Hitchhiking to Substance

New Sermon Series

Today I took my daughter, True to Barnes and Noble.  My daughter thinks that she’s a coffee connoisseur; but, really, she just loves double chocolate chip frappuccinos.   Of course, she promises that she’ll share it with me; but, really she inhales it before I even get a single sip  (& then she has the guts to complain that her throat is all frozen!)  Good Riddance.

But I’m here today trying to read as much of the O.T. as I can.  In fact, believe it or not, it only takes about 3 hours to read the entire book of Genesis (about 50 chapters).  Of course, I’ve read it before; but, I was surprised by how much good stuff is really in here!  Of course there are a few wild / unrelatable cultural  issues as well.  I mean,  sometimes the Bible feels painfully relevant; and other times, I feel keenly aware that this document is easily over 4000 years old.

But, speaking of that kind of stuff, that’s the whole point of our new teaching series at Substance.  It’s called:   “I Can’t Believe I Didn’t Know That!”  The Bible is filled with Ancient Near Eastern cultural stuff that, once you know it, makes the Bible more relatable.  So, as I dug into all of the classic Easter texts (leading up to the passion of the Christ), I realized, “Wow, there’s a lot of Jewish cultural stuff in here” that would be hard for the average person to understand. 

Many of you know that I learned Hebrew back at the University of Minnesota.  So, you’d think I’d have an advantage in unpacking some of this cultural stuff.  But NO… the Bible is just as complex for me.  So, I thought it’d be fun to stop and really dig into this stuff in the next couple weeks.  So, get ready to take notes.  We’re gonna have some fun.  And “Yes”… although we’re gonna get deep as the series goes on, we will do it with the typical crazy Substance spin.  And hopefully, by the time we’re done, we’ll have you saying:  “I Can’t Believe I Didn’t Know That!”

She slirps scandelously fast

Well, sorry I was gone this last Sunday. 

I heard that Pastor Rob Ketterling from River Valley Church absolutely knocked it out of the park.  And in case you’re wondering he’s always that authentic.   Everyone says that he reminds them of the actor Jeremy Piven (You know… the actor with that sexy voice.)  Anyway…I was blessed to hear that you guys had fun with him; after all, Rob is one of Substance’s overseers (which means, he’d help Substance navigate things if we ever got into a crisis). 

But, in case you were wondering why I was gone, I was speaking at the coolest church in Austin Texas called Celebration Church. (www.celebrationchurchtx.com)  They’re like a 5000 member church that’s only around 8 yrs old.  (Talk about incredible!)  Even more, they’re just the coolest people too.  Everything from the worship to their staff felt just like Substance (just 2 to 3 times larger… and about 8 years older).  And Pastors Joe and Lori Champion are a complete blessing.  I just know that God has put them into my life for a reason.  Just by being there I was overwhelmed with insights about Substance.  So, even though I went there to teach; the truth was, I was the one who was taught!  And the future is bright!  Thank you God for amazing mentors!

Well, ladies and gents!  

In case you’re wondering where we’re at with the office center, it is finally under construction!  Yipee!  This stuff takes forever!!!!!!   Architects, Lawyers, Contractors, City Planners… gosh…why can’t it be more like building a fort in my backyard!?   But alas!  There is much to be thankful for!  

 In fact, if you tossed in your name that you’re willing to help out, we’ll probably be calling you within the next couple weeks.  Our hopes are that we can move in by the first week of May.  (that’s coming up quickly!)  Of course, construction timelines can be tricky… so don’t mark my words.  And even then, it’ll still take us a few weeks to get all the furniture, sound-systems, and coffee shop put together.  In fact, that’s probably where we’re gonna need the most help.  So, if you have time later on in April / early May, make sure you talk to some of the pastoral staff.

Anyway, thanks for all of your prayers and donations.  So far, they have definitely helped us move things forward with a little extra speed!  Every week we’re making some pretty huge decisions for Substance.  In fact, we’ve had numerous exciting developments happen that I’m gonna update you on soon.  So keep the prayers coming!!!!

The Magic Signature