Pathways Church Blog

How many pastors can pull off talking about taking Jesus into brothels, having a beer with a non-believer at a bar, and riding mountain bikes with a guy who thinks that Jesus kicks a$$? If you were here last weekend, you met him – my friend Ryan Russell. He’ll be back again this weekend to challenge us to “GO” and take Jesus places that confront our own desire for comfort. If you missed the message, pick it up on our podcast and buckle your seatbelt as you prepare for this weekend.

Wow! We are entering into the final message from James. It has been nine incredible weeks and by far one of my favorite studies that I have been through with our community. (It ranks up there with our Story of God series that we did back in ‘06)

James, in his very practical way, will be leaving us talking about three P’s – possessions, patience and prayer. We’ll look at each one in light of his words we saw last weekend about being in sub…mission. If you missed it – our “mission” must be sub, or under, God’s mission. We’ll refresh that this week as well as dive into James chapter 5.

I hope that you’ll be with us.

There are certain words that you are not supposed to say. Why? Different reasons, I suppose. Some, society has dubbed, “unclean”. Some tear down and hurt people. Others, are just plain uncomfortable.

Let’s talk about this last category…uncomfortable words. This is where James chapter four takes us this weekend as James asks us to “submit” to God.

That word…submit…carries a lot of awkwardness for us doesn’t it? Websters Dictionary tell us that it means that it means, “to yield oneself to the authority or will of another : surrender.” Why is that so difficult a concept for us?

Submission goes against my natural bent because it gives someone else greater say in my life than…well…ME. It requires trust. It necessitates acknowledgement that God is more powerful / knowing / able than I am. It calls for a squelching of self. It demands looking beyond my own interests toward the interests of others…wait a minute…this is starting to sound like the life that Jesus called us to live…

Maybe SUBMISSION isn’t such a dirty word after all.

One of the new things we are implementing for the youth group at Pathways, is stressing the importance of a regular interaction with God’s Word. To help with that, we are sending out daily text message devotions. Basically, you will receive a text message everyday with either a scripture reference, or a thought. From that, you are encouraged to go to your bible and look it up and meditate on God’s Word. It doesn’t have to be a really involved thing, but just like everything, the more you do it, the quicker it will become a habit. And in this case, a good one. If you would like to get in on the text message devotions, just click the link below.

Sign up for the Text Message Devotions