City On A Hill

I never cease to be amazed at the power of the gospel. No matter how many times I proclaim it, the gospel always feels new and fresh. Yesterday was no exception. I was close to being distracted yesterday while preaching. You were sitting on the edge of your theater seats hanging on every word of the gospel message you hear every week. Your anticipation was palpable!

One of my mentors growing up told me that the reality of preaching is that most people won't remember a word you said a few days later. Most sermons have an expiration date of a little over a week. The reality is that I've found this to be true. But there are those rare moments when a sermon hits so close to home that you remember it for the rest of your life.

As I was standing by my mom's bed, I had to distinct thoughts... Earlier, I had been thinking about this year's holiday vacation time, and I was really looking forward to relaxing with the fam. This was because last year we were blessed with our daughter, but going into vacation we went right into the hospital and everything thing was a blur, a beautiful blur, but a blur until the early part of this year. So this year we had been making plans about fixing the house or going on vacation and then my mom falls and breaks her hip. So, I remember that while it's good to make plans we have to see what God is doing in our lives and how we need to be in his will and be ready to love and serve others.

Our last service of the Advent season will be this Wednesday with the Festival of Lessons and Carols. Over the last four weeks we have lived in anticipation of the coming of Jesus. This Wednesday will be the culmination as we celebrate the birth of Jesus...

You might be surprised that the number one topic of conversation I have with people in ministry revolves around the distinctives of Calvinism. I never initiate this topic. The subject just seems to find me out through the honest questions of people wrestling with bible texts such as John 6:44, John 10:27-29, John 15:15-17, Acts 2:39, Romans 8:28-30, Romans 9:14-33, Ephesians 1:3-14, and countless others.

As was pointed out at each gathering yesterday, it was my 43rd birthday. So here are my thoughts about 43. It was a memorable birthday because I was able to worship Jesus with you! I Will Always be One and a Half Months Older than the Super Bowl For me, an avid NFL fan, I can always remember how old I will be on my next birthday by looking at the Roman Numerals for the upcoming Super Bowl. This is easier than subtracting the year of my birth from the current year and deducting my age. I shared this with Kara, my wife, as she likes to make me a year younger than I really am when sharing my age with friends. This also makes her a year younger so there is motive present in her error. She said, "What type of person pays attention to the age of the Super Bowl?" Dear, that would be me.

At City on a Hill, we worship Jesus, share our lives, and serve our city. This year at Shop and Stroll we had a special service to kick off the Advent season. Showing Albuquerque and our people that worship is the most important thing. We also mobilized our Neighborhoods to serve the city through various acts of love. We served coffee and apple cider, handed out popcorn, wrapped presents, had a live modern nativity scene, hosted Art Street to raise money for the homeless, and showed the love of Jesus wherever we could. The following video is from that night.