Well, the paperwork was signed and the deal done. We’re no longer renters, we’re buying our building. Again, thank you to all for praying and giving and working to this goal of securing our base of operations. Let’s use this blessing from God to share His love to everyone in our communities and beyond. In His Grace, your pastor.

I was thinking about this today. What was the thing, the catalyst that changed the disciples from timid to bold? Jesus was an amazing teacher, gifted healer, revolutionary theologian, and the list goes on. Those weren’t it though, nope. Yes, Jesus was one who opened our eyes to God, to really get it, yes and yes. But, he was the one they killed who then lives. Jesus was resurrected. The catalyst was the resurrection. Jesus is our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Proven Hope. The disciples told the people who killed him and thousands turned and put their trust in Jesus. What about you and me? timid or BOLD? Hmmmmm. See you Sunday.

Well, the closing for the building is scheduled for Monday at high noon. Thank you to all for your prayer and work and gifts. Pretty amazing how God has put all this together. Our base camp is established, now we need to fully set our focus on moving out sharing the good news, Jesus is risen and lives today.

your pastor

Here’s a quick note to let everyone know that I have learned that banks sometimes move rather slowly. Anyway, electronic and print paperwork has been flowing back and forth. Accounts have been established and the legal work is about done. Prayerfully, our loan will be finished and signed soon. Unless there is a new “something,” Friday is our hope, Monday is more realistic.

Your pastor

Here’s an insight I just read in Francis Chan’s book, “Forgotten God, Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.”

“I think a lot of us need to forget about ‘God’s will for my life.’ God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.

It is easy to use the phrase ‘God’s will for my life’ as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience. It’s much less demanding to think about God’s will for your future that it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. It’s safer to commit following Him someday instead of this day.”

Dear God, May I listen to your Holy Spirit and follow your will in this moment to your glory.

your pastor

My wife has made up a list of some books she recommends to build stronger marriages:

-Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs,

-What Wive Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women by Dr. James Dobson,

-The Complete Marriage Book by Dr. David Stoop & Dr. Jan Stoop (good advice - more like a study/not a quick read),

-The Five Love Languages - How to Express Heartfelt commitment to your mate by Gary Chapman,

-Love Life for Every Married Couple by Ed Wheat, MD (intimacy),

-The Love Date By Stephen & Alex Kendrick - Fireproof (struggling marriages),

-Men are like Waffles Women are like Spaghetti by Bill and Pam Farrel (humorous way to look at the differences).

Check them out.

Your brother and sister in Christ, pastor brad & teresa

Commitment

I am proud of you for committing to buy our building. Wednesday, the bank loan committee committed to loan us the funds to buy the building. Amen! Let us move ahead in reaching out with the Love of God.

While I’m thinking of commitment, I’m feeling led to talk about commitment this Sunday. The bottom-line commitment we are called to in Christ. Almighty, amazing, holy God committed his righteousness, his son to bring us into relationship with himself. Our right response is to commit ourselves to living lives in-line with the holiness of God. Our right response is to admit we can’t do it ourselves and never could. Our right response is to gratefully accept God’s power to change us from within. It’s what life was intended to be from the beginning. I’ll show you in the Bible this Sunday.

Living in His Grace, Your Pastor

We have a great opportunity to buy our building at good terms. We all knew our elders, building and stewardship teams were working hard to find a reasonable deal to purchase our building. We also knew they have been canvasing the area for other buildings to buy or lease. Now it seems clear that God has been working behind the scenes to give us the chance to buy our building. The elders, building team and stewardship team are fully behind recommending the opportunity that will be presented Sunday immediately after the morning service. Me too! It is a simple, yet challenging answer to our prayers to continue the vision God has given us to reach our communities with the Good News of Jesus. All of us will be available to answer any and all questions after the meeting and during the week. Only God could put this together for us to purchase our building. Only God could be responsible for the spiritual momentum that is building in the families of Live Oak. I continue to pray that we will only see God, know His will and follow His path for our church. I’m looking forward to seeing you Sunday morning. Your pastor.

Just a quick note to let everyone know I will be sharing a message on parenting tomorrow called, “Training for Life.” Students, we’ll cover your part too. While we’re at it, teachers, coaches, bosses and supervisors. God has some great wisdom for us, we’ll look at some of it tomorrow.

Pastor brad

Here are some follow up thoughts on hope . . .

Hope. Hope comes from God. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him” Psalm 62:5. Sunday we went through 1 Peter 1:3-9 where Peter states that through Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection we now have “living hope.” Living hope. Living. Living things are alive (duh) and they grow and mature. If hope is living when it is in God then dead hope must be hope put in other things. Hope in success is dead. Hope in money is dead. Hope in relationships is dead. Hope belongs to the Creator! The one who gave us hope in the first place.

We humans are aware of our short existence on earth. We all know death is inescapable. Depressing huh? Yet, something about us tells us to push through life anyways. We work, we learn, set goals, pursue dreams, and we live our lives all the while knowing the end is inevitable. I believe this thing that pushes us onwards is hope and it is a part of us because of our Father. And if we trust Him and put our faith in Him, then that hope becomes alive and fills us just like it says in 1 Peter. Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” We live and we die but as Christians we know tere is more to life! More than this world! More than this present reality!

We spread our hope around too often! I don’t know about you but if I had the same type of dedication I have towards the God of the universe as I do to the Dallas Mavs I would never feel like I am running low on hope. We have to depend on God entirely! We HAVE to realize that we need Him! Where is your heart? Where is your hope? As Christians we struggle with keeping our eternal, heavenly mindset. We often are consumed by the world when we should be strangers to it. We go through life putting some of our hope in this or that as if we were sports fans swapping jerseys every chance they get. Lets change! Its possible! I believe that with all my heart.

Spend time with God this week. Pray. Read. Meditate. Cry out to God if necessary! Beg Him to be where you put ALL of your hope. Ps 130:5-7 “I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.”

Belief - faith - hope - ….

Action! Rep God! Wear your jersey! You are on God’s team and it should be obvious! Be one of those crazy, passionate fans! There are people all around us who have hope but its dead because they don’t know it belongs to God. Hope should overflow from you! (Romans 15:13) Your neighbors, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your classmates, the lady who makes your Freebirds’ burrito should all get samples of living hope just by being around you! Get with God and put all of your hope in Him. Do this and the people around you better watch out cause they will be in the SPLASH ZONE of your hope and they gunna get wet!

God has been teaching me so much about hope and what it means to put it all in Him. And the coolest part is He is helping me do just that. Apparently I’m a slow learner, but I am making progress and He can help you in the same way.

Love yall!

bret