New Sermon Series starting May 5

One of the phrases I used to introduce myself to the staff and session nearly two years ago was: "I'm not here to maintain the status quo."  In hindsight, those words could have brought me a bit of trouble in another setting.  At FPC, we speak regularly about raising the bar, reaching those who have not yet heard the gospel in our community, and doing risky things like expanding our facilities - and I'm grateful to be a part of many of those decisions.  As a church, we're not content with the status quo.

I also appreciate that our preaching is not about maintaining the status quo.  You'll always heard God's Word preached here, but the form of our messages will change and hopefully become more and more accessible to those who aren't quite sure what to make of Jesus - while being attentive to those who already love Jesus and want to grow in their love for him.

Eugene Peterson says that it takes about 100 sermons to "find your voice."  I agree.  I'm not anywhere close to 100 sermons just yet, but I do feel a movement toward finding my voice and submitting that voice to God's service.  Starting in May, I'll get to do something I've never done before: start and end a sermon series.  Actually, our worship team has given me a lot of freedom to design this series from the ground up, and I'll be preaching the majority of the sermons throughout May and June.  It might be a good time to schedule your vacation. :)  I'm really excited to see what God is going to do in our worship during this series and truly humbled by the task ahead.

What's it about?  Good of you to ask. :)  If you follow this blog regularly, you've already seen one component of the series.  All of the sermons will be focused on Scripture and it's witness about how the gospel makes us whole.  In addition to Scripture, we'll hear pieces of Brene Brown's wonderful 2010 TED talk on vulnerability (http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html) in a few of the sermons.  I really do think Dr. Brown has a lot of insight to offer our congregation on what it means to be a community of people who are devoted to and pursuing transparency and vulnerability for the sake of Christ.  By the way - the apple image above is a teaser for the logo for the series.  Stay tuned. 

By no means do I think I'm the first preacher to integrate a TED Talk into a sermon.  And who knows - maybe this will be a risk that doesn't pan out very well.  I'm happy to take a risk with our church and see what the Lord does as we study His Word together.  Take a moment and watch Dr. Brown's talk and join me in praying for our worship this summer and always.

Solo Dei gloria,

Travis