Moving Forward In God's Direction
Eight Lessons from God’s Boot Camp (Part 2)
January 30, 2022 • Reverend Stanley Long • Deuteronomy 8:1–5
We return to God’s basic training and lessons God is teaching us in boot camp. In our everyday experiences, God uses “boot camp” experiences as opportunities to teach us something about God and God’s ways. God transforms us in boot camp to experience where God can refine us, melt us, purify us, and shape us into what God desires us to be. We get a picture of God’s process by observing how God worked it with the Old Testament people of Israel. Their journey from Egypt became a “boot camp” experience. There are at least 8 lessons for our benefit; last week’s message explored the first 4 lessons, and today we will finish the last 4 lessons...
Lessons from God’s Basic Training Camp (Part 1)
January 23, 2022 • Reverend Stanley Long • Deuteronomy 8:1–5
"God’s intention has always been to develop a community of followers who would reveal to those who don’t know God who God is and what God is like. After God delivered the Israelites from slavery, and walked with them through the Red Sea, God brings them to God’s boot camp for basic training. God used every encounter on that journey to reveal something about Himself. God is doing the same thing today with you and I. From the experience of Israel, we can learn how God is teaching us to know God and be God’s people today. In God’s bootcamp for basic training, distractions are minimized so we can see, hear, and learn better. God gets our attention, even when life hurts so much that we clamor for God to speak to us. In God’s camp, it can get hot, so that it refines us, melts us, purifies us, and shapes us. We are wise if we learn from the examples of others so that we can save ourselves from some of the same pitfalls. There are at least 8 lessons we can learn from the examples of the Israelites for our benefit. This message covers the first 4 lessons, and next week’s message will cover the remaining 4 lessons..."
With Love
January 16, 2022 • Pastor Tammy Long • Exodus 19:1–8
We hunger for love; we’re driven by love; we’re in love with love; we’re moved by grand gestures of love. The good reason for that is: we are meant to love and be loved. We all have a love hole. We try to fill that hole in many ways, but unless we address the core need, we will miss the most essential part of who we are. The core need is that we were meant to love God and love others, as we experience love by God and love by others. God has a master plan for all of that, and it is all about Moving in God’s Direction with Love. In this message, we continue our theme of Moving in God’s Direction and begin our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. We are meeting with the children of Israel to unpack a God Proposal, a Promise to Obey, and a Priestly Call for our lives.
When There’s Nowhere to Go
January 9, 2022 • Pastor Tammy Long • Exodus 14:10–25
"Have you ever been in a spot when you felt your back was against the wall? Perhaps it was a financial wall and you saw no way around it. Perhaps it was a relational stalemate. Perhaps it was a critically important project looking less and less likely you will be able to deliver. Perhaps it was an unexpected diagnosis that felt formidable and final. Perhaps it was an unexpected turn of events that left you numb, frozen, and scared. As you hold this memory, What do you recall feeling initially? How did you get through it? How did you feel in the end? Perhaps you are in that spot now, feeling you have no way to go and no options to move forward. We don’t like that feeling of being out of control, and there is no way to move forward except through whatever it is. Today we are looking at Moving Forward in God’s Direction when there is no place to go but through..."
At a Crossroads
January 2, 2022 • Pastor Tammy Long • Exodus 13:17–18, Exodus 13:22
When we have a crucial decision of which way to go, we are at a crossroad. In our lives we face many personal crossroads, such as our home, our relationships, our career, or our retirement. Perhaps there are goals and dreams we have put on hold, but the goals and dreams keep calling us.. As a local church, South Bay is at a crossroad. We are embarking on a new path together in following God’s direction in what our new normal looks like. We are at a crossroads looking left and right making decisions for a new normal with ramifications and consequences whichever way we choose. Let’s explore the essential question of where God is when we are at our crossroads. How does God engage us at our crossroads?