One of the things that God does with all of us is to give us seasons, perhaps very long seasons, of doing things that he is giving us to do without enough resources to do them in a big way. One of the purposes of this time is to help us learn creativity with our … [Read more…]
After David already had strong hints of what his future was to be about, and even had a good dose of early success, he was driven away by the jealousy of others into poverty and years of feeling fruitless. Has your friend, or is your friend, in a place in their life where they feel … [Read more…]
We all have different ways and styles of friendship. But whether we are extroverts or introverts, there are those that are closest to us that we rely on most intimately for feedback about our lives, as well as those that we work with to achieve a common goal. David’s most intimate friend was Jonathan. He … [Read more…]
It’s not that some kind of people are artists, the truth is that everyone is some kind of artist. It is also true that the way that we see good in the world – our artists eye – influences what we love to do. Shepherd-boy David became a king that would have many earmarks of … [Read more…]
Think about your friend, and any struggles you know about that they have. David had his own struggles. He was constantly harassed by the dangers to his sheep. He had the struggle of staying warm and dry out in the fields. He had to endure physical hardship. But one day he heard the voice of … [Read more…]
When David faced a huge challenge – a huge warrior was defying his God and his nation – the King gave him his armor. It was the best armor available, but the problem was that it didn’t fit David. David had to say no to this great piece of armor in order to find his … [Read more…]
As you think about your friend today, can you recall any times of them taking risks in their life to do something they thought was worth doing? David took a risk to protect his sheep from a bear, and survived. It gave him confidence to do the same again, this time from a lion. His … [Read more…]
Every tree begins from a small seed that bears little outward resemblance to the tree it will someday become. It’s usually difficult to tell much about a baby’s future from its personality at birth, as well. But not long afterwards, both saplings and toddlers demonstrate some of their uniqueness. Not long after I transplanted an … [Read more…]
For two weeks, those of us who want to take The Vineyard’s prayer challenge will find a friend to pray for everyday till February 26th. Have courage to ask people if you can pray for them! Be bold, and if no one asks you, don’t take it as a sign that no one cares about … [Read more…]
Jesus once asked his disciples this pointed question: “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29) It was, of course, Peter who blurted out the answer: “You are the Christ!” This question can be equally powerful when we ask God for his answer for ourselves and others. He may not blurt out the answer like Peter did, but he will gently and … [Read more…]
We want to be a community in which nobody gets left out or left behind. This means relationship – lots of relationship! There are many organized venues for encouraging community (think Outer Circle, House Groups, Service opportunities, etc) and there are many organic opportunities (think lunch invitations, parties, farm days, etc). Both are valuable, however … [Read more…]
To my loving niece Cherilynn Leveque: I never realized the love you left behind. How kind and sharing you’d had been. We all miss you dearly. We all wish we could have you back So we can sit and talk to you so dearly. You left us all a life’s lesson, we commend you so … [Read more…]
We’ve said it verbally for the past few Sundays but we’ll write it here too, just in case you missed it – 2017 turned out to be another year of amazing provision which we’re humbled by and thankful for. We even ended the year with a small surplus. Thank you to those who joined with … [Read more…]
