Your Personal Grow-Pray-Study (GPS) Guide

You can also deep dive into the "12 STEPS OF FORGIVENESS" that Pastor Travis shared during this week's sermons.

Monday (Day 14): Read John 8:7 - Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.

Tuesday (Day 15): Read Matthew 7:1 - Judge not.

Wednesday (Day 16): Read Luke 6:36 - Be merciful.

Thursday (Day 17): Read Matthew 6:12 - Forgive others their trespasses.

Friday (Day 18): Read Matthew 5:44 - Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Saturday (Day 19): Read John 8:11 - Go now and leave your life of sin.

Sunday (Day 20 - Begin week of Serving): Read John 14:15 - If you love me, you will obey my commands.

More information about the Red Letter Challenge (RLC)!

You can watch this week's sermon message or read the full PDF of the sermon message & GPS.

CREATE FOR COMMUNITY: Construction is almost done! The grand opening celebration is planned for Sunday, February 9, 2019.

Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

In this week's Red Letter Challenge (Week 3) sermon, Pastor Travis shared the 12 STEPS OF FORGIVENESS that has been adapted from the 12 Steps of AA:

1. I admit that I am powerless when it comes to forgiving those who have hurt me or betrayed me; my life has become unmanageable.
2. I believe that following the words of Jesus and pursuing Him can restore me to sanity.
3. I want to turn my will and my life over to the care of Christ Jesus.
4. I am making a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.
5. I admit to God, to myself, and to others, the exact nature of my wrongs- my inability to see the perpetrator in the way that God sees the perpetrator.
6. I am ready for God to remove all my defects of character- the bitterness and hatred that fester within.
7. I humbly ask God to remove my shortcomings- my failures to forgive and to love as Christ loves.
8. I am making a list of all persons I have harmed, and I am willing to make amends with them all- all the people I projected my hurts upon, or took my anger out on, out of bitterness.
9. I am making direct amends with such people wherever possible, except, when to do so would injure them or others.
10. I am continuing to take a personal inventory, and when I am wrong, I will promptly admit it- continually feeling, evaluating, transforming, and forgiving.
11. I seek, through prayer and worship, to improve my conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out.
12. In having a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, I will carry this message to others who struggle to forgive, and will practice these principles in all my affairs.

“If God is known for grace, how can we, His followers, be known for judgement, the exact opposite?”
- Zach Zehnder, The Red Letter Challenge

TIP! -- When you develop the habit of reading God’s Word, you can use these 3 questions that Pastor Burkey picked up from Pastor Tim Keller to go deeper in your study:

• Adore: What did you learn about God for which you could praise or thank Him?
• Admit: What did you learn about yourself for which you could repent?
• Aspire: What did you learn about life that you could aspire to, ask for, and act on?

Monday - Day 7: Read Matthew 9:38 -- Pray earnestly.

Tuesday - Day 8: Read Luke 4:8 -- Worship the Lord your God.

Wednesday - Day 9: Read Mark 6:31 -- Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

Thursday - Day 10: Read Matthew 6:17 -- And when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face.

Friday - Day 11: Read Luke 15:23 -- Let us eat and celebrate.

Saturday - Day 12: Read Mark 2:27 -- The Sabbath was made for man.

Sunday - Day 13 (Begin Week of Forgiving): Read Mark 1:15 -- Repent and believe the Good News.

More information about the Red Letter Challenge (RLC)!

You can watch this week's sermon message or read the full PDF of the sermon message & GPS.

CREATE FOR COMMUNITY: Construction is almost done! The grand opening celebration is planned for Sunday, February 9, 2019.

Monday - Day 0 (Start by Reading Introduction). By putting God’s words literally into practice, you will find the life God has made for you! 

Tuesday - Day 1. Read Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God...” 

Wednesday - Day 2. Read Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith…” 

Thursday - Day 3. Read 1 Peter 3:15. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 

Friday - Day 4. Read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...” 

Saturday - Day 5. Read John 20:21. “Just as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” 

Sunday - Day 6 (Begin Week of Being). Read John 8:31. “Abide in My Word.” 

More information about the Red Letter Challenge (RLC)!

You can watch this week's sermon message or read the full PDF of the sermon message & GPS.

CREATE FOR COMMUNITY PRAYER REQUESTS: For patience with parking challenges during construction (currently estimating completion by the end of February 2020). For safety and efficiency of our construction crews. For those who have given generously for these improvements.

Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash

Don't forget to sign up for the Red Letter Challenge (RLC)!

Day 1: Read Matthew 2:12. As you look at the year ahead, where do you believe God might want to work more closely in your life with Him and with others? 

Day 2: Read Hebrews 11:6. 2020 vision for the year ahead invites you to trust God to work it out. As you look back at 2019, how did you see God work things out in your life? 

Day 3: Read Matthew 2:2. In order to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. The good news is that God gives it through His Word. What are your plans for spending time in God’s Word on a regular basis in 2020? (GPS and the Red Letter Challenge are 2 potential ways!) 

Day 4: Read Matthew 2:4-6. The wise men follow the star and that leads them to Jerusalem. But it took God’s Word to lead them to Jesus. What are some of the major life lessons you learned from God’s Word in 2019? Are you ready for the Red Letter Challenge? Do you have the book to start day 1 on January 14th? Have you chosen the service you will attend each weekend starting January 11th-12th? Have you joined a Life Group to attend? 

Day 5: Read Matthew 2:11. According to the gift giving practices of the day, gold was the gift for a king; frankincense was the gift for a priest; and myrrh was the gift for one who is to die — it was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they brought gifts that indicated who He truly is — the king of kings, the great high priest, the one who would die for the sins of the world. The wisemen’s gifts are an act of worship. Think of the gifts you give to Jesus of your time, talents and treasure, how do they declare who Jesus truly is? In what area might God be calling you to grow in giving gifts to Him in the year ahead? What will your next step be? 

Day 6: Read Matthew 2:10. Not just filled with joy, but the wisemen take joy to a new level – mega-joy. It turns out that worship is not just when you bow before the Christ child, but when you celebrate that God is leading you to Him each day and each moment. His signs aren’t to merely get you to the destination. His signs are to help you realize He is with you every day and every moment of the year ahead. When it comes to worshiping God, what filled your heart with mega-joy in the last year? As you look ahead to this year, what mega-joy do you anticipate? 

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the book Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Tim Keller.

You can watch this week's sermon message or read the full PDF of the sermon message & GPS.

CREATE FOR COMMUNITY PRAYER REQUESTS: For patience with parking challenges during construction (currently estimating completion by the end of January 2020). For safety and efficiency of our construction crews. For those who have given generously for these improvements.