Cy-fair Christian Church

Loss. If there is any certainty in life, it is the fact that we will all experience loss. Loss is inevitable. The loss of health. The loss of a friendship. The loss of an investment. The loss of a child. The loss of freedom. The loss of a parent. The loss of a home. The loss of a marriage. The loss of your memory. Loss devastates our lives. All of us are going to experience loss. The question is, how will we respond to loss when it occurs? Will it paralyze and cripple us for the rest of our life? Will we learn painful lessons from loss and the grief that accompanies it?

Our lives matter. Where we invest our time and resources matter. We can make an impact that last forever. It was obvious to see how the sacrifices Oskar Schindler impacted the lives of others. I am afraid that sometimes the impact of our sacrifices are not as obvious. We need to always remember, we are involved in a rescue work as well. Lives of millions of people depend on this work. Serious sacrifice are involved in this work. We have one brief opportunity to take part in this work and then…THE END.

When we grip the stuff of life too tightly we become trapped in selfishness. It can literally rob us of life. When we live life with a loose grip and an open hand we experience generosity and contentment.

The average human tongue has more than 10,000 taste buds. When your tongue senses salty, sweet, savory, sour, bitter, or umami flavors, those taste receptors synapse with neurons and pass on electrical impulses to the brain. All of this combines to give you the wonderful flavor of a double meat Whataburger with cheese (no pickles and no onions), “Whatasized” with a large Dr. Pepper. And this is the reason I’m convinced that food is one of God’s love languages. Food is not only something we need to survive, but what a gift it is that God also makes it something that we enjoy. So much so, that when the Old Testament prophets wanted to speak of the day that God’s reign would finally come, they depicted a great feast. The best meal you’ve ever had is only a foretaste of what’s to come at this most extravagant banquet. Not only will this be a meal for the ages, all that was broken will be made whole, every wrong will have been made right, and on that day we will feast in the presence of the King of All!

There’s a reason why scripture encourages us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). It's because food is one of the best things on earth! Is there anything better than sharing a rich, delicious meal with close family or friends around a table? Not in my book!It’s interesting then, that tables are one of the most important places of human connection. We’re often most fully alive when sharing a meal around a table. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, to find that throughout the Bible, God has a way of showing up at tables. In fact, it’s worth noting that at the center of the spiritual lives of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments, we find a table: the Table of Passover and the Table of Communion.Take a moment to consider the Lord’s table and discover why this meeting place is so important to our faith.

There are a few jobs in society that have bad reputations—some for good reasons and some not. The tax collectors in Jesus’s day had a bad reputation for good reason. They were as corrupt as the day is long. They were free to assess the value of goods and could demand a tax higher than what the government required. Talk about a major perk! They got to pocket the difference! Bottom line, tax collectors were among the most hated people of society. They were corrupt. They were traitors.Then in walked Jesus. He invited a tax collector to become one of his apprentices, one of his disciples. The tax collector accepted his invitation and hosted a dinner so his friends could meet Jesus. The Pharisees watched in horror as Jesus mingled with the worst of the worst. I am sure they were thinking, “who does he think he is hanging out with those traitors?!”It is funny how we can see the wrong in someone else far easier than we can see it in ourselves. That was true then and it is true today. The truth is we are all traitors

Sell By Date”, “Use By Date”, “Best Before Date”, “Expiration Date”. I am so confused!!! Did you know that stores can sell food after the date expires? Thank goodness some states require milk to be sold by the expiration date! There is nothing worse than pouring yourself a glass of milk and you got it—it is sour! Milk is not the only thing that sours, people do as well. Did you know that you have a “shelf life”? Your shelf life is defined as the period during which you remain effective and free from deterioration. It refers to the period of time during which you may be stored and remain suitable for use. I can assure you that you cannot remain on a shelf long and remain effective. Your life when placed on a shelf is prone to deterioration.Why do some people end up on the proverbial shelf? Some people burn out and step back from it all. Some people get their priorities mixed up. Some people fall flat on their face and have a hard time recovering. Their fall may be the result of poor choices, out right rebellio

Two men were walking down a road; one says “one thing I have learned this weekend is.... don’t get your hopes up. Because if you do, they will get knocked to the ground". The other man stares at the road ahead and asks him, “Do you really believe that?”  The first man replies, “Yes, I believe it! Can you give me one reason why I should not?”A dialogue like that could have easily taken place between the two travelers on the road to Emmaus. Their hopes were sky high. Their long awaited Messiah was in Jerusalem. After waiting a lifetime, freedom was finally within their grasp. But they found out what happens when you get your hopes up. They get knocked to the ground and crushed. Their hope, their Messiah, their deliverer got knocked to the ground. He was slapped, beaten, belittled, whipped to a bloody pulp, humiliated and then punished like the worst criminal!I can see why they were struggling. Can’t you? The very moment when their lives seemed to be heading in the right direction, everything seemed to be a

It is finished.

Use your imagination for a moment. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem. He is riding on a colt. The people shout “Hosanna to the Son of David…Save us we pray.” They lay their cloaks and palm branches in front of Jesus as he proceeds down the road. They welcome their long awaited King. It is a little strange that the first thing Jesus does is run people out of the temple. As Jesus is kicking out the money-changers, the sheep and dove sellers, he says, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” The money changers and sacrifice sellers had set-up shop in The Court of Gentiles, the only part of the temple where Gentiles were allowed to go. Gentiles were forced to worship and pray with all this commotion going on. Imagine trying to worship and pray with the “cha-ching” of the cash registers, the squabbling of the salesmen and their patrons, or the bleating of the sheep and cooing of the doves.

Without a need to serve the widows, Stephen wouldn’t have emerged as a deacon. Because he became a leader, Stephen took advantage of opportunities to preach. Since he preached so passionately, the Jewish leaders arrested him and stoned him. Because of the persecution of the church, the message of the gospel was spread all over the region. And it is likely that at Stephen’s death, the first seeds of the gospel were planted in the heart of Paul—who would carry the gospel to the Gentiles.In this episode, we will pick up the story of the Holy Spirit's work in chapter 28, the conclusion of the book of Acts. Paul felt God had been calling him to Rome for years, but each time he had been prevented from getting there. God could’ve intervened at any point, but he didn’t. Why? Well, it would appear He had a plan all along.

Wrecks come in all shapes and sizes. Bicycle wreaks, motorcycle wrecks, car wrecks, or shipwrecks…regardless what size, wrecks are never any fun.In this message, we will witness the apostle Paul on a cargo ship that is on a collision course with disaster. Paul is not in control. Yet in the midst of the wreck he does something strange. He gives thanks to his good, faithful, always present God.Maybe your life feels like it is on a collision course with disaster. Maybe your life is already a wreck. It is hard to have faith when you are literally picking up the pieces. Never forget, God is always there for us. The first simple step of faith is a one word prayer, “Help!” Simply praying this prayer acknowledges God hears, God knows, and God cares.

Imagine living in a place where your education wasn’t a guarantee. Try to envision having to choose which of your children would not be fed today. Picture living with 600,000 other people in the same situation within three square miles. Now imagine sharing a bathroom with all of those people. And I thought sharing a bathroom with my sister was bad!In the slums of Mathare Valley, the poverty is extreme. Because of that, people are desperate to escape by way of prostitution, drugs or alcohol. It’s estimated that 1 in 3 people who live there are HIV positive. In addition, malaria, typhoid, cholera and other disease put children and adults in danger every day.This is not the place you would expect to find joy. But that is the gift of the gospel. In Christ, joy can be possessed anywhere by anyone despite the circumstances. That is why Missions of Hope International is bursting at the seams with 19,000 children and dramatically changing the slums—both physically and spiritually. But that’s not all. It’s also changi

God knew his sheep were in need of leaders, feeders and protectors. While Jesus is our chief shepherd, he has called individuals in every church to lead, feed and protect. We call this group of people elders or shepherds. The shepherds (elders) of the flock do not carry out their duties alone. They carry out their duties while walking in relationship with the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ who laid down his life for his sheep. Not only do the shepherds carry out their duties while walking with Jesus, they also carry out their duties of leading, feeding and protecting while walking in relationship with one another. 

Acts Chapter 17

To encounter a “God sighting”, you have to open your eyes to the fact that God is always at work everywhere in our world. He is not limited by space or time. He knows each of us by name and wants us to encounter Him. This Sunday in the Book of Acts, we witness a man in the middle of committing suicide experience a “God sighting”. It changed his life forever.

When we talk about mission we are talking about life mission. We are on mission 24/7. The glorious gospel gives us the spiritual ambition and challenges us to be on mission everywhere we go: where you live, where you work, where you learn, where you play...in your neighborhood.

In chapter 15 of the book of Acts, we will be looking at the Council of Jerusalem where church leaders gathered to make one of the most important decisions in the history of the church. Through the passage in Acts 15 and the words of Peter, “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” we discover a very clear, focused picture of God’s power for our salvation. It is finished. This is indeed good news.

Jeff Williams share that he and his family are launching into a new chapter in their lives. For some time God has been preparing Jeff to serve the local church in the role of teaching pastor or lead pastor. We have witnessed Jeff’s gifting and are not surprised by this announcement. God is never surprised by such an announcement  He is never caught off guard. He is never behind in the game, regardless of the score. God is in control!