The Rock Church

Miracles of God

In a recent sermon of mine, I mentioned four of my favorite displays of God’s power (found in the Old Testament). They were: Creation, the Flood, parting the Red Sea, and making the sun stand still. 

I’ve had a good time going through Jesus’ New Testament miracles, relating them to miraculous events in the Old Testament. There are a lot of similarities between His miracles and those found in the Old Testament. One thing that has undeniably stood out to me, is how personal all of Jesus’ miracles were. 

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The Goodness of God

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” — 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)

I’ve often shared these verses with people in an effort to help show the “Goodness of God.” Especially when they’ve made a mistake or experienced some sort of mishap and are feeling down. And quite frankly, for many of us, that happens frequently. Without a doubt, this truth is for all of us.

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Guard Your Heart

Simply put (good or bad), there are many things fighting for first place in our hearts. Our jobs, family, friends, bills, hobbies, “to-do lists”, debts, recreation, wealth, pets, church (and even our houses) — all of these want a little piece of our hearts, don’t they? Here is what the Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your hearts above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” In Matthew 6:34 it says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.” 

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A Worldview Assessment

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” — Colossians 2:8

A few weeks ago, The Rock pastors attended the M28 Alliance Pastor’s Conference. While there, we visited the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter in Kentucky. The exhibits, presentations, conversations and fellowship were great!

One of the exhibits at the museum was on ultimate questions (or worldview questions). A topic we recently covered at church. These questions cover topics of existence, meaning, morality and destiny. 

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God Works for Good

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28 (NIV84)

My mom died a few weeks ago. We didn’t expect it. It happened suddenly.

Without a doubt, death is never easy. Grieving the loss of a loved one is not something we look forward to. Neither would we describe such experiences as “good.” They are really hard. They hurt.

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One Year (and then some…)

I am absolutely blown away by the responses from the first blog I sent out a few weeks ago. I have received so many encouraging emails, texts and phone calls from friends and loved ones about how helpful my thoughts were. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I’ve also received many inquiries about the other thoughts (I’d mentioned I’d written down). Since I gave you part one, I thought I’d give you part two. (Hey, who knows, maybe I’ll write a book one day?)

Here are some more of my thoughts on grief.

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One Year

On October 23, 2020, as I was sitting in the passenger seat of my father’s car, my dad went into cardiac arrest behind the wheel. This Saturday will mark one year since his passing. 

This last year has been a whirlwind for me. In my mind and in my heart, every day has felt like I’m locked up inside of a room with a vacuum running amuck; it refuses to turn off.  (That is my best attempt to try and explain what we call “grief”.)

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Wisdom Calling

Our Small Group is reading a book called “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer. In a chapter entitled, “God’s Wisdom and Ours”, Packer uses two examples to explain what God’s gift of wisdom is and what God’s gift of wisdom is not. He relates it to being taught how to drive. He says, 

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Follow

There are plenty of things to follow these days. A few that come to mind are: news, sports, popular trends, social media and music. Without a doubt, the list is endless. As I’ve thought about it, I’ve realized something. When I choose to follow Jesus (ahead of all the other things vying for my attention) I find a clarity not found anywhere else. It reminds me of these verses:

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”— Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT) 

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A Heart of Thanks

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me….” — Psalm 50:23 (NIV84)

I really love serving God. I absolutely mean it. My heart longs to do more for Him. I love serving His people and playing music for Him. I love knowing Him more and more. Each day, I seek to bring honor to God by serving Him. 

That being said, this verse in Psalm 50 has recently really impacted me. Prior to verse 23, God reminds His people that though they “sacrifice” to Him, what really brings Him honor is giving thanks to Him. 

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