daddy4ms

Introduction : Are you easily distracted?   If so, what are some of the distractions in your life.   Go ahead and spend 30 seconds writing down some distractions that keep you from the most important things (relationship with God, relationship with family/friends). Review: ·          Freedom (vs. 1)-Brad talked about how we have been set free from slavery and the law.   Free AND Freedom-He used the image of a jail cell that has the door opened but we stay inside the cell even though we have been set free.   We can live like this as believers as we rely on law or rules to guide us rather than Holy Spirit. ·                  True Value (vs. 2-6)-Last week, Pastor Brad’s points were about No Value, “Don’t Do & Must Do” or “Spirit in You”, (Is there a checklist of Don’t Do/Must Do for believers or do we trust Holy Spirit to empower/reveal Himself in us...

What do you do during morning devotions?  I have shared previously that I read It is Finished by Tullian Tchividjian and New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.  However, I have also been looking for ways other than reading through the Bible in a year to spend time with Jesus. Let me remind you that devotions are not something to check off a list or to prove you are a good Christian.  It is all about relationship with Jesus.  God does not love you more if you do them or less if you don't.  Most recently, I have been reading through the Psalms and listing the characteristics of God.  As I list them, I then incorporate them into my prayer time. I have loved this time with God.  After I finished the Psalms, I wanted to continue this.  So, I recently started reading through the gospel of Mark and listing characteristics of Jesus.  I list these and then pray about them as well.  Why do I share this?  To offer you another opt...

I was home with a sick kid on Monday and all of my books were at my office.  So, I picked up a new book I received for my birthday.  It is called Jesus Continued by J.D. Greear. Here are a few quotes from the introduction: He starts by sharing this paragraph about how he understood God.  He writes, "It seemed that everything God had done, he had done in the past: he created the world, died on a cross, and then inspired a Bible to tell us about it. Then he gave us a mission and left through the clouds. God seemed like a busy teacher who had given an assignment and then stepped out of the room, leaving his students to get it done on their own." I want to show you how you can have a deep, satisfying relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, on the basis of the finished work of Christ. The Spirit's presence inside them, he said, would be better than himself beside them. From the very beginning, he has passionately expressed a profound desire for a clo...

Can I go back to the ocean?  This song is a great reminder of who God is.  And it reminds us about how we can go deeper in relationship with Him.  Enjoy this powerful song on this wonderful Sunday!

Pastor Brad gave me the book pictured for Christmas.  We are going through this book as a church on the third Sunday of the month helping people go deeper in their relationship with Jesus.  I look forward to the discussions.

If you know me, you have heard me talk about the difference between obligation and relationship.  Many times our service for others can look the same outwardly, but inwardly can be based either on obligation or a relationship with Jesus.  The difference is huge. Joseph Prince writes the following in his book, The Power of Right Believing : "When you understand God's grace and forgiveness, you will understand the difference between obligation and relationship.  Under the new covenant of grace, the motivation for right living has been changed. Under the law, right living is done out of religious obligation. Under grace, everything we do today is birthed out of an inward motivation that flows directly from a love relationship with Jesus." Do you agree or disagree?

Have you ever pondered the statement that Jesus is a "friend of sinners?" That statement alone flies in the face of what many religious people believe and how they live.  Rather than hang out with the healthy, Jesus chose the sick.  In Judah Smith's book, Jesus Is            , he explains this concept.  Here are a few quotes from his book: "But Jesus didn't care about the scandal. He cared about the scandalous." "If justice must be served, we are all in trouble because we all have sin." "Both extremes (self-righteous or self-condemning) come from focusing on rules rather than on a relationship with Jesus." "Jesus sees our sin more clearly than anyone, yet he loves us more than anyone." "Church is a place where a bunch of people who realize they need help get together to love Jesus and encourage each other." "But when sin becomes more important than the sinner, an alarm needs to go off in our heads....