Showing posts with label Adversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adversity. Show all posts

Psalm 27

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11:25 AM

This may seem like an usual blog post, but as I read this Psalm today, I just felt drawn to it and it's encouragement and promises. Yet, the more I read it, trying to think about what I would write about it, the more I sensed that I shouldn't write anything - just let God's Word speak for itself. So here it is - Psalm 27, from the New Living Translation. See what God wants to say to you today!


Psalm 27 - A psalm of David

1The LORD is my light and my salvation— 
so why should I be afraid? 
The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, 
so why should I tremble? 
2When evil people come to devour me, 
when my enemies and foes attack me, 
they will stumble and fall. 
3Though a mighty army surrounds me, 
my heart will not be afraid. 
Even if I am attacked, 
I will remain confident.

4The one thing I ask of the LORD 
  the thing I seek most— 
is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, 
delighting in the LORD’s perfections 
and meditating in his Temple. 
5For he will conceal me there when troubles come; 
he will hide me in his sanctuary. 
He will place me out of reach on a high rock. 
6Then I will hold my head high 
above my enemies who surround me. 
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, 
singing and praising the LORD with music.

7Hear me as I pray, O LORD. 
Be merciful and answer me! 
8My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” 
And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” 
9Do not turn your back on me. 
Do not reject your servant in anger. 
You have always been my helper. 
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, 
O God of my salvation! 
10Even if my father and mother abandon me, 
the LORD will hold me close. 

11Teach me how to live, O LORD. 
Lead me along the right path, 
for my enemies are waiting for me. 
12Do not let me fall into their hands. 
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; 
with every breath they threaten me with violence. 
13Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness 
while I am here in the land of the living. 

14Wait patiently for the LORD. 
Be brave and courageous. 
Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. 

"One on ONE" Sermon Notes for 8/14/11

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , | Posted On Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 4:19 PM

If you were with us on August 14, you know I felt led by God to change up my entire message. It wasn't that the message I had written was bad or wrong - it was just one of those times God wanted to test my obedience and grow my faith and speak in a different way through me. The bottom line of both the message I preached and the message I wrote were the same. The message I wrote had more information. As I shared at the start of my message, I've included the Notes for this message here in my blog for those who want to fill in the blanks:



August 14, 2011
Every 1 Matters – Part 2
“One on ONE”

God created you to change the world!

Romans 5:8 (NLT2): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Every 1 matters – you matter, and so does everyone you encounter.

Jesus: “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” (Matthew 10:39 Message)

The more we focus on Jesus and seek to become like him, the less we think about ourselves and what we can or can’t do, and the more we trust him to do amazing things in and through us.

Gateway’s DNA


Ephesians 4:15-16 (Message): “15God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. 16He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.”

Romans 8:29 (Message): “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”

Biblical pictures of what the life of Jesus looks like in us:
  •         The Beatitudes & Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
  •        Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
  •       1 Corinthians 13 (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)


Sin in our lives has distorted our God-given nature so that we become self-centered and self-absorbed.

God offers us salvation through Jesus Christ so we can be who He created us to be, and so we can fulfill our God-given purpose to love and serve others.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT2): “8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Jesus: “‘Only God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.’” (John 3:8 CEV)

This journey of growing and becoming more like Jesus happens through training.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT2): “‘Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.’” (emphasis added)

We go nowhere unless God’s Spirit leads us, but we can’t go anywhere unless we join in.

Jesus created the church to help us on this journey to grow and mature and live out our purpose.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT2): “11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Gateway’s GUIDE for Growth:

G –     Growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ
            Ex.: Worship, Bible (Life Journal), Prayer, Gateway Academy, Women’s Ministry

U –     Using our spiritual gifts to serve
            Ex.: Children, Students, Team Gateway (hospitality), Arts Ministry, Missions, etc.

Jesus: “‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Mark 10:45 NLT2)

I –      Involved in biblical community
            Ex.: Life Groups (Group Connection), Celebrate Recovery, Women’s Ministry

Romans 1:12 (NCV): “I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.”

D –     Dedicated to reaching others
            Ex.: Inviting friends, Mentoring (Life2Life)

Jesus: “‘For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.’” (Luke 19:10 NLT2)

E –     Exercising stewardship
            Ex.: Recycling, Giving & Tithing (90-Day Challenge)


Another way that we grow is through adversity.


Challenge for tomorrow at 3 pm and 7 pm…
  • Set your phone or watch alarm now to remind you.
  • Share your experience on our website – Every 1 Matters Postings.


Who God is When Life Throws Us a Curve

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , | Posted On Monday, May 3, 2010 at 2:56 PM

In Sunday's message, entitled "Family 911," I had some material (writer unknown) I didn't get to share because of time, but it really speaks to me about how to trust God in challenging times in our families and our own personal lives.


When you are the neediest, He is the most sufficient.
When you are completely helpless, He is the most helpful.
When you feel totally dependent, He is absolutely dependable.
When you are the weakest, He is the most able.
When you are the most alone, He is intimately present.
When you feel you are the least, He is the greatest!
When you feel the most useless, He is preparing you.
When it is darkest, He is the only Light you need.
When you feel the least secure, He is your Rock and Fortress.
When you are the most humble, He is most gracious.
When you say that you cannot, remember that He can!

The Bay Area, NASA and God

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , | Posted On Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 10:21 AM

Do you ever wonder if God has it out for you? I know it feels that way sometimes. And over the last couple of years it's felt that way for our Bay Area. The Rita evacuation was hard on a lot of folks. Then Ike hit, doing major damage across our area. The economy tanked, and the oil industry is struggling. Now, the 2011 national budget comes out, and NASA, and especially manned space flight, appear to be facing another blow.

Of course, no one really knows what the 2011 budget means for the Bay Area. It hasn't gone through Congress yet, and states like Florida, Alabama and Texas have a lot at stake with the manned space program. But all this week discussions that were going on quietly across the area the last few months since the Augustine Commission have been coming out into the open as people wonder/worry about what will happen.

It's a legitimate concern. I don't work for the Chamber of Commerce, so I don't have the exact figures, but I know thousands of folks in this area are directly and indirectly affected by NASA and the Johnson Manned Space Center. I'm sure we have hundreds of folks here at Gateway connected to the space program one way or another.

I'd like to tell you, "Don't worry. Be happy... Everything's going to be OK because God's going to do His thing and make it all work out so that we all live happily ever after." But, honestly, that's more of a fairy tale. God is not our magic Genie who snaps His fingers and fixes every problem we have.

The reality is, we don't know what's going to happen right now. We don't know what it's going to be like a year from now or five years from now or ten years from now. But you know what? We didn't know before this budget came out, either. The future is always waiting to be written, and the choices we make today make a big difference how that story will unfold. But, I do know Who is ultimately writing the future, because He is already there and going with us into as it unfolds.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned or that we shouldn't be prudent in our planning. As a church, Gateway will have to watch this very closely. But I keep getting drawn back to a Scripture Jesus spoke:

“'That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, "What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?" These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.'" (Matthew 6:25-33, NLT2)


To me, this isn't a "Pollyanna - don't worry, be happy" scripture. What it says to me is that in the midst of whatever is going on - good or bad - God still cares about each of us and our lives. He has a plan for our lives that has ultimate and eternal significance. He's always known what would happen - there are no surprises for God. He never promises a problem-free life, but He does promise to go with us and give us everything we need to live our lives with purpose and hope and peace.


It's an old cliche, but I'll say it anyway: "I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds it." My ultimate faith isn't in my job or NASA or the U.S. government but in God. Even when I don't feel it, He's with me and loves me and will see me through. That's a choice I have to make and remember every day. I'm going to seek first His Kingdom and trust Him to walk through this with me. I hope you'll join me!


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