Faithwestwood Umc

January 29, 2017 Every so often you need to hear: “It’s not about you.” It’s not about life going the way you want it. It’s about joining Jesus in serving, celebrating, and spreading the news of his reign. It’s about laying down your life for his agenda.

Every relationship changes you – for better or worse, often both. But imagine what a restored relationship with your Creator could do! The more you open yourself to the influence of the Holy Spirit, the more you take on the qualities and character of God. You become more like Jesus.

January 15, 2017 Sometimes we feel like the man who asked Jesus, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” Because the question was framed around doing, Jesus responded in such a way where “doing” was out of reach. He knew that grace isn’t about what we do. It’s about what God has done for us.

Before you were born, you were known and loved. From childhood on, there has been divine influence on your life. In your worst moments, when you became disillusioned, when your heart hardened, even then Someone kept calling you. And grace creates in you the ability to hear that call.

A message by guest Pastor, Chuck Cornwell

Christmas Eve message 2016

When we use the word jealous, most of the time we mean envious. But when we say God is jealous, it means that God is passionate about us and doesn’t want our idols to destroy us. He’s eager for us to return his love. So Jesus came – to win our hearts back to God. Leave the first comment:

We modern people wince when we read in the Bible about fearing God. Usually if we fear someone, it means they cannot be trusted. But this awesome – even fearsome – God can be trusted. He sent his Son to defeat the forces of evil, and he sends us into battle with him. It’s not without danger, but the outcome is assured

After a tornado rips through a town, the work begins of cleaning up debris, seeing what can be salvaged, grieving over what is lost. Then comes the long task of rebuilding homes and businesses, schools and hospitals. The tornado of injustice, betrayal, and exploitation has ripped through our world, but God is rebuilding with great expectations. He sent his Son to lead the way.

When we belong to Jesus, materially we live poorer than we are. We don’t buy for status. We don’t need the best. We love to give. Because we know if we put our hope in wealth, it will let us down. When we belong to Jesus, spiritually we live richer than we are. He imparts his righteousness to us. We have the status of being a child of God. Every day we are blessed. Because we know if we put our hope in God, he will never let us down.

Here’s what FaithWestwood is not. We’re not a pay-to-play place. We’re not a place where you show up on Sundays, get a jolt of religious Red Bull to energize you, and then pay whatever it’s worth. Here’s what FaithWestwood is. We’re a community that belongs to Jesus. We’re shaped by Jesus. We’re sent by Jesus. We’re always ready to share his gospel of hope. We pray daily, give daringly, care deeply. We try to see people the way God sees them and let the bold love of the Holy Spirit guide us from there.

It’s tough out there. Sometimes we get ambushed by anxiety, bitten by bitterness, confounded by confusion, incapacitated by insecurity, and followed by failures. If we’re going to sustain hope, we have to learn to play defense against the toxic things that would tear us down.

Usain Bolt may be the fastest human ever, but even he doesn’t run all the time. And one reason he’s endeared himself to so many is because he knows how to have fun. He loves to laugh and sing and celebrate. No one can run full speed all the time. You weren’t made for that. People of hope know they need balance.

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. Friends bring buoyancy to our lives, so we can rise above our challenges. In the New Testament there are no solo Christians. All are born again into a family, into a net of friendships that hold us up when we fall

If you invest in a company, you hope its stock rises. If you invest in a person, you hope it has a long-term, positive impact on them. God has invested in you. When you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives you gifts, so you can bless others. And when you discover your gifts and put them to use, God gets a great return.

Let’s say you’re in your car on a cross-country road trip. A friend calls and asks, “Where are you?” You say, “I’m in Montana, but I’m not sure where.” The friend asks, “Where are you headed?”, and you know exactly. “I’m going to see my aunt and uncle in Portland.” You even remember the address. Not knowing precisely where you are is okay, as long as you know where you’re going. It’s the same in life. Who you are isn’t as important as where you’re headed. God sees not just who you are today but who you are becoming in the future. What do you see?

Ask any coach. A team will not win a game if it expects to lose. Players must expect to win, even if it means aiming for an upset. If they come prepared, work as a team, follow the game plan, and give maxed-out effort, they believe it will put them in a position to come out ahead. And even if they didn’t win the previous game, they have to come into the next one with high expectations. Jesus dared people to raise their expectations about what God can do in their lives. Many believed and saw amazing things.

If you’re packing for a trip, the last thing you want to forget is your phone charger. A drained phone battery is disastrous. For many of us the phone is our lifeline to home and work. In airports you see people everywhere plugging in and recharging. And it’s the same with us personally. We can’t run on empty; we need to recharge. That’s what Jesus did, and that’s what hope-filled people do.

An inventor comes up with an idea and gets to work in the hope that it just might work. A composer plays with a simple tune and then develops it in the hope that it might become a great song. Why do parents have children? Because they have hope that their offspring will become a blessing to the world. We all deal with difficulties and discouragement, but hope has the power to lift us up so we face life with confidence.

Special Guest, Pastor Ron Dotzler shares his vision to change our city. Ron shares how God called him and his family to live and serve in the inner city of Omaha, Nebraska. Pastor Ron is the founder of Abide Network.