Another Fathers Day, wow! Teresa has been digitizing our family videos of the children growing up. I sure looked a lot younger back then. Not to mention thinner with red hair. Yeah, that’s right, it was red. But you know what, I wouldn’t trade those days for the world. Being a dad continues to be one of the greatest joys in my life. How about you dad? Is the joy there? Or, are long hours, daily chores, life’s struggles or just boredom robbing you of the joy God intended? We’ll talk Sunday morning. Join me, it will be worth it.

brad

Yep, just like I mentioned in the sermon Sunday, we have grown to the point we can stop renting and buy. When we felt God leading us to lease our building at Surrey Ranch, we hoped it would help us be more effective in reaching out with God’s Love while helping our families grow in the faith. We knew we would spend some of the money gained in the sale of the old property. We felt like it was an investment in the future. Well, God has truly blessed. Our children learn in a great set up designed just for them, our students have bonded together in God’s love and are reaching out in their schools, and the setting and sound for worship is wonderful. Families have joined and new families are checking out what God is up to at Live Oak. We had hoped to grow to the point of buying someday and that day has arrived. If we buy the building, our monthly payment would be significantly lower that our monthly lease and taxes. Plus, we would be investing in the property for the next stage down the trail.

Please join myself and the elders in praying about how we can work together to make the purchase. I know it’s summer and it’s the time to take vacation, visit family and camp at the lake. Perfect, nothing better than a change of scenery to take time to look around and see God at work. It would help tremendously if families would continue to give their regular gifts and tithes during the summer. Plus, we will need to raise some additional money to put a substantial downpayment into the building purchase.

God has blessed, children are growing up with a clear understanding of God’s love and wisdom, students are committed to Jesus, families are discovering the Good News of Jesus. Wow! This is a great time in the life of Live Oak.

Your pastor,

brad

Thank you for all your prayers and calls and encouragements and meals! Wow, we have been blessed and overwhelmed with love. Teresa is healing a little bit each day and starting to sleep more each night.

Your brother and sister,

brad & Teresa

I’m going to share some of mom’s famous sayings Sunday morning. You know, wisdom dealing with everything from honesty to clean underwear. Make a mental note of an influential saying by your mom to share during the service.

We will also look at the use of “sayings” by Jesus to teach us about life with God. See you in the morning.

Your brother,

brad

Did you try fasting this week? Strange practice, fasting. My wife has an injured back and it has been giving her a lot of pain for about a month now. I’ve been praying. I’ve fasted too. I hurt for her. I’m praying for healing and her pain to stop and our doctors to have wisdom and our finances to handle it and to be honest . . . I’m worried. And I’ve decided that worry is a really strange practice. It’s natural of course, right? Nothing embarrassing about it, right? After all, I’m worried about my wife, my best friend. So why do I feel that I’m my worry is a weakness? Now it gets bizarre, it’s because Jesus said we didn’t need to worry. I feel like I’m letting God down, letting ya’ll down. I know God’s got it. My wife’s life and health and healing and the doctors and the money and the paperwork and whatever, God has got it taken care of. So, since I’ve got something out of sync, I re-read the book, the manual, the word, the wisdom and looked again at Scriptures related to worry. You know what? Jesus didn’t slam anybody for caring enough about someone to worry, he just made it real clear that God has the situation taken care of. In fact, it looks like times of worry come and go. When they do, just keep our focus on God. So, I will continue to pray and care and fill out paperwork and be grateful for a job with insurance and thank God for handling our problems. I’m also praising God for giving my wife a strength of character to go through this time of difficulty with a gentle grace. God is truly wonderful isn’t he!

Your pastor,

I mentioned during the sermon that I would list the passages I referenced related to fasting. I’ll just hit a verse or two, you can read around it for the context. After study and prayer during the last few weeks related to understanding the passages and sharing insights with ya’ll, I realize that I have not opened myself fully to God in that area. I’m asking God to help me with that. Well, to help you get started, here’s the passages I mentioned:

We started in Mark 2:18-22 and added Mark 2:23-28 about Jesus being Lord of the Sabbath.

For our survey of fasting in the Bible we looked at 1 Samuel 7:6 related to national repentance and confession, plus Nehemiah 1:4 & 9:1-2. I also read Joel 2:12-13. I summarized 2 Samuel 12:16 related to personal repentance. Fasting as part of prayer or inquiring of God, I referenced Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:3, then Ezra 8:21-23 and then read Esther 4:15-16. Prayer and worship, Luke 2:36-38 and the prophetess Anna. Later, Acts 13:2-3 was about the church at Antioch fasting as a part of worship and then fasting as a part of prayer. I also read portions of Isaiah 58 and the insights into integrity of fasting. I also referred to Luke 18:9-14 and Matthew 6:16-18 with Jesus’ teaching on integrity in our worship including fasting.

Take a look, study, pray, see where God leads you.

Your brother,

brad

We’re going to study Luke 24:13-35 tomorrow, Jesus walking with two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Can you imagine what that must have been like? To walk along for 7 miles talking with Jesus. Kicking up the same dust, drinking from the same water bags, enjoying the journey with Jesus. Plus, Jesus explaining how he fulfilled the prophecies about Messiah in the Old Testament. A chance to really “get it,” one-on-one time with Jesus. Yet, that’s what Easter is all about. A chance to walk one-on-one with our risen, living Savior Jesus. And if we accept our new lives in Jesus, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and walk one-on-one with Jesus all the way to Heaven. Walking to Emmaus can become our walk to anywhere and everywhere in life, walking together with Jesus. This Easter, my prayer is for all of us at Live Oak to walk the paths of life with Jesus, our risen Savior. He is Risen!

Here’s a couple of books by Philip Yancey I have referenced during messages recently, “Prayer” and “The Jesus I Never Knew.” Yancey has a style that is easy to understand and he offers some great insights for our walks with God. Buy’m, read’m, you will be glad you invested the time.

Prayer. Few feel like their prayer life is sufficient. Put me in the larger group. The problem may be we know the word prayer, we just don’t know the fullness of the meaning. It’s like love. You can define love in a research paper, you can study love in a laboratory; but, you don’t begin to know love until you live it.

Prayer. I could call it solitude with God, time when it’s just me and God. I talk a bit, I’ve learned to listen more, I’m learning to forget all that stuff I’m “supposed” to do and just be with God.

Prayer. I could call it time with God and family. A group of believers joining together with God sitting right there in the group. I think we still talk too much, . . . but, maybe that’s just our way of reminding each other we share in their lives and encouraging each other to trust God. Have you discovered the joy of praying with your Live Oak small group family? That’s your mini-church, small enough to know how each person is doing in life while you do life together. When you have trouble, worry, sickness, crisis, great news, or joy, trust the brothers and sisters in your group and let them share with you in prayer.

While I’m thinking of it, our Live Oak elders meet and pray just about every Sunday morning at 8:00. We would be honored to serve you by lifting you and your family to God in prayer.

Prayer. I seem to do best when I just live with God. An on-line spiritual interaction that touches every moment of my day. Though, to be honest, it’s not always pretty. If I’m angry or even worse, I tell God. If I’m petty, I share that too. More and more, more and more of me is released to God. Oddly enough, I’m realizing it’s making it difficult at times to share with other’s in prayer. Even those closest to me. I still don’t like parts of me, I sure don’t like opening up those parts. I’m not sure how to work it out. But, I trust God will show me. If you have a moment, perhaps you would pray for your pastor about that, I’d appreciate it.

Prayer. It’s overwhelming to think about our Awesome Creator God loving to spend time with me and you.

Here’s a note regarding giving to help those in Haiti:

1. If you write a check or give cash, just write Haiti and the money will go to a missionary in Haiti to use on the scene.

2. Tim Phillips learned that if you would like to give specific medical supplies, Cross Timbers Church is making a collection and will take the items to Haiti. A link to a list of items and the details is at:http://dnn.crosstimberschurch.org/CTHome/HaitiRelief/tabid/561/Default.aspx

3. Keep praying for the people of Haiti and those giving aid.

Your brother,

brad