Big Day…

A few days ago, a friend, who knew I was a pastor, commented about Easter Sunday and said, “this is your big weekend.”

And it is a big weekend…its definitely not mine….but I know what he meant.

And between you and I, Easter weekend certainly is big….the list of tasks is big, the expectations are big and to be honest, the pressure is pretty big. And because of this, it seems every year once we get through the weekend, I and probably all the others in ministry breathe a sigh of relief.

Have you ever felt this?

Tasks, expectations, and pressure can threaten to rob us of our purpose and joy.

The irony is that even as I prepare to deliver a sermon about the resurrection…I need to apply it.

😊

For real!

Here’s the point…from birth, I’ve failed to meet the expectations God and everyone else has for me…however, Jesus came and lived a perfect life and because of His love, took my failures…EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.OF.THEM…including death on Himself.

And then defeated sin and death when He walked out of that grave.

This is a big weekend…not because of what’s happening in the Crossroads at New Life CityChurch, but because of what Jesus has already done, 2,000 years ago.

I don’t know what you might be dealing with today…maybe like me, it’s tasks, expectations, and pressure…maybe it’s something totally different.

I think we can agree…if we focus on the struggles, we will struggle. However, if we focus on the hope Jesus has provided through the resurrection we will thrive.

I sure hope to see you for “the big weekend” at New Life CityChurch. Don’t forget we’ve added a service so you can come at 8, 9, 10 or 11 am. I am super excited to finish out our sermon series, “Jesus the Story Teller” by looking at His last story from Luke 20:9-18. Within 72 hours, Jesus would be on the cross…and within another 72 hours, He would walk right out of that grave.

I hope to see you Sunday so we can celebrate together,
Troy

Staked in….

Yesterday, Isaiah and Sophia had soccer practice while Dallas had a day off. So he and I decided to go to the fields and shoot on our own while the others trained.

We found a field with goals that were at the bottom of a short but steep hill. We each got on one side, rotated the wheels, and started to push.

It wasn’t moving much at all…we double-checked the wheels and then I lowered my shoulder and envisioned myself in a “Strong Man” competition.

It moved a little bit…so we kept grunting and pushing and making progress….we couldn’t figure out why it was so tough to move….

We wondered if the hill really produced enough gravity to fight against us…

We finally got it shoved up the hill and facing in the right direction…. then as I looked down at the bottom bar, I noticed there had been a stake in the ground….

We pushed it up the hill while it was staked into the ground!

Dumb jocks! LOL

Needless to say, once we figured out the issue with the stakes it moved much easier.

This Sunday, we are going to review another story from Jesus about someone who made his own spiritual life difficult on himself. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee who was dependent on his own righteousness in order to obtain God’s favor. Unfortunately for the Pharisees, his prayer revealed his own self-righteousness.

He was proud of how hard he worked in his own attempt to earn God’s favor. Kind of like us trying to move the goal with the stake in the ground….but were not proud of it 😊.

At the same time, the humble tax collector begged God for mercy (this word is very significant, but you have to come Sunday to learn more).

In the end, it was the tax collector who went down justified.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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

Crumbs….

Our dog’s name is Gratzi and there are times she is really chill and there are other times when she is a nervous wreck.

Although her behavior is certainly hard to predict, she has been pretty easy to get along with lately (maybe it’s the treats we give her laced with CBD…. 😊). She loves to nuzzle into any of us sitting on the couch.

And…she’s pretty smug about it….like she owns the place.

There are also times she gets pretty upset…anytime there are loud noises…she sprints (if dogs can sprint) upstairs and burrows under the bed. Sometimes the most unexpected things can set her off. On the positive side, she hasn’t snapped at anyone lately….

A few days ago, Leigh-Ann and I were going to go for a walk and as soon as Gratzi heard the word “walk” she started barking with extreme joy….unfortunately we weren’t planning to bring her…..but after we saw her excitement, we quickly changed our minds and took her out on the town. We used to have to spell words for our kids…now we need to spell keep secrets from Gratzi.

As much as we all love her, I can’t really take any credit for Gratzi’s behavior (and sometimes don’t want to 😊). Leigh-Ann and the kids were definitely the driving force behind getting her…and they do the majority of the work to care for her…even though we all pitch in, Leigh-Ann does the most….for sure!

Not surprisingly, it’s dinner time that Gratzi becomes most alive…she loves to gobble up crumbs from our table. She doesn’t know how to buy groceries herself and she’s never been approved for a credit card, so ultimately, she is dependent on us for her flourishing. And even the crumbs from our table are pretty great.

As humans, when it comes to our own lives, although we can get to and from the grocery store and have ways to pay for food, we are still dependent creatures. Whether we have a lot or a little, we didn’t make ourselves, our resources and we won’t live forever.

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, “Jesus the Story Teller” by studying from Luke 16:19-30, the story about the rich man and Lazarus. Like Gratzi, Lazarus ate the crumbs from the rich man’s table, but they both died. The future for the Rich Man and Lazarus in eternity wasn’t dependent on what they did, but rather on their faith. Also, if eating crumbs is any indicator of whether or not dogs go to heaven, there is a good chance Gratzi will be there 😊.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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

Falling…

Our kids are on Spring break this week so they decided to get out and try some rock climbing at ROKC.

They had a blast…and got a workout.

When I arrived around lunchtime, they were scattered throughout the gym scaling walls like pros.

One of our kids is pretty scared of heights….and when I walked in, he was up at the top hanging on to the slimmest of ledges about 25 or 30 feet high.

There were big kids and small kids, people of all ages from the generationally challenged down to toddlers, those with experience and first-timers…

Everyone was having a blast…even if they were high enough to break their neck if they fell….

And they did fall….again….and again….and again…but they never got hurt.

Why?

They wore a safety harness….so when they fell…it was a very slow fall back to solid ground.

Can you imagine if they were free climbing 30 feet in the air with no harness?

They would not have been laughing and racing up and down the walls for sure…..they would have maybe climbed a few feet off the ground and stopped.

But the harness, not only kept them safe, it freed them up to take risks and climb to heights they would never have gone.

The harness is a game-changer.

And so is the Gospel.

This Sunday, we continue our series, “Jesus the Story Teller” from Luke 16. In this story, Jesus is going to challenge the religious, who were depending on their performance, with the good news that Jesus would not only fulfill the law but would take the punishment for our sin offering us forgiveness and peace with God.

We are free to live without fearing the consequences of our sins…Jesus has already covered it.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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

Lost…

Many years ago, while we were still dating; Leigh-Ann and I decided to hike up a mountain in New Hampshire.  We found the trail and headed up. After hiking through trees and around creeks we started to get into rockier terrain. There were a few others coming down as we went up…encouraging us that the view was totally worth it.

And it was…breathtaking. God is immense and powerful!

Since we were running later than anticipated, we decided to head down fast.

Within a few minutes, Leigh-Ann said, “This doesn’t look familiar.”  I responded, “You were probably busy admiring my skill at navigating the rocks on the way up…we’ll be fine.”  A few more minutes passed…“this still doesn’t look right.” 

I responded, “Trust me; I know where we’re going.” 

Several more minutes passed, the trail had ended and we were fighting through branches and tripping over rocks and she said, “I think we better turn around.”  I responded quickly to communicate my confidence, “I’m sure that this trail will meet up with our original trail soon…at least we’re headed down.” 

We were lost…and it didn’t feel good at all and… it was totally my fault!

There was a point when I got worried we would run out of daylight…however, after hours of traipsing all over the mountain, we finally came to a creek and followed it out to a dirt road and within minutes we were able to flag down a car coming in our direction.  The lady (who by the way knew where she was going) agreed to drive us nearly ten miles to our car. 

Thanks to my lack of direction, we walked down the opposite side of the mountain.  I will admit that after a few hours, I began to get pretty nervous.  When the sun began to drop, I was flat-out scared.  The feeling of being lost is indescribably painful.

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, “Jesus the storyteller” and will study from Luke 15:11-32, the story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus told this story to two types of people, sinners and tax collectors and also Pharisees and Scribes. They were all lost. The sinners were looking for a way out through self-fulfillment and the religious were looking for a way out through moral conformity.

We will discover, the only way out is through the Father. There is so much more to share, but you have to come on Sunday.

I hope to see you after Springing your clocks ahead on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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

That little….

One of my favorite YouTube Videos of all time is Mark Rober’s Backyard Squirrel Maze. I have five kids and have seen my share of Dude Perfect, Mr. Beast, KC Chiefs, and of course the New Life CityChurch Channel😊.

So, why would I watch a 20-minute video more times than I want to admit and then also watch 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0? Why would I ask family and friends to sit down and watch this, nearly guaranteeing them it would be the best YouTube they had ever watched?

Because I have experienced the nuisance of squirrels.

Several years ago, some squirrels got into the attic space of our house. We could hear them running around and tried everything we could think of to get them out….if they would have accepted cash, I would have paid them generously.

I grew up watching squirrels take cherries, apricots plumbs, pears, and apples from my parent’s fruit trees. I still remember helping my dad spread out nets, and fasten noisemakers in the trees to keep them out.

More recently, I’ve watched them empty the five apple trees in our front yard. It’s been a few years since they have staged such a full-fledged attack on our trees, so I’m guessing the main culprit got hit by a car…I’m guessing…(no animals were harmed in the writing of this email) 😊😊.

I know how much pain squirrels can cause…and you probably do too. And after watching the video, I’m pretty sure there are nests of squirrels laughing at me and other humans who have attempted to slow down their antics.

So why do we dislike squirrels?

They are takers.

They are wasters.

They are selfish.

I hate to say it, but there are more times than I want to admit, that I am like a squirrel. Getting and keeping more stuff than I need….out of fear that I won’t have enough.

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, “Jesus the Story Teller” by studying from Luke 12:13-21 about the “Rich Fool.” In this story, Jesus reveals the covetousness in our hearts, tells us to guard against it, and then offers incredible hope for our future.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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.

And you really should check out those squirrel videos!
Troy

Blaring alarm….

A few nights ago, we were SHOCKED and ALARMED (pun intended) when our alarm went off in the middle of the night.

My deep, peaceful sleep was no match for the blaring alarm. In an instant, Leigh-Ann and I jumped out of bed. I ran downstairs, totally focused on getting to the alarm pad…before the whole house woke up.

Well…we found out soon enough…everyone was awake.

Back to my story….as I turned the corner in the kitchen in preparation for the final flight of stairs, I felt cold air.

My foggy brain registered…the door must be open…and within an instant wondered…WHAT IF THERE IS AN INTRUDER? (Sorry for the Caps, but the alarm was super loud, so I guess I was thinking louder 😊).

I think it was more adrenaline than courage, but as I descended the stairs toward the open door, I reviewed some of my wrestling moves from a few decades ago and prepped for battle.

Whoever was in our house CHOSE THE WRONG HOUSE!!! (At least that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself and everyone else 😊)

The good news is this story is anti-climatic. I looked in the closets and the garage and throughout the house and there was no sign of an intruder…Leigh-Ann who had her finger on 911 ready to call for backup “loud-whispered” down to see if I was ok. I told her she should have been worried more about the intruder….just kidding 😊.

We watched the video from our Ring Camera and there was no sign of any intruder.

We think the door wasn’t latched well and when the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, the door blew open…which is really quite comforting.

Imagine if there was an intruder and I wasn’t as tough as I imagined and I was overtaken, robbed, and left for dead?

I have no doubt you would have dropped everything to help me…but what if the victim was not a friend who just had his home burglarized, but rather a stranger? Would you help then?

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series, “Jesus the Story Teller.” Pastor Don will be preaching from Luke 10:25-37 about the Good Samaritan. In this story, Jesus makes the most hated person in Jewish society the hero of the story.

He does this in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” There is plenty more to discuss, but you have to come Sunday to get the rest of the story.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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.

Stay safe!
Troy

We are the champions…

In case you haven’t heard, the KC Chiefs won the Superbowl!!! What a game…coming down to a final field goal for the “W.”

On Wednesday, it seemed like most of the city took off work and school and descended on downtown. Since the parade route was only a block from the New Life CityChurch building, we set up tables covered in red (thanks Gary), picked up some extra water, hot cocoa, and coffee, and streamed the coverage in the auditorium.

It was shoulder to shoulder up and down the parade route…and it seemed EVERYONE was wearing Red!

Can you imagine if you had not watched the news, and then flown into Kansas City from another country and decided to take an UBER downtown on Wednesday?

You would wonder what was going on….why are people yelling and whistling and cheering as buses drive by…. you might even ask, who are these guys walking inside the barriers slapping high-fives?

It would take a kind person to attempt to explain what is happening…if I was that kind person, I would try to find something comparable to the country of my new friend.

I might try to compare the Superbowl parade to a parade following a political victory or a large concert if that would relate to my new friend.

Similarly, Jesus spent much of His time teaching about the “Kingdom of God.” But how could someone understand it if they had no context for it?

This is why Jesus spoke in parables!!!

Jesus is a master of telling stories that are both simple and profound, short and packed with meaning, spiritual, and applicable to every part of our lives.

This Sunday, we begin an eight-week sermon series entitled, “Jesus the Story Teller.” We will start off by learning about the parable of the sower and the seed from Luke 8:1-15.

I hope to see you on Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, 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.

Go Chiefs!
Troy