Lake Tapps Christian Church

I don't remember much about my wedding day but I do remember saying those vows. I felt the responsibility of becoming a man, growing up, and settling down. I had been determined to find a Christian wife, I am determined to raise a Christian family. We talk like marriage is the highest calling we have. The challenge is that Jesus gave us one thing to do until he returns and it's not get married. The good news is that your spouse can help you do it.

Last week we tackled how to handle our weaknesses in marriage. This week we're discussing strengths. Before you get too excited about reveling in what you do well, take a moment to consider your pride. I'm thinking about those moments of confidence where you wished other people could figure things out like you have. What a better world it would be. Today we discover that strengths can produce pride, and God opposes the proud. It might explain why marriage can be so difficult.

There's something special about marriage. It's given me a natural disposition to see my wife's weaknesses while struggling to notice my own. Today we're discussing God's plan for handling weaknesses. God doesn't embarrass us for having them, God doesn't even ask us to double down and get rid of them. It's not even a call for full transparency as we admit to our shortcomings. Instead, God describes how our weaknesses have the potential to become our greatest strength. Check this out.

When I hear about a series on marriage I'm expecting to learn tips on how to love my spouse. If I could focus less on me and more on her, or more on 'us' then things would be better. If you promise not to tell anyone I'll admit that most of the time I know what she wants, I'm not perfect, but I have a good idea, it's been twenty-five years. My biggest challenge is me, in simplest of terms I can be selfish. The good news is that todays message isn't just about how to love your spouse it's about how to have the desire to love them well. Check this out.

Lake Tapps Christian Church

There’s one question about God that elicits the most emotion, but has no emotionally satisfying answer. If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world? If God were all-powerful, he could eliminate suffering. If God was loving, he would eliminate suffering. So, is he unable or unwilling?

Lake Tapps Christian Church

We're into week three of our series on generosity. At this point we're starting to feel like we can do this. I can be generous, it's what God wants for me. It's just that we're not out of the woods quite yet. Today we find the disciples ready ready to give--it's just that they don't have enough to meet the need. For this reason, they opt out. It's an issue we all face. It's why Jesus steps in and shows us how to be generous when we're not sure it makes a difference. It's such a great story, it's the only one told four times in the Bible. Check this out.

Lake Tapps Christian Church

We have a natural instinct to quickly process data--we assess situations in the blink of an eye. When it comes to survival--split second decisions are necessary, when it comes to financial decisions, it pays off to see the bigger picture. Today we challenge the idea that 'what you see is all there is'. In fact, when it comes to generosity, there is much more going on than just giving to someone. Check this out.

When Jesus approached Peter and Andrew fishing on the Sea of Galilee he invited them to follow him. In one simple verse we discover three characteristics of a follower of Jesus: First a disciple makes a commitment to follow. That's when we use our head. Second, Jesus transforms Peter and Andrew as they begin fishing for people. That's when we give Jesus our heart. Third, Jesus gives Peter and Andrew a job to do. When join him in sharing the good news, that's when we give Jesus our hands. Disciples give their head, their heart and their hands. Today we feature four disciples doing just that at Lake Tapps.

There is a difficult time for Joseph, just after he finds out that Mary is pregnant yet he still hasn't been informed by the angel that this baby is from the Holy Spirit. We read that Joseph is a man faithful to the law and yet Joseph doesn't follow the law. If he did Deuteronomy 22:23 instructs him to lead the charge for Mary to be killed along with her baby. Yet, Joseph decides to withhold what Mary deserves and divorce her quietly. How can he be just and yet disobey the law? Why is this in the Christmas story?

If I ask you what you need to be set free from what would you say? Maybe it's financial debt, or an uncaring spouse, maybe it's an unfair workplace. When we have burdens in our life we long to be free from the weight. When Jesus was born God's people were thinking the same thing, free us from our troubles. The Bible doesn't say Jesus will save his people from their troubles. Instead he's saving us from one thing that is more important. Check this out.

The genealogy of Jesus, if you're like me it's the part of the story that you've looked at but never really read. The surprising thing is that Matthew, a good Jew, throws a curveball to his patriarchal upbringing. He lists forty men and then blindsides his readers by including four women. Having experienced the love and grace of Jesus Matthew knew that these four women would explain who Jesus was and what he was going to do. Check this out.

Today as Joseph and Mary enter Bethlehem looking for a place to stay we learn about giving the best we have. You might feel pressure about deciding who gets your best. You might even feel like giving your best isn't good enough. Maybe you're undecided about Jesus, not sure you want to give him your best. Think about giving the best of what you have. You don't give the best of what you wish you had or of what you used to have. Reimagine Christmas with me as we give the best of what we have.

One of the greatest threats to our well-being is feeling out of control. One of the most difficult areas to have control of is our future. You can see how having a secure future weighs heavily on how we feel today. Jesus had a lot to say about the future. He spoke about it, taught about it, and shared facts with us so that we would know how to face the days to come. Knowing the future helps us understand how to live today.

We lose connection with our true identities when we experience shame. When we turn and face it, we begin to connect ourselves to the bigger story of humanity and regain our true name.

Harvard Professor Robert Putnam says that given a choice of how many close friends we have--the most common answer today is zero. We've slowly and steadily become a nation of lonely people. Today we study the friendship of Jonathan and David, one of the most meaningful relationships in the Bible. One of the greatest traits of a meaningful relationship is to serving and sacrifice. Only there's a twist. Being served by others doesn't cure loneliness, the only way to cure loneliness is a two-way relationship, it's give and take.

They say over two thirds of us don't enjoy our jobs. Maybe it's not that cool of a job or you don't feel like it's something your passionate about. More than likely you don't like where you work because of the people. Today we dive into the lost connection of meaningful work. If you feel like you're stuck in a monotonous, boring, soul-destroying job where you die a little more each day, you've clicked on the right message. Jesus shows us how to have the ability to grow, change and make an impact in every job we have.

Today's message speaks directly to the chaotic out of control nature of life. We discover that our lives are untidy because God isn't finished. The good news is that a messy life won't derail God's purpose for you. In fact, when we trust God the untidy times are moments of growth. Instead of being taking out or put on hold, God uses untidy people to get things done.