Archives: Messages

As the deer pants for streams of water, 
so my soul pants for you, my God. 
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Psalm 42:1-2a 
New International Version

MAIN ENTRE – JESUS!

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; 
for his steadfast love endures forever. 
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from 
the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; 
hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. They cried to the Lord in their trouble, 
and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.

Psalm 107:1-9 
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus compares himself to bread and water.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this 
living water? Are you greater then our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, 
as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

John 4:10-15 (NIV)

Water=Life // Jesus is the Living Water

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. 
For on him God the Father has placed 
his seal of approval.”

John 6:26-27 (NIV)

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. 
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, 
and whoever believes in me will never go thirsty.”

John 6:35 (NIV)

1 Kings 19: 4-9

BREAD

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, 
took bread, and when he had given thanks, 
he broke it and said, “This is my body, 
which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

I Corinthians 11:23-24 (NIV)

Bethlehem = House of Bread

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has 
eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, 
which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 6:47-51 (NIV)

All are welcome at the Connection Cafe!

CONNECTION HEALTH CARE:

Where We Share God’s Loving Care 
as Though Your Life Depends on It, 
Because It Does.

Health care is important to Jesus!

WAITING

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 
But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Psalm 130 
New International Version (NIV)

DIAGNOSIS
She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? 
Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” 
the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — 
or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, 
and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:40b (NIV)

PRESCRIPTION

Jesus straightened up and asked her,
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 8:10-11 (NIV)

FOLLOWING “DOCTOR’S ORDERS”

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, 
but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all 
together in perfect unity.

Colossians 3:5-14 (NIV)

verb (used with object), landscaped, landscaping.
5. to improve the appearance of (an area of land, a highway, etc.), as by planting trees, shrubs, or grass, or altering the contours of the ground.
6. to improve the landscape of.

The Parable of the Sower
(sometimes called the Parable of the Soils)

Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh,
you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from
the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:7-9
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The P’s of Landscaping

Planning

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

They [Paul, Timothy, and Silas] went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word of Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision; there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

Acts 16:6-10 (NRSV)

Prepping

God preps us through prayer and reading the Bible.

Planting

Pruning

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15: 1-4 New International Version (NIV)

How is your kingdom landscaping business going?

Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after 
he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the 
whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe 
will be condemned.”

Mark 16:114-16 
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:4b-5 
New International Version (NIV)

“He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses 
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, 
and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Acts 1:7-9 (NIV)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, 
in our own language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — 
in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Acts 2:1-13 (NRSV)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.”

Acts 2:14-15 (NRSV)

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Messiah.”

Acts 2:36 (NIV)

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those whom accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number daily.

Acts 2:38-41 (NIV)