The FIVE Sermons

Alan Poole Interview

Sometimes saying nothing can stir up mystery and wonder that words can never really communicate.

Live it out

Where is there complexity and confusion in your life today? How might God be working through those things in order for you to question the answers that perhaps you’ve never questioned before?

How does it make you feel to know that God doesn’t need you to tell everyone everything always but instead, calls us uniquely to Himself so that the mystery of our lives can say what our words cannot?

Where have/are you obeying your feelings more than God’s word? How has that impacted your life or the lives of others?

Based on what you heard this weekend, what would you say is one thing you need to do or change in response?

What if faith is less about what our great expectations and more about humble, foolish willingness?

Live it out

Where is God inviting you to ‘set out just a little’? What’s a next step or a little yes you think God might be calling you to?

What’s your ‘boat’? What is something you have, you know, you can do that might help amplify the goodness of God through you to others?

How have you let your mistakes, failures and sin cause you to believe that you are somehow disqualified from God’s love? What would it look like or mean to know that your brokenness doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love but qualifies you as someone who truly needs it?

Where are your feelings, experiences, reason, fears or logic (however real and true they may be) causing you to ignore God’s word and way in your life?

Live it out Consider the cost: If you have to sacrifice something in order to invest in what is most ...

Live it out

Consider the cost: If you have to sacrifice something in order to invest in what is most worthwhile, what might that sacrifice look like for you?

Focus on the right things: Jot a list of the things (or people) you need to invest your time in. How long is the list? What might have to "give” in order for you to be able to invest in the "best" things?

Be ready for push back. You might experience resistance from people in your life who don't have good boundaries. Ask God to prepare you to respond with grace.

What if we’ve been waiting all our lives for so many things when in actuality, there’s only One worth waiting for?

Next Steps

Think about a situation you’ve been rushing. What would it look like to slow things down and wait for God rather than trying to push things forward?

When have you felt hopeless or heartless? How might what you know now change how you process being unable to change or fix something?

Where are you currently waiting on something rather than waiting for the Lord? Spend some time in prayer today and surrender that to God. Change your attention from waiting on the ‘thing’ to waiting on the King.

As wonderful as wealth might appear, it often cannot make good on the promises it makes.

Next Steps

Give to give: Give to something or someone this week with no expectation of return.

Search the scriptures and see what the Bible has to say about money. You might be surprised to see it gets brought up a lot!

Audit yourself: Where is your money going? What are you spending it on? Take some time this week and do a personal audit and see if there are places where excess is being wasted on non-essentials that could free up money for more Kingdom oriented purposes.

Live simpler: Are there little areas you could make changes in to free up money for others? Maybe it’s cutting back on expensive coffees or switching to store brands rather than name brands. Try to make a few little changes this week that might add up over time.

Be Generous: Tithe to the church, support a missionary, partner with a non-profit, help a neighbor, support a child sponsorship – there is so much need in the world today and while we can’t do everything, we can do something and have fun doing it.