I want to conclude this series on 2 Timothy the way Paul does, with a reminder about the enduring power of friendship. The last recorded words of the apostle Paul contain a shout out to his friends. He mentions 16 people in the final 14 verses of this letter. Friendships are the difference between living a lonely, solitary life or a life full of inspiration and encouragement. You may have seen a video going around demonstrating the healing power of http://friendships...watch this...
Living Life to the Fullest
November 20, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
As we come to the end of Paul's second letter to Timothy, we come to the end of Paul. He is dying and he knows it. So his words are as weighty as they are tender. He sums up his life in three short verses, three profound statements that explain how to live life to the fullest.
In Season
November 13, 2016
I don’t know about you, but goodbyes are particularly difficult for me. My wife and I are in the process of saying goodbye to something. We’ve been spending a lot of time with our girls, trying to make as many memories as we can because we are saying goodbye to our family four. Soon we will be a family of five. Our son is due any day now.
The Anatomy of a Difference Maker
November 6, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
2 Tim. 3:10-http://17...as I worked my way through our passage this week, I remembered Lawnchair Larry Walters. I've told you about him before. He was the unemployed truck driver who, in 1982, decided to tie a few weather balloons to his lawn chair so he could float above a SoCal neighborhood for a while. Armed with a pellet gun, he planned to shoot the balloons one at a time until he came back to earth. He climbed up on his girlfriend’s roof and began tying 40 balloons to the chair. When the rope holding him to the roof broke, Walters went up so fast he dropped the gun and held on for dear life. A commercial airplane called him in at 11,000 feet. After several hours, he descended safely where an army of reporters were waiting to get the story. When they asked him the inevitable “why” question, all Walters could say was, “You can’t just sit there. You have to do something.”
Living in the Last Days
October 30, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
Useful Life
October 23, 2016
As most of you have heard by now, we are on a journey of “calling each other to live out our God-given purpose in Christ every day.” That is our new mission and that is where God is taking us. And implied in that are a few assumptions:
1. That your God-given purpose can be known and that you’ve made
progress in knowing it. Part of the journey is helping each other do
just that.
2. That you WANT to live out our God-given purpose. There have
always been people perfectly content with making a living but not
making a life.
3. That you are a useful vessel.
Approved
October 16, 2016
There is an old story preachers love to tell about a guy who is seeking guidance for his life. Not knowing where to turn, he picks up a Bible, opens it to a random page, and points his finger on a verse. It lands in Luke 15:16 on the parable of the Prodigal Son which says, “and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate.” Not fully convinced that this was God’s will for his life, he flipped some pages, pointed his finger, and read Luke 10:37, which says, “You go, and do likewise.” Still dissatisfied, he tries one more time, and landing on John 13:27 and reading, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Remember Jesus Christ
October 9, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
In a recent meeting, one of our pastors shared the story of Matt Emmons, an Olympic athlete who competes in the three position shooting event. The Olympics has been the setting for so many inspiring stories over the years. We have seen the thrill of victory but we have also witnessed the agony of defeat. One of the most heartbreaking moments of the 2004 Athens Olympics happened away from the cameras in a sport that few people watch. Emmons was practically assured of winning the gold medal. He was ahead of all competitors and just needed to hit the target somewhere near the bullseye. He took aim and fired. Bullseye! But he not only lost the gold, he didn't even medal. He shot the wrong target.
Leaving a Legacy
October 2, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
It's a familiar story. The son of a famous actor is found dead on the floor of his 2 million dollar Hollywood Hills home surrounded by pills, booze and cigarette butts. The father grieves publicly alongside his latest wife. He was always a peripheral figure but his son was never able to step out of the shadow of his famous father. He died at 36. Friends say the young man was upset when his dad even ignored phone calls from him to wish him a happy 66th birthday. Now the son is all but forgotten but the father is still famous. Once again we are reminded of the unintended consequences of seeking fame and fortune for ourselves without regard for others. Sometimes the bigger you get the smaller you make those around you. At some point we choose - live to be a legend or live to leave a legacy. Our passage today tells us how we can leave a legacy of faith that will outlive us. By God's grace we pass on the faith that has been entrusted to us. So...
High Truth, High Touch
September 25, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
Have you ever thought about all the stuff we have to know to function in life? Thinking back over my week I had to draw upon knowledge from the fields of theology, business, history, psychology, sociology, medicine, finance, transportation, politics, entertainment, and more. The amount of knowledge we are required to know can overwhelm us. One of the challenges of living in a world where we are bombarded by information 24/7, is the need to distinguish between what is important and what is http://trivial...texas Tech video...
Shameless
September 18, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
High http://school...shared Christ with team mate. Made fun of me. Suddenly I was ashamed. How did that happen? One minute I felt really good, Jesus and me sharing the gospel. The next minute I felt shame as if Jesus had tricked me. "What's up with that Jesus? I put in a good word for you and my reward is shame and embarrassment? I don't get it." Apparently neither did Timothy...v. 8.
Remember Who You Are
September 11, 2016 • Dr. Gary Brandenburg
If you believe in God, how would you prove it? What does devotion to God look like? Fifteen years ago today we learned that there are some people who believe that loving God means killing others - 2,996 others to be exact. The events of 9/11/2001 provided a stark contrast between a worldview that believes loving God requires hating others and a worldview that believes loving God is demonstrated best by helping others. The highlight of the Rio Olympics, in my opinion, was the women's 1500 meter race. I don't know who won the gold medal but I know who won the hearts of millions - Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino of the USA. These athletes didn’t know each other and had never spoken before they stepped onto the track. 8 laps into the 12 lap race, this is what happened.
