Joseph – No Ordinary Joe
Genesis 50:19-20
There are a handful of people that serve as great role models. Joseph would be one of them. If you had to choose a mentor in the Bible with the exception of Jesus Christ, Joseph would rank among the top five.
This morning we are going to take a look at what made Joseph tick and how no matter what happened to him – he came through it nicely.
Our goal is to learn how to handle our broken dreams, disappointments, and long term discouragements with grace – God's grace.

Bridges – The Marketplace Bridge (Matthew 28:18-20)
“Therefore go and make disciples..”
This is one of the most important bridges we've studied. Unfortunately it's one of the weakest. There are two questions we must answer for it to be effective.

The Parenting Bridge (Psalms 127:1)
Imagine sitting down with Warren Buffet or Donald Trump and getting a few investment tips. This morning we want to sit down with the Bible and discover some tips for having a great family.

The Marriage Bridge Hebrews 13:4
Marriage as we know it is becoming extinct – an endangered species. Today we want to look carefully at what a marriage must be built of in order to withstand the winds of change that is happening to this sacred relationship between a man and a woman.

Definition of bridge = structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway. We can widen that definition because people can become bridges.

January 30, 2011 - Mike Whitlock

Chad Morton - Missionary to China

Romans 4:17-21

I Corinthians 4:2 A person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful – NLT
Luke 16:11-12 if you've not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

1 Peter 5:1-4

Today we will address two things concerning our church. Being the first Sunday of this New Year it is time to pause and reflect in both directions.

Amos 8:9, 11-12

On Judgment Day, watch out! These are the words of God, my Master. “I'll turn off the sun at noon. In the middle of the day the earth will go black. Oh yes, Judgment Day is coming!” These are the words of my Master God. “I'll send a famine through the whole country. It won't be food or water that's lacking, but my Word. People will drift from one end of the country to the other, roam to the north, wander to the east. They'll go anywhere, listen to anyone, hoping to hear God's Word – but they won't hear it.

“Turn out the lights, the party is over” - Dandy Dan

Isaiah 1:10-20

Don't Let Go
1 Chronicles 4:9-10

All of us have cried out these words. Whether it was learning to swim, or first bicycle ride, or trying to stay up on those skates our plea was “don't let go”.
This was part of Jabez prayer, He asked God to keep His hand upon his life.
We need to incorporate this into our prayers. When we live with God's hand upon us we live secure and can experience greater wisdom and enjoy His grace.
This morning we are going to consider what it means to have God's hand upon our life. When His hand is touching us …

Go Ahead and Ask
1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Where do you stand on the subject of the “blessings of God”? There are those who believe it is selfish to pray for blessings for themselves. There are those who believe that it is normal to pray for personal blessings . There is a third group that believe whatever it is you pray for, if you believe strongly enough God will give it to you. I hope today we can clear the air of the confusion.

Jabez who?
1 Chronicles 4:9-10

The book of 1 Chronicles begins with hard to pronounce names, page after page until you come to chapter 4. It is there you will read about the brief details on the life of Jabez.
Today we will learn more about his life and more importantly his prayer. There are several similarities between his life and ours.

In today's scripture Jesus teaches His followers how to have effective prayers. We should all desire to pray and know that we have prayed to God in a way that pleases Him. This is our goal for this morning – to hear what He said to do each time we pray.

Prayer Coaching From Jesus
Matthew 6:5-13

There are two things that must happen if you are going to learn from your coach: (1) A teachable spirit. (2) Show up for the practice.
In today's scripture Jesus wears the hat of a coach and coaches his disciples on two important skills (1) How not to pray (2) How to pray.
Jesus was constantly on the religious people because of the way they acted.
Matthew 23:3, 5 “So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do for they do not practice what they preach... Everything they do is done for men to see.”

We are faced with many obstacles and challenges in life in which we would love to have assurances of the outcome. Our tendency is to enjoy life more with assurances. Christ has gives us assurances that should give us comfort with our daily lives.

Just as there are guidelines for great families, there are similar guidelines for great church families. Today we will examine 3 areas of church that are critical to the health of any church.
When you are seeking God's direction for which church family He wants you to be a member of, these 3 areas should be questioned.
It can all be summed up with one word, “relationships”.

II Samuel 13:24-32

The Bible is an open book. Nothing is hidden. In this passage you will discover that even a man others looked up to had trouble with his family. Even good families can go bad.
In today's message we will learn how to deal with issues that try to divide families; the importance of clear communication and how to make sure your family is built on a solid foundation.

HOW TO HANDLE CONFLICTS
It's not a matter of “if” but rather “when “
How to have fair fights
face -
ignore -
guard -
history -
touch -
stay -
Avoid
blame game
yelling – proverbs 15:1
selfishness
change
Improve Your COMMUNICATION
Greater problem in marriage than sex, money or children
Ways to improve
Criticism
Forgiveness
Express Worries and fears
Proverbs 23:12
I Peter 5:7
Build A Strong FOUNDATION
Commitment – John 16:33
Christian maturity – Eph 4:14-15
Unconditional Love – John 6:37

Girl violence is increasing from 1-10 and now 1 out of every 4 violent episodes involves girls carrying it out. According to the Justice Department, it is not just boys any longer; violence among girls is on the rise. “The initial causes of violence are found in the early learning experiences in the family, which includes weak family bonding, and ineffective monitoring and supervision,” its report said. “The exposure to and reinforcement for violence in the home, including physical abuse, has a tremendous impact on the potential for later adolescent female violence.” Parents need to pay more attention to how their children behave in social situations.

The Contentious Woman Compared To The Gracious Woman.
Proverbs 19:13; 21:9; 27:15
Proverbs 11:16
The Adulteress Woman Compared to the Virtuous Woman.
Proverbs 2:16-17; 7:10-11
Proverbs 12:4; 31:10
The Foolish Woman Compared to the Wise Woman
Proverbs 14:1; 20:11-12
Proverbs 9:13; 14:8-9; 20:3
Proverbs 14:1; 31:10-18,25

Happy 4th of July!

When we pray, "Lord give us men", the truth is He gives us boys. It is our responsibility to make boys into men.
What are some of the lessons they need to be taught? Becoming a man is not dependent on the age of the boy.
Unless we're taught certain lessons in life - boys will remain boys into their later years.
Consider the counsel given to us in Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:1-9
The first chapter of Proverbs gives us some dynamics of family life and is especially directed at the parents.
Happy Father's Day! We are going to look just how important the role of father is to the eyes of God.
God equips fathers with 4 things that help make being a father rewarding.

Moses had the massive job of getting the new nation of Israel to establish families. God provided him several guidelines for families to follow. Those guidelines have been blurred and this series will help us see them more clearly.

In this second installment of Living Right In a Wrong World, we look at Psalms 37:3-7.

This is the first message in the Living Right In A Wrong World series. From Psalms 37:1-8, Stop Blowing Up Emotionally

John 15:13

1. Matt Plays his Trombone
2. Kids Choir Sings

Luke 16: 9 -13