Joy

Hey errbody,
Hope everyone has had a good week. This week we are going to be in John 16: 16-24. Read ahead and check it out. Tell your friends, bring em all. See you all Sunday.
p.s. Check out the resources on the right side of this page.
Jared

Midweek Thoughts!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if any of you heard but this last week we had a big storm. I have heard every kind of name trying to describe it from tornado to hurricane to cyclone. I prefer the name "big storm". We can just settle that now. Tell your friends it was a big storm.
This week i have been thinking about the storm and how big and bad it was. I felt like i was in the movie twister with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton dodging falling tress and driving in yards. Many of us all have the same story with either house damage or tress down in the yard. Some got it worse than others. I mean this was a BIG storm. Think about how powerful that storm was.

Read this section and focus on vs 7.

Psalms 135
Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O v servants of the Lord,
2 who n stand in the house of the Lord,
in w the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for x the Lord is good;
sing to his name, y for it is pleasant! [1]
4 For the Lord has z chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his a own possession.

5 For I know that b the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 c Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 d He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who e makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

God is big and good. The wind and waves WILL come, but we have been given God Himself! He has storehouses with which He keeps the wind. God is BIG!


Jared

music listening to.
Nothing

MT

Hello All,
Hope things have been well and challenging for you so far this week. Sunday night was a great night for the Journey as we had Ryan Britt come and speak. One quick thought on his message: Is there anything that we make ultimate other than Jesus? The sermon was recorded so i encourage you to check that out when it gets posted. This next Sunday we are going to be back in the Gospel of John. If you want to read ahead we will be in John 15:22-16:15.
Also some of you might have heard that Sunday is Mothers day! Get you mom something good and put some thought into it. See you Sunday.

Check out the Renounces over there to the right. You will find some helpful stuff.

"MT" One Day Late

When i was growing up i can remember hearing about "Worldly" things. In John 15:18-27 Jesus talks about the World and that the world hates Him and that the world will hate His followers. Seems like a great way to start a movement right? Just tell your people that if you follow you will be hated and persecuted and the world will be changed. I really don't know why anyone would sign up for that unless this stuff was the real deal. One thing that is so interesting is "Who" it was that Jesus says is the world. During the years of all of our lifespans we have heard that the world is the "Bad" things and "Bad" people. However Jesus defines the "world" as the very moral Pharisee. I really believe that the most worldly of people are some of the millions of people in the pews each Sunday that act as if they are the morality police. I find myself being very worldly yet still maintaining a smile and a seemingly kind word. So this Sunday we are going to talk about the World, and persecution and why this is just the message that God used to change the world. See ya Sunday.
ps Sorry about being one day late.

Music Listening to
Jimmy Eat World

MT And Bible Study Tips

It has been such an honor over the last year, to stand before the people of the Journey and open up the Scriptures. It is my hope that the people of the Journey would KNOW the God of the bible. This week we are going to be in John 15:1-17. Sometime today open your bible and read that text. It is easy to get so dependent on Sundays that they never open their bible through the week. If you are a believer God WILL put in you a desire to read and study the bible. There might be times that opening the scriptures seems difficult, but just remember How Jesus has changed your life. Do you not want to know GOD! The whole bible is about Jesus so have at it. You will not grow in holiness without the study of the Bible.

Here are a few Bible Study Tips

Bible Study Tips
1.Who wrote it?
2.Who was the people group it was written too?
3.What is the purpose of the book?
4.What situations are being addressed?
5.Put yourself there.
6.What was the cultural context?
7.What does the text say?
8.What does the text mean?
9.What implications does the text have for the church?
10.How does this text point to Jesus?


There are many effective ways to study the scriptures. Opening up to a page with no rhyme or reason and just reading 5 verses is not one of them. You can do word studies, topical studies, book or chapter studies (Which I Strongly Recommend). Character studies are cool as well, for instance, the life of Paul. Looking at maps might help as well.

Some Basic Study Resources

1.ESV Home Page http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/
2.Bible Gateway biblegateway.com
3.theresurgence.com
4.Google works for anything.

Here is the link to the video i was talking about Sunday night, Check it out!

Jared

MIDT (Thats Short for Midweek Thoughts)

Hello,
Good morning everyone hope your wide awake and kickin some butt at work or school. Next Sunday is Easter, and i know many of you will have family dinners and crazy Easter egg hunts going on but it would be a great week for you to bring the family or friends to the Journey. This Sunday we are going to be talking about the Resurrection and why the resurrection is so important. We also will be taking communion again. Take a min when you have a break today and ask yourself "What if Jesus didn't Raise from the Grave". What would be the implications? So that's where we will be Sunday.
As for last Sunday night. I hope our first week back into the Gospel of John was challenging for you. If you remember the last thing i asked was that you would go and read the last verse in John chapter 14. I just want to give some quick insight on that verse. Jesus says "But i do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that i love the Father. Rise, let us go from here". Jesus finalizes His answer to Judas question with this one verse. Jesus did as the Father commanded so that He would be known to love the Father. 1 Cor. 5:17-21 talks about Jesus entrusting the Church with the message of reconciliation for Gods people. This leads us to know that the same way the World knew that Jesus loved the Father (By doing as the Father Commanded) the world will know by our obedience to the Father. For it is by Grace you have been saved and given a new heart. You are now free to do what your new Heart deeply longs for! Obedience!
Looking forward to next Sunday cant wait to see you all there!
Jared

Music listening to: Hillsong United Savior King
Hope which was lost now Stands Renewed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pastoral Epistles Part 2

A few weeks ago i posted a blog highlighting the headings of each chapter of 1,2 Tim and Titus. Hopefully you readers got to open your bibles and check some that out. I want to spend just a few min and talk about why those books are so important and what they mean to me.
Both Timothy and Titus were disciples of Paul. Paul had deep affection for both of these men, as he called Timothy his true son in the faith. I can imaging being Timothy or Titus and just being excited to be able to meet Paul and hang out with him. In 2003 i applied for a job that i really wanted, and at the first hiring i did not get the job. It wasnt till a month later that i got an email that said someone had dropped out and that i was wanted for the position. I can remember freaking out, jumping up and down with my family, and just being so excited. Maybe you have had a moment like that when you know that God opened this "Thing" up and sovereignly put you there. For Timothy and Titus the opportunity to be lead by, taught, walk with, hang out, and be children in the faith by Paul was there big "Moment".
These men would walk with Paul and travel with Paul and ultimately be totally trusted by Paul. These men did life together in every way. I can imaging them traveling from city to city praying for the churches and joking by the fire. They studied together and talked about the strategies of evangelism together.
There time together in ministry lead Paul to "Know" these men and trust these men. He would send Timothy to Ephesus and he would leave Titus on the island of Crete. The Pastoral letter come from Paul writing instructions to these two men about what to do in the churches that they were left to oversee. Paul know Timothy and Titus are "Men" who can handle fighting for sound doctrine while rebuking any who would contradict. Paul would write to them both to "Guard" the people that have been entrusted to them. He told them to appoint "Godly Men" to sacrificially lead at all cost for the sake of the Gospel.
These books are so important today because it speaks to us about the importance of Godly leadership and sound biblical doctrine! Almost all of the problems the church has had historically up till today is simply because a lack of biblicaly qualified leadership and abandonment of sound doctrine. These letters address both (Or as i pronounce it "Bolth").
I love these letters! Paul, Timothy, Titus were summoned by God soverignly picked to be disciples of Christ. I would challenge you all to study these letters. Men i challenge you to be "Men". Our life is not our own! These letters are a constant reminder to leaders to "Keep a close watch yourself and on the teaching, Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Tim 4:16. Wow!