Outreach

Surpassing Relief (Luke 17:11-19) Chris Altrock 11/22/15

by chrisaltrock
November 24, 2015

20151122 01- Surpassing Relief Title

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. (Luke 17:11-14 ESV)

We’re going to do some imagination this morning. I want you to imagine what it would be like to stand in the sandals of those in this story. First, we’ll stand in the sandals of the 10 lepers. Second, we’ll stand in the sandals of Jesus. Third, we’ll stand in the sandals of 1 of those lepers who returns.

First, imagine yourself standing the sandals the 10 lepers. You share something in common with each other. You may be divided by income or age or race (after all there are Jews and Samaritans among you). But everything that used to divide you seems to have fallen away. What remains is the one thing you share in common: your crisis. Your leprosy.Read More »Surpassing Relief (Luke 17:11-19) Chris Altrock 11/22/15

No Reservations Required: Enough (Matt. 8/ Micah 3-4) April 21, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message

by chrisaltrock
April 23, 2013

In the early 1990s the World Bank interviewed people living in poverty.[1] They asked over 60,000 poor people from 60 countries a basic question: What is poverty? Some of us might answer that question by describing poverty as simply the lack of financial resources. The absence of certain possessions. But when the poor described poverty, they described it also as the presence of something. The presence of shame, powerlessness and fear. Read More »No Reservations Required: Enough (Matt. 8/ Micah 3-4) April 21, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message

No Reservations Required: God’s Other Love (Matt. 8/ Jer. 3) April 14, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message

by chrisaltrock
April 23, 2013

Kendra and I recently helped her parents–Ken and Nelda–celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Ken and Nelda met in the Midland/Odessa, TX area. He was a fresh-faced and muscled Army man. She was an attractive and confident office worker. They dated four months. Then Ken popped the question. Nelda’s “Yes!” launched a world tour, as Ken’s army career took them from state to state and country to country. Their love endured numerous moves, long separations due to war, and the challenges of cancer and multiple sclerosis. Fifty years after their wedding day, their children, childhood friends, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, nephews and nieces crowded into the backyard of Ken and Nelda’s stucco home in sunny Phoenix. Kendra’s brother smoked beef ribs, brisket, and pulled pork in a smoker the size of a swimming pool. A cake fashioned in the shape of the earth was presented–a flag waving proudly from each place on that globe where Ken and Nelda had lived. The back porch was filled with portable tables and folding chairs. Family members shared stories and laughed. Nelda cried for joy. Ken smiled and shook hands. My daughter Jordan and my brother’s son Joshua provided entertainment. Before we ate, we held hands in a giant circle and thanked God for the blessing of this marriage and a love that had lasted fifty years. What a joy it was to celebrate this love!Read More »No Reservations Required: God’s Other Love (Matt. 8/ Jer. 3) April 14, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message

Right Turn: Turning Lives Around Through Character

by chrisaltrock
August 30, 2010

Anne Rice is a best-selling author of gothic and religious-themed novels. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history. As a child, Rice had connections with the Catholic Church. As she grew older, however, she left that church. She also left the Christian faith in general. Rice became so removed from all religious faith that she eventually described herself as an atheist. In 1998, however, Rice returned to the Christian faith and to the Catholic Church. She announced she would now use her life and her writing to glorify God. It was a surprising conversion, one that shocked many of Rice’s readers. But twelve years later, on July 29, 2010, Rice publicly renounced her affiliation with the Catholic church. Yet she steadfastly proclaimed her commitment to Christ. Here is her announcement from her Facebook page: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.” Rice followed that post with this one a few hours later: “My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.”