Post Category: Midweek Meditation

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13 As we finished our series entitled "It's a Wonderful Life" this past Sunday, Pastor Joe concluded by passionately reminding us that, in the end, a truly wonderful life cannot be explained by human motivations, earthly concerns, or personal goals. To the contrary, the extraordinary life described in the ...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV) Today I went to meet Claire for lunch with our dog (Lucy). As I was preparing to leave, I went outside to get the car ready for our trip, and in...

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faiththat you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all ...

Peter's rhythm in Acts: Miracle Launch testimony Call to repentance Call to accept the Holy Spirit for refreshment People are made "whole" - expect a whole healing "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And ...

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as an...

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purificati...

"Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it." Hebrews 2:1 No one sets out the new day with a plan to drift. Right? We generally don't wake up and declare to the world that this is the day where we will finally stop being intentional and purposeful and begin to float aimlessly on the random currents of life, spinning with...

"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:16-17 ESV) There are a lot of wonderful things in this life: good careers, spouses, children, health, art, music, and Christmas presents (to name a few). We as Christians vie...

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV) Something about the human condition pushes against grace. We see grace as an enemy, our hearts are poised against it we hate it. The fact is that grace says something incredibly powerful about us a...

"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
 he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
 but has lifted up the humble.
 He has filled the hungry with good things.. " Luke 1:51-53 As we heard this past Sunday, the proclamation of Jesus birth brought tension into the lives of the people who heard it...

"For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:9-10 ESV) Every time I hear "I'm living the dream" I have the same thought "Really this is the dream?" The fact is that most...

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved" Ephesians 2:1-5 Recently, I was talking with a friend at a Starbucks and he told me that he has been dealing with pride issues. He said that he sometimes found himself looking disdainfull...

"When he (Barnabas) came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith." Acts 11:23-24 It's been great to spend the last several weeks looking into the Word together and learning about the Holy Spirit. From setting our sights on the Holy Spirit...

"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7 The metaphors that the scriptures give us to help us understand God's vision for the church point to His deep commitment to unity and diversity. The church referred to as a "body" points to our physical identity as a very diverse set of organs, systems and processes that nonetheless...

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 On Sunday, Pastor Joe gave us a Grand Canyon fly over of the book of Ephesians, reminding us of the staggering realities of who God is and what He has done and is doing here on planet earth! He then zeroed in on the command to be filled with the Spirit in Chapter 5. He offered three ...

"We are God's Masterpiece" Ephesians 2:10 This past Sunday, we all gathered at High Point to celebrate our rich season of ministry there and were reminded that we, the people of God are actually his"poiema", his masterpiece. What an amazing truth that we are a beautiful picture of his character and mission painted in the three bold primary colors of up (worship first), in...

Reflections on Sunday's Sermon...

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." Luke 19:10 As you drive or walk up and down Gulf Boulevard from Clearwater down to St. Pete Beach, you periodically run across little round blue and white signs that indicate a nearby evacuation route. Sometimes the signs feature an arrow hinting at the right path, some bear the international sign that indicates a tropi...

""Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to my Father." John 14:12 I don't know about you, but I walked away from our time of worship this Sunday a little all-over-the-place. I found myself swiftly alternating between feelings of disappointment and the fervor of exhil...

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 This past Sunday, we looked at these profound words from the Gospel of John. Just twenty-one words to be exact. And yet, there may not be twenty-one more powerful and transforming words in all of human history. In John 10:10, Jesus confronts the religiou...

Wednesday Reflections on Sunday's Sermon 09/13/15 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" Matthew 22:39 The past couple of weeks, we've been talking about the Bible's call for us to live a three dimensional life: "up" by growing in our love of God, "in" by seeking to "love others" well, and "out" by bringing the good new of Jesus to those near and far who have not cho...

Reflections on Sunday's Sermon "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." II Chronicles 16:9 At the beginning of Pastor Joe's sermon this past Sunday, he referenced the well-known words of II Chronicles 16. In that passage, the prophet Hanani is speaking to King Asa at a time ...

Wednesday Reflections on Sunday's Sermon "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker!" ~ Psalm 95:6 This past Sunday, Pastor Joe reminded us all of the destructive impact that unresolved or unaddressed fear can have on our lives. It hurts our relationships with God and others. It makes sin more attractive. It leads to dysfunction, distra...

Reflections on Sunday's Sermon "Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart." Psalm 10:17 The facts we heard last Sunday about the fatherless and about those suffering under the hand of injustice in our world right now, even right here in our own country, are staggering and if we're honest - hard to even think about. Yet, we were remind...