Did you see that…

On Wednesday, the three boys and I were driving back from their basketball games. We were reviewing the highlights of the games….which unfortunately didn’t take long :).

The conversation moved on to the next part of our evening…plenty of chit chat about everything from snacks to homework.

We were stopped at a stoplight and talking about the game, when Isaiah noticed something moving inside of a Dry Cleaners / Barbershop.

A very large raccoon was shopping.

It was one of those moments when things were hard to interpret. We were coming home from basketball games, talking about the details of life and then we look out the window to a store closed for the evening and a raccoon is meandering around.

“Get a picture.”

I fumbled for my phone and handed it over to Dallas and he snapped a quick picture just as the light turned green.

Yesterday, at some point it occurred to me I maybe should have called animal control. But to be honest in the moment, I was incredibly surprised by such a large animal walking around that business like he/she owned the place.

There are moments in life when we are surprised, when the activity we are witnessing doesn’t make sense in relation to the plans we are making.

In our sermon series, “Discovering God” we have been following Jesus as he performs miracles and teaches plainly that He is God. And for the people observing His behavior and listening to His teaching, it was really surprising and they had a difficult time making sense of it all.

This Sunday, Pastor Don Lewis will be preaching from John 10:31-42 on the topic of Faith and accepting Jesus as the Son of God. Whether you are new to these stories about the miracles and teaching of Jesus or have known about them for a while, there are some things that can still surprise us in the Scriptures.

There is great news. The more we discover about God the more grateful we will be for His plan and grace. I sure hope to see you at 9 or 10:45am. If you cannot attend in person, you can watch the LiveStream HERE.

I hope you have a great weekend,

Troy

Patrick Mahomes…

Just over a week ago, we celebrated the KC Chiefs world championship victory at the parade along with hundreds of thousands of others from the Chiefs Kingdom.

As a family we talked about our plans for the parade and at some point Dallas decided he was going to make it his goal to get an autograph from Patrick Mahomes.

From the moment we got over to the parade, he was committed to finding a Sharpee and some tape to attach it to his football.

Mission accomplished.

Once he taped the Sharpee to the football, it was time to find space to make the throw.

The parade finally started with plenty of people who we didn’t know and then several players came by to slap high fives and join in the cheer.

As the parade came close to the end, Dallas still had his ball with the Sharpee. He only wanted one signature…Patrick Mahomes.

Fortunately, the bus carrying the Super Bowl MVP stopped right in front of Dallas.

Before I realized what was happening, I saw a ball flying toward the bus. Dallas had thrown it short of the top deck by quite a bit. However, someone inside the parade route caught it and tossed it up to Travis Kelce’s girlfriend who then went to work to get it to Patrick Mahomes.

After a few minutes, Patrick Mahomes appeared with the ball in hand looking for its owner…Dallas Campbell. Nearly everyone around started yelling and waving and sure enough, Patrick Mahomes spotted Dallas, gave him the head nod and dropped it down.

So how can a signature on a football become such a big deal?

I’m guessing it’s because Patrick Mahomes is the leader of the World Champions. During every playoff game, the Chiefs were behind and Patrick Mahomes led them back to victory.

Patrick Mahomes has proven he is an incredible leader. And there is no one better on the football field…however, there is someone better in life.

This Sunday, we go back to our series, “Discovering God” from the Gospel of John. We will study from John 10:1-18 about Jesus our Good Shepherd. This teaching takes place at a time when leadership was lacking to say the least. Jesus makes it clear that He is the Good Shepherd, the only leader for our lives.

I sure hope to see you at 9:00 or 10:45am on Sunday. If you cannot attend in person, you can watch the livestream HERE.

I hope you have a great weekend,

Troy

Announcement: Men’s breakfast tomorrow at 8am at New Life. Everyone is welcome. If you have time, you can listen to the podcast HERE.

The chase…

This past week has been pretty exciting for the Chiefs Kingdom. For starters, how about the Super Bowl win?

Our entire playoff run has been some come from behind magic. It seems the Chiefs almost wanted to test everyone’s faith in their ability to pull it off. I would say that down 24-0 shook a lot of fans to their boots. But they came storming back.

Then down 10-0 and another big win. Finally, down by 10 in the 4^th quarter of the Super Bowl…and within a short time, they were holding the trophy.

Wow!

Such a fun team to watch, which is what motivated thousands of fans to line up for hours in below freezing temps and blowing snow to cheer on the victors.

And nearly as impressive as our Chiefs coming back for a win, our police officers stepped up and prevented a massive tragedy.

A few hours before the team paraded through the streets, an out of control car came barreling down Grand Avenue.

Strip tacks, a box-on-one and a perfect spin move from behind and the out of control car was brought to a stop, allowing for an arrest and ensuring the safety of all around. Praise God for His protection and thanks to the police for their bravery.

This Sunday, Gabor Gresz, a teaching elder at New Life will conclude our series in Ecclesiastes by sharing a sermon entitled, “Navigating in Social Complexity” from Ecclesiastes, 8:2-17.

God has placed us in societies, cultures and nations and then graciously provided for authorities to keep order and ensure safety.

When authorities sacrifice their own well-being for their fellow citizens, respect comes easy and it should. But what if authorities fail to ensure the safety of the people?

You’ll have to come Sunday to learn more :). For now, we can all agree we have an amazing police force in KCMO and our surrounding cities. We have much for which to be thankful.

I sure hope to see you on Sunday, just don’t speed or you may not be quite so grateful for those who are called to serve and protect :).

If you cannot attend in person, you are welcome to watch online at 10:45am or later HERE.

Have a safe and awesome weekend,

Troy