I take my cell phone for granted. But there was a time when I lugged around a giant cell phone with a retractable antenna. Today, I have a computer that fits in my pocket. That change happened quickly but it didn't happen overnight. Sometimes change happens gradually. Sometimes it happens all at once. Sometimes we plan for change. Sometimes change takes us by surprise. Joseph's life was changed in a flash. One day, he thought he was going to get married and have a normal life. The next day, he discovered that he would raise the Son of God. Each of us have plans for our lives. But God has a way of showing us His plan, which is the real one. Sometimes that plan is revealed in a flash. Other times, we see it more gradually. This week we see how God's plans might be a shift from ours, but His plans are better. And the best thing we can do is to remain steadfastly dependent on Him!

I take my cell phone for granted. But there was a time when I lugged around a giant cell phone with a retractable antenna. Today, I have a computer that fits in my pocket. That change happened quickly but it didn't happen overnight. Sometimes...

And so our series in the Lord's Prayer comes to an end. This week, we're going to tie it all together by looking at the end or the prayer: "Your's is the Kingdom, Power and Glory forever, Amen!" God's Kingdom, His Power, and His Glory shout loudly what we've learned over the past 5 weeks -- our lives should be about the things that matter to God! When we understand these simple truths, we then understand how to pray!

And so our series in the Lord's Prayer comes to an end. This week, we're going to tie it all together by looking at the end or the prayer: "Your's is the Kingdom, Power and Glory forever, Amen!" God's Kingdom, His Power...

Deliver us From Evil Matthew 6:13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” At first glance, this part of the Lord’s Prayer seems a bit odd. Why would Jesus tell us to pray that God not lead us into temptation? Does God tempt us? And what exactly did Jesus mean when he talked about being delivered from the evil one? In the West we typically don’t talk about evil a whole lot. After all, we tend to think that all problems can be solved through science, innovation, and progress. We rarely consider just how much dark spiritual forces directly impact our lives. Yet, for Jesus, overcoming the temptations of Satan and defeating Satan and his forces was of utmost importance. Even though Jesus was victorious over evil, until He returns, Satan will continue to attack the Church. This week we’ll focus on the powerful weapon of prayer in this battle.

Deliver us From Evil Matthew 6:13 – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” At first glance, this part of the Lord’s Prayer seems a bit odd. Why would Jesus tell us to pray that God not lead us into temptation? Does God...

Late one night, a truck driver stopped at a truck stop for some dinner. Not long after the waitress sat down his food, three bikers came in and started to harass the driver. They ate his food, drank his coffee and said some rather nasty things about him. The driver, finally having enough, calmly stood, took his check to the register, paid his bill and left. The bikers scoffed and said, “He ain’t much of a man, is he!” The waitress smiled at the bikers and said, “Well, I don’t know about that, but he sure ain’t much of a driver. Looks like he just ran over three bikes in the parking lot!” Isn’t this how the world looks at how to respond when we’ve been wronged? We don’t get mad, we get even. When our rights are violated, we are supposed to get angry and plot ways to get even. Yet, Jesus teaches us that as His followers, we are to walk a different road than seeking vengeance. The question is this – what are the consequences if we fail to walk this road? What happens if we don’t forgive those who have wronged us? The answer might just surprise you. This Sunday we’ll continue our look at what it means to “Pray Like Jesus” as we take that first step on the path God has set before us. As we do, we’ll see the vital link between our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness for us. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Late one night, a truck driver stopped at a truck stop for some dinner. Not long after the waitress sat down his food, three bikers came in and started to harass the driver. They ate his food, drank his coffee and said some rather nasty things about...

When my dad was healthy, I used to call him up and say, "Hey Dad, do you want to buy me lunch today?" If I didn't know my dad well, that would have been a rude request. But, because I had a relationship with him, it wasn't rude at all. I knew that he loved food and loved his son. It was a guaranteed "yes!" Jesus tells us to ask our Heavenly Father for "our daily bread." This means that, because of our relationship with the Father, we can pretty much ask for anything because He's our father. We know what's important to Him, and we know He cares about us. This Sunday, we continued to learn how to pray by taking a look at the Lord's Prayer. We've been praying about the things that are important to our Father. Now, we're going to ask Him for the things that are important to us. I love this journey that we are on together....developing a Steadfast Dependence on God. Please continue to pray the 4.4.40 prayers.

When my dad was healthy, I used to call him up and say, "Hey Dad, do you want to buy me lunch today?" If I didn't know my dad well, that would have been a rude request. But, because I had a relationship with him, it wasn't rude at...