Application

• Carve out 15 minutes this week to be in a quiet place and to ask God to show you what sin is holding you back from real freedom
• If God has revealed some deep hurts, sin, or addictions to you, then make an appointment to talk with a minister or a professional Christian counselor
• God is love . . . think creatively and find a way to show love and God to someone that you see every week (no strings attached)
• Get up early one time this week and spend some time praying while the daylight is coming (i.e. a sunrise prayer time)

Text Question

How do you define love?

• a warm embrace
• a commitment that requires action
• commitment, sacrifice, selflessness, and not what the world would lead you to believe it is
  unconditional
• my husband’s patience with me
• family and friends; fellowship and meeting other people
• 1 Cor 13 1-13 Ty Burcham Rocks!
• Something that god shows all of us everyday.
• when my wife forgives me after I make another bonehead mistake!!!
• selfless
• consuming
• knowing god can love even me
• sacrifice
• jesus
• a deep attraction for something
• …”Honey, I was wrong!!!”
• faith
• trust

Video

Alive

Music

Sweetly Broken
Love is Here
To Know Your Name
Daylight
Marvelous Light
Happy Day

Application

• Spend some time this week reflecting on the horror of the crucifixion; journal your thoughts
• Have a Lord’s Supper for your family on Friday night (Good Friday)
• Read through one of the Gospel accounts of the final week of Jesus life: Matthew 21-28; Mark 11-16; Luke 19:28-24:53; John 12:12-21:25
• Watch “The Passion of the Christ”

Image

During TXT3, attenders were asked to think about the things in their life they’d like to get rid of, or the things they needed to give up and get out of their lives, or the things they needed forgiveness for. At any time during the night, someone would get up, go to the cross, and nail their sin to it. 106 pieces of significant paper later, they were ready to remember Christ’s suffering in a manner free from guilt. Freedom comes at the price of the cross.

Music

Today is the Day, Lincoln Brewster
Song of Hope, Robbie Seay Band
Love is Here, Tenth Avenue North
Never let Go, David Crowder Band
How Marvelous, Chris Tomlin
Surrender, Lincoln Brewster

If God exists and He is good, why do bad things happen?  There are books written on this, so a blog isn’t going to cover the multitude of answers, but let’s dive into one.  Bad things happen because there is sin in the world (God didn’t bring that, we did).  Sin leads to chaos, pain, brokenness . . . and bad things.  We live in a broken world and that won’t change totally until Jesus comes back, but we don’t have to live with a broken life. 

That is the message of Easter . . . no more broken life, no more emptiness, no more loneliness.  Sin has been beaten like a rented mule and been rendered powerless.  No more night, no more gloom, no more wandering around in the dark, lost and confused about life.  Daylight is coming . . .

Application

• Plan a year long ministry in our community with your Cell Group
• Plan a way to be involved globally with your Cell Group
• Plan a family mission trip. Invite other families along. You could plug into some easy ministries like Mission Arlington in the metroplex or stay closer to home at the Austin Soup Kitchen
• Invite your Cell Group or some friend from work over for a movie party – Watch “The Mission” or “End of the Spear”
• Make several paper sacks full of non-perishable food items that you could deliver to a homeless person
• Adopt a child through World Vision or Compassion International
• Commit to giving 10% of what God has given you back to Him

Music

We Shine, Fee
Every Day, Lincoln Brewster
Everything Glorious, David Crowder Band
Overcome, New Life Worship

Video

I Am Second – Blake Mankin – Mums to Africa

“It is one of the ironies of the ministry that the very man who works in God’s name is often hardest put to find time for God. The parents of Jesus lost Him at church, and they were not the last ones to lose Him there.” – Vance Havner (American preacher, born 1901)

 That just might sum up the “Blurry” series!  How often do we get caught up in “doing church” that we forget to connect to Jesus in minute by minute worship.  We are more concerned with high attendance week in Sunday School then we are applying the Bible study to our life.  We go to church to get instead of investing in people around us.  We talk about our church rather than Jesus.  We join a church based on the ministries our family can receive rather than the ministries our families can get involved in.

 We get so good at church (and maybe a ministry like Havner said) that we leave Jesus and his purpose for our life out out of the equation.

 P.S. I know you’ve been wondering and yes, that is Vance Havner in the picture