Several weeks ago, while on vacation, we were waiting for a shuttle and several of us noticed a beautiful tree. It was night time and most of the light was coming from the moon, although it was a clear night and we could see plenty of stars.
I decided to pull out my phone and snap this picture…#nofilter
What are some of your favorite parts of this pic?
I love how blue the sky is and how vibrant the tree appears. I also love the contrast between the sky and the leaves on the tree. The stump is also interesting to look at along with the small fence in front of the tree and the other bushes that are illuminated.
I also love that for many years I have seen this tree, mostly during the daytime and I noticed it, but didn’t really notice it.
It just seemed like another tree….NBD…but now all of a sudden, illuminated under the clear night sky, it seems like a REALLY BIG DEAL!
Our perspective is significant. It is possible that we can look at something or someone time and time again….and then we get a different perspective, and we see things in that thing or person we had never noticed before.
At New Life, we are continuing our sermon series, “God up close and personal.” The goal is for us to look at various interactions God has with people and hopefully see Him from a new perspective.
This Sunday we are going to dig deep into a conversation God has with Cain. This one is super interesting and sad and also full of hope. I can’t wait to share more, but you have to come on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.
In the meantime, I challenge you to read the story for yourself from Genesis 4. Also…stay cool, I’m pretty sure we could fry eggs outside. Talk to you soon,
Troy
P.S. Our annual New Life Baptism Celebration is coming up on Sunday, August 6th at 5 pm at Lake Quivira. You can RSVP HERE to be baptized, have your child dedicated or simply come to celebrate as a church. Everyone is invited.
Month: July 2023
Livin’ on mission…
Over the past few days about 20-25 teens and leaders have been living at New Life, serving the city, eating a lot, and sleeping a little.
Several years ago our church began the tradition of serving right where we live. I love international mission trips and the experiences provided by extended travel (our oldest is in New Zealand now), but at the same time, it seems to make sense to partner with some of the awesome ministries right in KCMO.
Over the past few days this amazing crew has partnered with Freedom Fire Ministries, the Hope Center, the Carousel, Healing House, Downtown Development Daycare, Lincoln Prep Academy (you might recognize a few faces on this one 😊) as well as individuals needing help.
They have studied their Bible, had deep discussions, and played games like mafia and sarcasm.
I have loved hearing them come in and out of the church building….well kind of…they are pretty loud 😊. I want to say their energy is contagious, but I’m still tired just hearing about their day…
One thing I have noticed is that the more time they spend together, the more comfortable they become with each other.
The first evening was pretty calm…but now, after 48 hours…the inhibitions are gone….I hear a lot of laughter….and conversation…and chatter…and laughter…it just feels good.
It is significant that the more time you spend with others, the more you get to know them AND when you are a part of a mission bigger than one individual, there is an incredible sense of unity and camaraderie.
This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, “God: Up Close and Personal.” Often throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself to individuals. So, we are going to study the unique perspectives these interactions reveal. Sunday we will study God’s interaction with Adam from Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:9 where He outlines His boundaries.
Similar to the kids, when you get to know God better, you become more comfortable in your relationship with Him. There is much more to uncover, so I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.
Have a great evening,
Troy
24 Miles…
This morning at 7 am, our kids and two of their cousins started a challenge….run 1 mile an hour for 24 hours. So far, as I write, the core of the group is up to 11 miles and counting….
Based on their current level of commitment, I am pretty confident at least a quorum will survive till the end and travel a total of 24 miles by foot.
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t run it with them, but I’m hoping to join them this evening for a few miles, then as we look back in the future, we can say we all did it together 😊.
Over the past few weeks as the kids have been prepping for this challenge, we talked about the intimidating distance of 24 miles. From where I sit in my office at New Life CityChurch now, 24 miles would get them out to 159th Street in Olathe if they ran south or past the airport if they ran North.
I’m pretty sure each of my kids would have thought that distance would be impossible to run today….and I would have agreed with them.
However, breaking it down into smaller portions per hour makes something that would have seemed impossible become possible.
You will have to come on Sunday to hear about whether or not they made it the entire 24 miles…I’ll slide it into my sermon somewhere 😊.
More importantly, we are going to begin a new series introducing or re-introducing God entitled, “God, up close and personal.” Like the kids running, we are going to break our study of God into manageable pieces.
Similar to a 24-mile run, getting to know God might seem like a nearly impossible pursuit. God has revealed His character and nature along with His personality and passions. God has made it clear He is infinite and transcendent and at the same time, He is present and relational.
I believe if you and I spent the rest of our lives getting to know God, we would still have a long ways to go….at the same time, we can get started or keep going (depending on where you are in your spiritual journey) now and start making progress on this journey to know God up close and personal.
This Sunday, I plan to lay a foundation for knowing God with a sermon from Jeremiah 9:23-24, John 1:14, and John 17:1-3 entitled, “God has revealed Himself.”
I look forward to seeing you for our Sunday service at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.
Have a great weekend,
Troy
Putt Putt…
Over the past few years, our family has started a tradition of mini-golfing while on vacation. We love the challenge of putting the golf ball around obstacles, through tight spots, up and down hills, and if we are persistent into the hole.
You might know that we are a very competitive family and we have had to improvise in order to keep our vacations relaxing and not stressful.
So, in order to keep it fun, we play “best ball” on the putt-putt course. Each person partners up….and in order to keep it fair, we randomly select our teams.
As far as the game itself, we each have our good shots and then plenty of not-so-good shots.
If you have played mini-golf, you know how it feels to miss it badly…. it’s a feeling that is a combo of frustration and “hurry and play again in order to make it better” (I’ve named a new emotion 😊).
You also might know how it feels to get a hole-in-one…you know…you hit the ball and after it rolls a few seconds, you get a quick thought that it could be a hole-in-one…and then you doubt yourself…and then….
IT GOES IN!!!!!
And if you are like any of us….you jump…shout…and run to pick the ball out of the hole.
Then you pause for a few seconds to enjoy the moment.
The memory of a good putt is what gives me the desire and confidence to keep on playing.
This Sunday, I look forward to sharing the final sermon in our series from Galatians. We will be talking about the feeling you and I get when we sink a putt….this is a word that describes how we get “the confidence to keep going or to charge ahead.”
The particular word is “boast” and its found in Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul wrote this entire book to tell his close friends in Galatia who had reverted to finding confidence in religion that only the cross of Jesus gives us the confidence to charge ahead in life.
So what gives you the confidence to charge ahead in life? If it’s a hole-in-one….you really need to come on Sunday 😊.
I look forward to sharing more about boasting in Christ from Galatians 6:11-18, at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.
Have a great weekend and enjoy this cool weather,
Troy
Troy Campbell 