The secret is out! Wait a minute! The secret has been out…for a long time.

My sermon theme for 2015 is FREEDOM! You can read about it here.

To a still-decimated Christmas break crowd 🙂 , I shared five expectations I/the people at OVCF can expect this year. I took them from Chuck Swindoll’s book The Grace Awakening and modified them to fit my situation. Here are those five expectations:

1. I believe you can expect to gain a greater appreciation for God’s gifts to you and others. We just spent two holidays focusing on God’s gifts to us. One of His greatest gifts if often overlooked-His grace. Let no gift be overlooked.

2. I believe you can expect to spend less time and energy critical of and concerned about other peoples’ choices. While we need to focus on the needs of others, we need to spend less time critical of them. We need to turn the spotlight of God’s Word inward and see our own choices. Getting a grip on GRACE will make us less petty.

3. I believe you can expect to become less judgmental and more tolerant. Be careful how you see this one. Sin is still sin and we must not give in or become more tolerant just because someone says we should. We need to be less focused on externals and desire a deeper, more authentic faith.

4. I believe you can expect a giant step toward spiritual maturity. I am not saying that as one superior because I feel like a dwarf to some. But I can attest to the giant leap forward in ’94-’95 when I read a book called Wisdom Hunter (a review is coming) and the subsequent drive to learn more about grace.

5. I believe you can expect God’s Word to be peeled back like an onion, and along with that, your own life. One layer at a time the Bible will shine its light on you.

Those were the five expectations for 2015. I have encouraged the folks to keep the study sheet in front of them and pray for these to happen. December 31 will find a different people than January 4th.  Why don’t you join us?

My next post will be a living, breathing example of grace extended to me just this past weekend.