Sometimes life is great, sometimes . . . well, it just gets tough.

I was with a bunch of West Texas fellas fixing a fence one time and suddenly, a gust of wind came along and blew the fence over onto us. With the mental quickness of a slug, I just stood there. An old timer half-folded over leaning against a fence post looked at me hollared, “Don’t jest stand thar with yer teeth in yer mouth . . . DO SOMETHIN!”

Easter is a time to remember Jesus did something. He had a mission and he finished it. In the process, he lived life with us. Yes, Jesus knows about life. He’s been there, still there. Good times and laughter, tearful times and challenges. Jesus is always available, always dependable. Plus, Jesus has enough to power us up with enough to spill over to share with others. In fact, one of the best ways to enjoy the good times and make it through the tough times is by reaching out to another. Face it, we were made to be on mission and are only truly happy when we are allowing God to use us to touch lives. So, Don’t jest stand thar with yer teeth in yer mouth . . . DO SOMETHIN!

pastor brad

Wow, I had a great time talking about how extraordinary Jesus was and is this morning. I truly believe all of history past and to come is split at Jesus final week.

Then, I was one of the participants with my wife in the Glover small group this evening. We forged ahead in the Bible and looked at the second part of Jesus’ “Grand Entry,” his time in the Temple courts. The discussion and insights from our group was fantastic. We ended with the question, “how receptive have you (or have I) been to God?” and talked about ways to increase our receptivity (I may have just made up a word) to God. Hmmmm, encouragement and accountability are good things.

I hope you participate in a Small Group Bible Study this week. Give one a try, or two, three, whatever until you find one that fits.

Let me know what you learn.

May God bless you this week.

brad

So Brad, how do I respond and comment on your posts in your blog?

Well, good question. Just send me an email at brad.kenney@liveoakchurchfm.com.

Look, I’m new to blogging and I didn’t want to create a big administrative hassle. Plus, I wanted to keep the pages secure and safe for families, if you know what I mean. So we’ve kept it simple, really simple. I can enter comments and I can paste in your comments. It’s a start.

If you have a private comment or question, I’ll keep it private.

Keep those questions coming.

brad

“The Week that Changed Everything”

Mark Ashton wrote, “There is a final week of one man’s life that stands out in all of world history. A single week that has caused people to change life direction, leave jobs, give up habits, reconcile relationships, and fall on their faces in worship. A week that has caused the rising and falling of empires. A week that has breathed new life into weary souls. A week about which more songs have been sung, more celebrations have been thrown, more poems have been read, and more books have been written that any other single week.”

The last week of Jesus’ life will be our study for the next 6 weeks. I’ll start us off with a time of teaching on Sunday mornings and then our groups will dig deeper into the Scriptures during the week. We’ll start with the huge celebration that kicked off the week, then follow up with the pain of being betrayed by a friend and set-up by the power-brokers. We’ll look at the reasons for his death and the amazing impact of his resurrection.

Oh, one more point, you don’t have to be a believer in Jesus to join us in this discussion. Just a willingness to take a look at Jesus’ final week of life.

See you Sunday,

Your brother,

brad

This morning I talked about where I am personally in my understanding of the Book of Revelation. For your journey, read the book. Read it and get a feel for the entire book. Then, read and underline every insight about Jesus. Then, take a look at the introduction and study notes in your favorite study Bible. Mine is the NIV Study Bible. It’s like having a mini-intro course to the book. What do you think, what is God teaching you?

Then, dig into an in-depth commentary. Usually, I tend to alternate between the New International Commentary Series on the New Testament published by Eerdmans and the Word Bible Commentary Series published by Word. Robert H. Mounce’s Revised Commentary on the Book of Revelation is excellent.

One more thought, read a solid commentary from a writer who disagrees with your perspective. Use your God given brain and think through the ramifications of your conclusions. For me, my interpretation of the Book of Revelation now fits better with the whole of Scripture and gives me great encouragement to stay committed to God even in tough, difficult times. No compromise!

Let me know how your studies proceed at brad.kenney@liveoakchurchfm.com.

Your brother,

brad