes, religious restrictions, crucifixions were common. Most people knew some...

Send me a Text Message! Blessed are the poor in spirit, the desperate, the broken. That's Jesus' first step to the blessed life. Blessed are those with open hands because they have nothing in them. That's hard stuff.  It's not easy for me to hear.  But do you know who this is good news for? This is good news for those who are broken and desperate; for those who just don't...

Send me a Text Message! As we dive into the beatitudes, we immediately run into the word "Blessed." The word is used 9x's in the first 11 verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The Living Bible translates it, "fortunate, or happy."  Eugene Peterson in The Message uses the word "lucky."  What is the essence of lucky?  It's getting something you don't deserve...

Send me a Text Message! At Calvary we are currently making our way through Matthew 6-7, it's the last series of three that we are doing on Jesus mountain-top sermon. So every 5th episode of this series will by the teaching that I just gave the day before this episode drops. So it's also a bit longer than the other episodes. In this episode, we are doing two things... painting a picture o...

Send me a Text Message! Jesus' sermon on the mountain connects the gospel with the Kingdom of God. The gospel is good news and here's the deal... The Kingdom of God is good news for  everyone, even people who don't believe in Jesus. It's good news because when people get it and become Jesus-apprentices; when an outbreak of the Kingdom happens; people start loving better and ser...