Pastor Wes Morris

Exodus 3:10–12 (NLT) “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

4:1 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

“Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”

√  WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME WAS NEVER JUST FOR ME.

I Peter 4:10 (NLT) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

√  WHAT’S IN MY HAND DOESN’T BECOME USEFUL UNTIL I RELEASE IT.

John 6:8–9 (NLT) Here is a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?

√  WHAT SEEMS ORDINARY TO ME CAN BECOME EXTRAORDINARY WITH GOD.

II Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

I. STOP DISQUALIFYING YOURSELF.

Exodus 4:10-12 (NLT) But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

II Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

II. START WITH WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN YOU.

Exodus 4:2 (NLT) “What is that in your hand?”

Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin...

III. JUST SAY YES.

Romans 6:13 Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. You want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.

CLOSER PT. 2  |  AUGUST 16, 2026
Pastor Wes Morris

MAKE ROOM

Joshua 3:1-5 (NLT) Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, giving these instructions to the people: 
“When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.”
Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”

√  WE CAN BE CLOSE TO WHAT GOD IS DOING WITHOUT BEING CLOSE TO GOD.
Matthew 15:8 (NLT) These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

√  WE WANT GOD TO PREPARE THE WAY, BUT GOD WANTS TO PREPARE US.
II Timothy 2:20-21 (NIV) In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

I. REMOVE THE DISTRACTIONS.
Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) ...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

II. SURRENDER WHAT COMPROMISES YOU.
Some things God wants you to fast from. Other things God wants you to be free from.
II Timothy 2:22 (NLT) Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace…
Romans 12:1 (NLT) I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

III. SEEK GOD WITH EXPECTATION.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Joshua 3:5 (NLT) Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.

1 John 3:1-2 ESV - See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Matthew 18:3 ESV  Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Humanity began with attachment to the Source.

Genesis 3:9 ESV - But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

Not because God lost them, but because they lost proximity.

Ephesians 2:13 ESV - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me…’

It’s possible to do the things of God that we know to do but never actually know the God we’re doing it for.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 - If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

The answer is to come closer, not try harder.

Where are you?

1. Where have you made your home?
2. How have you learned to keep yourself safe?
3. Where do you run when you’re afraid?

Pastor Randy Morris

Psalm 27:1-6 (NKJV) The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.


1. Confidence in God is the ANTIDOTE to fear

• "The Lord is my light."
• "The Lord is my salvation." 
• "The Lord is the strength (stronghold) of my life." 

2. Pursuing the ONE THING

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV) One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

3. God's PRESENCE becomes the place of God's PROTECTION

Psalm 27:5 (NKJV) For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

• Make God’s Presence Your First Pursuit, Not Your Last Resort 
• Replace Fear with Worship 
• Listen Before You Act 

Pastor Wes Morris

James 3:13-18 (NLT) If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

√  WORLDLY WISDOM TEACHES US TO TRUST OURSELVES.

Proverbs 12:15 (NLT) Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. 

II Samuel 11:1 (NLT) In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites...However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

√  WORLDLY WISDOM CREATES CHAOS.

James 3:16 (NLT) For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

√  GODLY WISDOM LEADS TO PEACE.

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

I. EXAMINE YOUR HEART.

James 3:17-18 (NIV) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure.

Psalm 51:10 (NIV) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 

II. CHECK THE FRUIT.

James 3:17-18 (NIV) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is… full of mercy and good fruit.

III. CHOOSE PEACE.

James 3:18 (NIV) Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Romans 12:18 (NIV) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Summer at Bay Chapel  |  JULY 19, 2026
Pastor Wes Morris

Genesis 28:10-17 (NIV) Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 

There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”


God is often at work in the places we least expect.


√ GOD MEETS US IN THE IN-BETWEEN.

Genesis 28:10–11 (NIV) Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.

 
√ GOD IS CLOSER THAN WE REALIZE.

Genesis 28:15 (NIV) “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go...I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”


√ GOD’S PRESENCE CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVE.

Genesis 28:17 (NIV) He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of Heaven."

v11 A certain place...
v16 Surely the Lord is in this place...
v17 How awesome is this place...


UNEXPECTED PLACES


I. GOD, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW ME IN THIS SEASON?

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV) See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

 
II. GOD, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO CHANGE IN ME?

Romans 5:3-4 (TLB) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. 


III. GOD, HOW CAN I BE FAITHFUL WHILE I’M HERE?

Colossians 3:23 (GNT) Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.

Summer at Bay Chapel |  JULY 12, 2026
Pastor Wes Morris 

I Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

God didn't just save you from something. He called you for something.

√  WE REDUCE OUR FAITH TO WHAT GOD DOES FOR US. 
Luke 17:12-19 (NIV) As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

√  WE FEEL UNWORTHY OF THE CALLING.
I Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT) This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. 

√  WE WAIT FOR BIG MOMENTS AND MISS THE DAILY OPPORTUNITIES.
1 Samuel 17:17–18 (NLT) One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain...”

God-sized miracles often start with simple acts of obedience.

MADE FOR MORE

I. LET GOD REDEFINE WHO YOU ARE.
I Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession...
 
II. SHIFT THE QUESTION FROM “WHAT DO I NEED?” TO “WHY AM I HERE?”
I Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises...

III. LET YOUR LIFE POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS.
I Peter 2:12 (NLT) Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your good deeds, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 (TLB) You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.

BECAUSE OF THE CROSS  |  JULY 5, 2026
Pastor Wes Morris 

I Corinthians 11:23-26 (TLB) For this is what the Lord himself has said about his Table, and I have passed it on to you before: That on the night when Judas betrayed him, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks to God for it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this to remember me.”
In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new agreement between God and you that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me whenever you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that he has died for you. Do this until he comes again.

Communion is more than remembering Jesus’ death; it is celebrating the victory that changed everything.

THE QUESTIONS WE ALL CARRY
Can I be free from my past?
Does my life really matter?
Is there hope for my future?

BECAUSE OF THE CROSS

√ MY PAST IS FORGIVEN.
Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Romans 7:21-8:1 (NLT) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
 
√ MY IDENTITY IS SECURE.
Romans 8:15-17 (NLT) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

√  MY FUTURE IS FILLED WITH HOPE.
I Peter 1:3 (TLB) All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family. Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose again from the dead.

James 1:2-4 NIV - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Joy isn't found in the trial. It's found in what God is forming through it.

1. Consider it Pure Joy

James 1:2 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Ask the Lord - Which trial in my life feels too heavy for me to face with joy?

James 1:3 - because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

2. The Testing Produces Something

1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV - In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

When the heat turns up, what comes up?

Ask the Lord - What hurting places in me are being uncovered through these trials, and how are you healing them?

James 1:4 - Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

3. Allow the Work to be Completed

God is on a mission to restore His fractured people and make them WHOLE.

James 1:12 NIV - Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Ask the Lord - Where am I pulling away, avoiding, or rushing past the work you want to finish in me?

The fire isn’t the end; it’s the beginning of what couldn’t grow before.

Pastor Wes Morris 

Psalm 13:1-6 (NIV) How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

√  WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT, WE START ASSUMING INSTEAD OF TRUSTING. 

Psalm 13:1 (NIV) How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 

John 11:5-6 (NIV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

John 11:21 (NIV) “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
 

√  WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT, OUR EMOTIONS GET LOUD. 

Psalm 13:2 (NIV) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

√  WHEN GOD SEEMS SILENT, THE STRUGGLE CAN BECOME ALL WE SEE.

Psalm 13:2 (NIV) How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:5-6 (TLB) But I will always trust in you and in your mercy and will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has blessed me so richly.

I. ASK GOD TO HELP YOU SEE WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. 

Psalm 13:3 (NIV) Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes...

Psalm 119:105 (NIV) Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

II. KEEP TRUSTING GOD‘S CHARACTER.

Hebrews 10:23 (NLT) Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we profess, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

III. KEEP TAKING THE NEXT STEP.

Psalm 37:23 (NLT) The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.