Podcast Alive Ministries

Moses, the great Old Testament Leader, was also deeply wounded by issues of rejection, abandonment and isolation. We can learn to face our own pain and suffering with courage because we know that God did not abandon Moses but worked through his life to build a relationship that is deeply personal and healing.  Sermon Notes 08.24.14 […] Related posts: Waiting on God What to do in a Season of Change 3 Keys to Surviving Life in the Desert

Waiting on God: How to Trust in God’s Timing Have you ever been in a situation when you have been waiting on God? Maybe you have been waiting for healing, for a new home, a job, or some other kind of change that you desperately need. We're all at some time or another in a season […] Related posts: Moses the Wounded Deliverer Waiting for an Answer Evening Prayer

We each need our own Aldersgate Experience in which the presence, power and purpose of God are made real and personal. For John Wesley and for his brother Charles, that moment would be the convergence of Failure, Faith and Grace all coming together in one inexplicable moment of spiritual transformation. On May 24, 1738, John […] Related posts: Podcast – Social Responsibility in the UMC Christian Perfection A Brief History of Us

   Each day we are bombarded with all kinds of advertisements, enticements to be more, have more and look more successful than we feel. In our rush to do everything we've got scheduled, to enjoy all that we have amassed and build all that we have in mind to build, we look past a certain group […] Related posts: Priorities: Is you life in balance? The Parables: The Generous Landowner Waiting for an Answer

We live in a hyper-competitive world where celebrity and champions are singled out at the highest achievement of success. This means, of course, that 99% of the world's population are not successful and struggling to reach the top. Is this really the way life was meant to be, struggle all your life, accumulate all you can, […] Related posts: The Church of the Christmas Spirit Called to be a Healing Community The Problem of Blessings

“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.”― John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life   Jesus says, “To what can I […] Related posts: The Questions Jesus Asks II The Questions Jesus Asked The Challenges of Following Jesus

The change in the attitudes and actions of the early disciples was evident to everyone who saw and heard them. Some where fishermen who now spoke with a passion and authority few had seen before. Some were peasants who were now willing to give all that they had to the poor even to the point […] Related posts: Becoming Gospel People The Gospel of Luke The Gospel Journey part 1

Have you ever felt lost? I don't just mean confused, disappointed, or frustrated, I mean desperately searching for a way when you've lost your way. Your heart is racing, there are sleepless nights and you feel you've reached a dead end. This way of existing, of course, leads to more stress, which leads to more […] Related posts: 3 Things the Good Shepherd Does Priorities: Is you life in balance? 7 Laws of the Shepherd

As Jesus led the disciple out of Jerusalem, they pointed out to him the magnificent buildings of their history, faith and hope that one day the Jewish people would rise to power again. Jesus all but dashes that vision by telling them that in the not so distant future, every stone, every hand carved pillar, […] Related posts: Are You Ready to Move Forward in 2014? The Parables: Glimpses of a New Reality The Parables: The Generous Landowner

Imagine standing before a judge in court about to be sentenced for your crimes or for a debt you owe. In the back of the court room stand your wife and children who are dependent upon you for their survival shivering in fear for the life they must now endure. Your sentence will profoundly affect […] Related posts: The Parables: Glimpses of a New Reality The Parables: The Generous Landowner Will You Be Ready? Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids

Each parable Jesus uses is meant to illuminate some spiritual principle or value unique to the Kingdom of God that we don't really understand very well by getting us to engage in a story that we do understand and perhaps have even lived. Parables usually begin by saying something like, "The Kingdom of God is […] Related posts: The Parables: Glimpses of a New Reality The Parables: The Unmerciful Servant I have a Vision of a Generous Church

The Purpose of the Parables “Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (v. 17).  - Matthew 13:12–17 What is the purpose of parables? Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:12–15 that He speaks in parables […] Related posts: The Parables: The Generous Landowner The Parables: The Unmerciful Servant How Real Servants Act

In 1799, fifty years before the California gold rush, gold was discovered in North Carolina. At Stanfield in Cabbarus county a 12 year old boy found a nugget weighing 17 pounds. His father, John Reed, not knowing what it was, used it as a doorstop. In 1802 he took it to a market in Fayetteville. […] Related posts: The Easter Advantage Remember Your Baptism Remember Your Baptism

We celebrate Easter each year because it is our defining moment, it is the light in a dark world, it is the courage we need in a harsh world and it the promise of victory when confronted with pain and hurt. We, as Easter People, have a distinct advantage over the rest of world. It's […] Related posts: The Advantage of Baptism Touchstone: An Easter Legend Good News for Ladder People – Easter 2011

At some point in our lives we must all make choice either by intention or by default. Sometimes that choice is intentional based on sound reasoning and careful, even prayerful, consideration of the results and the costs associated with a particular path. Other times we abdicate our choices to time and chance and simply accept […] Related posts: The Questions Jesus Asked The Questions Jesus Asks II Are You Good?

Imagine a young man running up to you desperate to ask a question before you turned to your next appointment and the opportunity was lost. Out of breath, he captures your attention and greets with traditional politeness, "Good sir, what should I do with my life?" I suppose Jesus could have answered the obvious question […] Related posts: The Questions Jesus Asks II The Questions Jesus Asked What are You Living For?

In part I of this series we looked at the styles and reasons Jesus asked people seemingly simple questions. They were questions that drew the listener into a deeper conversation about their life, what they were doing and where it would ultimately lead. In John 5 Jesus asks a man paralyzed for 38 years, "Do […] Related posts: The Questions Jesus Asked Are You Good? What are You Living For?

Jesus constantly challenged his followers as well as the authorities that always seemed to be hovering around to think differently about the world and their place in it. We are no exception. Jesus' words challenge us, invite us, and prod us to move in new directions. As we embark on this journey through Lent, we […] Related posts: The Questions Jesus Asks II Are You Good? What are You Living For?

    Every church I've ever known has been plagued by division, complaining and factions that tug and pull at the heart and soul of the Gospel often leaving it in tatters. People outside the church who are looking for something to believe in see what is happening and believe the Gospel of Jesus, a […] Related posts: I Found the Perfect Church The Future Church, Part 1 The Pursuit of Heaven part 4

Do you feel blessed, grateful, joyful and happy? Probably not. We live in a competitive world where we see each gift as a stepping stone to the next higher achievement. We want more and we're never really quite satisfied with where we are and yet never quite arrive at where we want to go. We […] Related posts: Four Laws of a Blessed Life Blessed Beyond Reason 2010 Christmas Blessings