Posts with the category “preparing-with-hope”

This past Sunday we examined Matthew 22:15-22 using a couple of helpful tools.  We leaned that we need to understand what's happening when these verses were written.  Who wrote the verses?  What do we know about the author?  Who were they writing to?  What was happening?  This is so helpful to understand as we study the Bible.  We also learned that we need to give grace to each other and ourselves...  Read More

We're beginning a new series this week.  We will be studying some verses or sections in the Bible that have often been misunderstood.  My "hope" for this series is that we will not only discover what the verses were intended to say but hopefully we will all learn more how to study the Bible better.  I hope you enjoy this 10-week series. It's really important to start by listening.  God desperately...  Read More

This week's blog will help us as we prepare for the second Sunday in our series, "I AM: What does the Great I AM say about who you are?"  This series is so important because for too long we (me included) have believed the lies about who we are more than the TRUTH that God says about us.  And I don't want to do that any more.  Because when we believe the lies, we're unable to truly be a disciple of...  Read More

Each week that I preach, I intend to start the week off by publishing a blog in which I can share with you the passages that I will be teaching from.  It is my hope that others will be able to wrestle with the text and prepare for Sunday with me.  And most importantly, I hope you're willing and able to  share what you are learning with others.  We are starting a new 3-week series this weekend titl...  Read More

disciple: someone who follows Jesus and leads others to do the same. This "blog" is just one of many tools to help you grow as a "disciple".   A disciple is someone that is following Jesus and encouraging others to do the same.  So, please study the Bible.  This is such an important thing for each of us to do.  But don't stop there.  Share with others what you're learning.  Share with others how y...  Read More

One of the "goals" of this blog is to help you to grow as a "disciple".  A disciple is someone who is following Jesus and leading others to do the same.  So, it's great for you to study God's Word every week.  It's fun seeing so many people attending worship on Sunday.  But if we aren't leading others to follow Jesus and sharing with them what we're learning, then we're really missing a necessary ...  Read More

One of the "goals" of this blog is to help you to grow as a "disciple".  A disciple is someone who is following Jesus and leading others to do the same.  So, it's great for you to study God's Word every week.  It's fun seeing so many people attending worship on Sunday.  But if we aren't leading others to follow Jesus and sharing with them what we're learning, then we're really missing a necessary ...  Read More

Before you get into God's Word...take a moment to pause and pray.  Listen.  What is God saying?  Where is your heart right now?  Is there anything sin that you need to confess?  God is gracious and loving and will not turn away from us as we approach Him.  (2 Chron 30:9) Take time to read through the passages in a couple of different translations.  On a typical Sunday I use the New International V...  Read More

What is a disciple? How do I study the Bible? What is this week's passage? Answers to these questions and more!   Read More

I want to try something new this year (and I've already started a little late).  I want to share with you the passage that I'll be covering in the coming week and encourage you to ask some important questions--these are questions I ask as I prepare each week too.  What is the "main" point of the passage?  I try and narrow it down to one or two sentences if I can.  I then ask how does this apply to...  Read More