The Olive Branch

NEW MESSAGE SERIES
RATIONAL LIES
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
to Get What We Really Want

So, the question is - who’s responsible for believing stupid things; the people who spread the lies or the people who believe them? Maybe it doesn’t make any difference. By the time the crazy stuff makes its way into our lifestyles, the people who lied have died. Unfortunately - the crazy stuff we believe is not just philosophical - it gets worked out in flesh and blood, and then lived out for generations. It seems like it would make sense to identify the lies - before we rational-lies it into our lifestyle!

Sunday April 7, 2013. 2 Services @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM
Love Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry
Forgiveness and humility are not on the wish list of most people in our world.  However - they are on the prayer list for anyone close to a person who will not forgive - or will not humble their pride. To not forgive, to not open your heart, humble your pride, ask for forgiveness, make things right - is to defy God and dissolve in your own poison. Jesus calls us to a much better way!

Sunday April 14, 2013. 2 Servces @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM 
Guest Speaker: Laird Crump 

Sunday April 21, 2013. 2 Services @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM 
Kid’s Are Resilient - They’ll Be Just Fine!
To do what we want, get what we want, and take the short-cuts we want - we’ve convinced ourselves that divorce is just fine; that our kids will just experience a bump in the road and then move on to open their hearts and accept the choices we’ve made on their behalf. The truth is that God loves divorced people - but hates divorce. For a reason. He knows that what we tell ourselves about our future is not true. The road to wholeness is usually paved with humility - and surrounded by incredible grace.

Sunday April 28, 2013. 2 Services @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM 
It’s My Money!
To do what we feel like with our money - which usually involves some rationalization that keeps us from generosity - we have believed the lie of our culture: “It’s all mine. I earned it. I deserve it. And if I have some left over when I’m done - I’ll maybe give some to God’s projects!” And we can do that; God has given everyone a free will - and space to operate! But the truth is that what we have - including our bodies and every breath we take - is not our own. It’s a gift from a Father with a BIG family. The truth is that the life - and the finances - and the heart that God blesses - is characterized by generosity. And generosity doesn’t just happen. It’s a discipline. It may be one of the primary acts of faith.

Sunday May 5, 2013. 2 Services @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM
The Customer Is Always Right
It’s one thing to believe that God has called us to have life-changing impact; it’s one thing to believe that the Spirit working in us and through us has transforming power; it’s one thing to believe that God has created me for a purpose - and given me all I need to be welcomed into God’s Presence with, Well done…way to go! It’s quite another thing to take on the sometimes messy task of opening, developing and using the gift I’ve been given! So…let’s find out what they are, figure out where our sweet spot will be - and do the one thing Jesus said will characterize the greatest people who live: SERVE!

Sunday May 12, 2013. 2 Services @ 9:30 & 11:15 AM 
Mother’s Day: You've Come a Long Way Baby!
Christianity has sometimes been accused of the repression of women. That just doesn’t agree with what history makes clear - or what Jesus and early church leaders had to say. How guys treat girls, how men treat women - is a huge deal to God! And it is a huge deal when it comes to how relationships work…or don’t work.

Sunday May 19, 2013. 1 Service @ 10 AM 
Not Me!
The single most-used rational lie that we tell ourselves - and need to believe about ourselves... is the not me version of it. Stuff happens to other people... but not me!  Yeah, I saw the mess... but it wasn't me! That could not possibly be me that they were talking about!  I will beat the odds... I will be the one who can do this and get away with it............
There is this sneaky part of our hearts that wants to push all the blame away from ourselves - and wrap our arms around all the glory! In childhood, it's called "being a kid -- lying!" When we get old - in pop psychology terms, it's called denial. This not me thinking may be the single most destructive rational lie we tell ourselves!

Sunday May 26, 2013. 1 Service @ 10 AM 
You Only Go Around Once…
The beer commercials seem to hold the patent on gusto…if you want to call it that. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a beer - but gusto? You only go around once - so…drink beer? Impress your friends with your expensive car, because…?? Jump off of bridges tied to a gigantic rubber band because…? Blow a bunch of money on traveling to exotic places, doing risky things because…? Go wild on Spring Break and do stupid things that make you blush when you sober up because…? There’s something to be said for adrenaline. Beauty and excitement and fun with friends are all good gifts to enjoy. Laughter is an amazing gift. But the point of going around once is…to live on purpose. Meaning, living out your calling, changing someone’s life. Those are the kinds of things that need to be at the center of the Bucket List!

Sunday June 2, 2013. 1 Service @ 10 AM
Marie Ens: Mother Theresa of Cambodia