September 22, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Gospel, church, culture, culture check, vibe check, church culture
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of your soul and will sabotage your spiritual life.” That was what a Christian leader on the verge of burn-out heard from his mentor. It saved his life. ...
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September 17, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Gospel, vision, church, culture, culture check, vibe check
Farmers in Oklahoma during the late 1930’s faced an excruciating choice: would they hold onto their last seeds for self-preservation, or plant them for a larger harvest that would feed many? ...
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September 10, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
|
Category:
Sermon Series
| Tags: Gospel, church, culture, culture check, vibe check, Serving Others
It’s 1935. Germany is under the tyranny of Hitler and he is forming a powerful army trained to inflict cruelty and death. His tactics include fear, brainwashing, and domination. At the same time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer...
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September 2, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Gospel, love, church, culture, church hurt, culture check, church health, vibe check
What do you do when your life becomes a dumpster fire, burning out of control? It’s scorching others, destroying relationships, pushing you closer to the edge, and you suddenly realize you struck the match? When you look in the mirror and see not an innocent victim but the guilty fool whose selfish actions are tearing the kingdom apart, then what? ...
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August 20, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Jesus, Gospel, church, culture, vibe, culture check, vibe check, church culture
About 15 years ago my wife and I vacationed in Hawaii. Upon landing, we were asked multiple times by the airport authorities if we were carrying any plants, fruits, vegetables, birds, mammals, or reptiles. We were repeatedly warned, especially about smuggling in a snake...
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August 12, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Gospel, church, culture, vibe, church hurt, culture check, church health, vibe check, community, walking in the light, light, Jesus
Culture is the “unspoken rules about the way we do things around here." Unspoken. Unanalyzed. Unchallenged. Unquestioned. Every church has a culture.
Doctrine involves spoken rules, written rules...
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August 6, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
| Tags: Gospel, church, culture, health, vibe, home, welcome, church hurt, culture check, sermon
Our church culture should match our church doctrine. The latter shapes and informs the former. Since our primary doctrine is the Gospel, then our culture should align. Do we have a gospel culture? ...
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January 27, 2020
by Tommy Clayton
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Category:
Sermon Series
| Tags: newyear, new, year, proverbs, vision, church
There’s a place in the Bible where Solomon makes a keen observation about human beings. He writes, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). As one of the greatest kings of Israel...
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