Gateway Fellowship

How do you excellent work? You take good work and keep working at it. How do you do good work? You take crappy work, and you hone it. How do you do crappy work? You show up every day and start. So how do you do excellent work? Oddly enough, you discipline yourself to do crappy work every day. This chat is based on Nehemiah chapter 3 wherein we read the names and exact parts of the wall that various people built. The little inconvenient things we do for God and his church are so significant that they get recorded for all time...

This chat is from Nehemiah chapter 2.

This is part 1 of what I expect will be a series from the book of Nehemiah. Just because it's not my fault doesn't mean it's not my responsibility. Before the problem can be fixed somebody has to own the problem.  "God I'm not qualified for this, but I'm willing."

Mark serves as our congregation's overseer. Nowadays he lives life, "with a light spirit" because of Jesus.

Revelation - What did God SHOW me/tell me? Interpretation - What does that MEAN? Application - What do we DO with that?

Some thoughts on 2 Peter.

Let's chat about Hagar, Ishmael, Abram, Sarai, and of course, wild donkeys.

This chat is from the last half of Matthew 7.

When they heard God they... Talked to each other about what God said Took immediate action Checked for themselves Made known what they experienced Remembered to glorify and praise God The five points are in Luke 2:15-20 "If you lost it, get your zeal back."

This talk is about the logic of the New Testament, and especially Jesus. It goes something like this, "You are an eternal being with a destiny in God's great kingdom. Therefore, arrange your life now to maximize your joy then."

"No one has ever seen God. God's only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made him known." (John 1.18)

Just a little thought about fish, birds, and us inheriting knowledge we didn't directly learn...

Stress and fear? Flip it.

This chat is primarily from Genesis 3.

Here we consider Exodus 33 and Genesis 15, Moses' and Abraham's friendship with God. Specifically how they seem to influence God's actions in the world. In other words, the God Scripture presents is emotionally responsive and interactive. He's open to His work in the world being influenced by His children, His friends. That's kind of staggering. But there it is. And there are numerous examples. Abraham, Moses, Amos, and even Mary the mother of Jesus, are the few examples I gave in the talk, but I'm sure there are many more.

Does God sit up in heaven with a plan that is often terrifying and painful, while He remains emotionally unaffected by the things that happen to us on earth? Or does He feel deeply for his children who live in a world that is largely NOT the way He intended, even though He is working all things together for our good? Jesus is what God has to say. And what He says is, "I love you, I love you, I love you!" --- Additionally - congratulations M'Niyah, on your baptism!

An invitation: Let's mature beyond living by our senses.

Romans 7:20 "it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me." Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."

This chat was given as we commissioned Carl and Stan as assistant pastors. Two of the main passages mentioned were Acts 20 and Romans 5:4.

Linda tells a story about the power of our declarations.