As we continue our A18 Missions series, the way of Jesus is about finding safety and comfort in order to heal, restore and live from God's love. But it's so much more than that. 

The mission of God and call of the missional Church is far more than our personal peace and prosperity - it's about love-based risk - going where Jesus is - places where humanity is most at risk, at the intersection between darkness and light, soil and spirit, heaven and earth. We call this living from the redemptive edge. What does this look like, how do we grow in discipleship to follow Jesus into love-based risk? 

You'll hear many stories of ordinary people, empowered by God's spirit, doing what Jesus did, all over the world.

Staying with the theme of Acts 1:8, I will focus on the role of the Holy Spirit and the importance of the Presence of God in fulfilling the Missio Dei. I will share some of my personal testimony of what I/we have been experiencing as a church the last few months since we started meeting in person again and the lessons I have learned about the presence of God.

One key to making and breaking HABITS is making and breaking RULES. Rules help you establish boundaries and priorities. Rules help you establish rituals and routines. A RULE OF LIFE consists of four quadrants: 1) Core Beliefs 2) Core Values 3) Life Goals 4) Daily Habits. Collectively, they become the guardrails and guidelines that help you get where God wants you to go.

There is nothing easy about HABIT FORMATION. You have to fight for your health, fight for your marriage, fight for your convictions. How? 1. Do it SCARED 2. Do it DIFFICULT 3. Do it DIFFERENT 4. Do it NOW. The good news? When we get on our knees, God fights our battles for us!

Show me your HABITS and I’ll show you your FUTURE. Destiny is not a mystery. Destiny is DAILY HABITS. Habit formation is one dimension of spiritual formation. You have to make or break the habits that make or break you, with the help of the Holy Spirit. The good news? You are one habit away from a totally different life! The key? Do it for a day!

The parable of the fig tree reveals the hidden truths of becoming who God desires us to become. He has made us not to merely exist, but to produce and provide wonderful fruit to our surroundings. It’s a story in which we find great points of learning in the process of becoming: 

*Patience and urgency

It’s ultimately a story that leads us to faith through repentance. We hope you’ll join us this week as we pray for guidance from the Spirit of God as we seek out the best that is yet to come.

If we are promised LIFE EVERLASTING with Jesus, King of All Creation, what might that look like?

Have you ever felt stuck? In a jam? In a situation that is impossible to get out of without help? This is the story that Jesus enters into in John 2. The wedding party had run out of refreshments for its guests and had no options. That’s when Jesus got the call, that he then delivered. His very first miracle was to turn water into wine. 

This miracle was not a magic trick that provided excess fun to a wedding, though. This miracle would set the tone for everything to come in the new covenant. Jesus would establish a new kingdom normal, would reveal His power to His people, would exercise that power for transformation, and would spark faith in his disciples. 

The Best is Yet to Come is NOT wishing on a star, hoping your luck will change or waiting to win the lottery. If you keep doing what you’ve done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. Your life is perfectly designed for the results you're getting! The good news? You are ONE DECISION away from a totally different life. God can deliver you in a day, but you have to back it up with daily habits.

In psychology, mental health has a scale from FLOURISHING to DEPRESSION. FLOURISHING is evidenced by things like optimism and empathy and authenticity. DEPRESSION is evidenced by things like hopelessness and helplessness. In between FLOURISHING and DEPRESSION, there is what Adam Grant calls “the neglected middle child of mental health,” and it may be the “the dominant emotion of 2021.” Languishing is basically BLAH. It's a feeling of apathy. It lacks focus, motivation and vision. There are no easy answers or quick fixes, but there is a way out.