Crossing the border

I vividly remember the first time I was outside of the United States and was crossing the border back in. I was a teenage and with my family had crossed the bridge that connects El Paso, Texas, and Juares, Mexico. In those days a passport was not required but you had to verbally declare to the border patrol officer the nation of your citizenship. I enthusiastically stated that I was a citizen of the United States because I was proud to be, but also so I would not be stranded on foreign soil!

In a spiritual sense, we are citizens of one “country” (Phil. 3:20) but are currently residing in another (John 17:16). As we continue our Bible study series, “Amazing Reasons to Trust God’, this Sunday’s study in the Word will help us see more clearly our spiritual connection and help us overcome the fears that our “alien status” sometimes causes us. I also trust as we can focus more on our spiritual connections that we will be enthusiastic in our declaring before others that we are part of the kingdom of God, and that they too can enjoy the benefits of citizenship through faith in Christ.

If you want to get a head-start on this study read Luke 12:22-34 / If you missed any of this series, you can get caught up at www.WaggonerMedia.com

Amazing Reasons To Trust God

Here is a little "heads-up" on what I am preaching on for the next few weeks... In case you haven't noticed there are many reasons to fear, in fact it seems like just about anything can scare us. God obviously knows this, for more than 60 times in the Bible we are told not to fear. If you would like some help in this area I want to invite you to go along on a spiritual journey over the next two months.

We are going to use these "fear not" passages to uncover some amazing reasons to trust God. You will be blessed -- and perhaps you know of someone who is needing some encouragement that you can invite to join you. Make plans to be part of this encouraging study in these troubling times.

Sundays 9:00 and 10:45 p.m
You can follow this series online at www.WaggonerMedia.com

Fear or Faith?

The photo to the right was taken by my friend Dan Robinson, for those of you in Charleston you will recognize that it was taken from Fort Hill, looking North across the Kanawha river toward Charleston. It is also obvious that it was taken during a thunderstorm. (For more of Dan's weather pics go to www.AppalachianSkies.com) This picture is now being worked on by our graphic artist and will become the main graphic for my next sermon series, beginning Nov. 1.

I chose it because the lightening can be viewed one of two ways. Is it a source of fear that one should run for cover and tremble in its presence or does it stand for a power that is beyond us and that power is one that can uphold us in scary times? Right now it seems to me that the mood of most of us is that there is some fear among us, some frustration or worry that things on many levels are not quite right. To respond correctly we must not look at the storms but the one who controls them!

There are more than 60 times in the Bible where God instructs us not to fear and some of these will be the passages from which we learn together that there are some amazing reasons to trust in God, no matter how ferocious the onslaught. I would appreciate your prayers as I study and seek to find ways to communicate these truths. The results can be heard live at Bible Center or after the fact on www.WaggonerMedia.com - whatever the means of delivery - I pray they will cause you to trust more and tremble less.

Bible Teaching Online

Six complete Bible Teaching series are now available online, these include sermon outlines, mp3 audio, and mp4 video.

I trust these will be a blessing and do feel free to share these with others. If you would like to obtain Powerpoints for any of these series feel free to contact me via the website. Note: Powerpoints are widescreen 19:1 format.

www.WaggonerMedia.com

Blessings,
Jess

In the Master's Hands

I used this video to introduce the final message (#8)in the "Extreme Makeover: Soul Edition" series. It is a fitting summary of what God is doing in the life a believer. You can access the entire series at www.WaggonerMedia.com (notes, mp3 audio, mp4 video). Enjoy...

Bible Teaching Series Online

In case you have not browsed over to my homepage at www.WaggonerMedia.com I want to let you know what you can find there. You can find the latest Drive Time Video, as well as the last 15 episodes in a handy player. You can find complete Bible teaching series with Mp3 Audio, notes in pdf and Mp4 video. Please feel free to distribute or use any of this material, notification and credit is always appreciated. There are also links to my personal photo galleries, an archive of writing projects and more.

You can also find a brief bio, and info about my current ministry assignment as the Senior Associate Pastor at Bible Center Church, West Virginia's only megachurch.

So get here to click on over..... www.WaggonerMedia.com

Driverless Car

I used this video clip to illustrate a point in my message on Sunday. Just as it may not be a good idea to have a driverless car (at least not yet) it also a good idea to make sure we have the right "driver" steering our lives. Eph. 5:18 tells us that we are to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us - literally to control us. We need to allow Him to take the wheel. The great news is He is already available as He indwells all believers. He also is able as He has all the divine attributes of God, and He is willing to change us from the inside out. He is both the architect and the builder of the new you.

If you want to hear more you can listen to the complete message all of the others in the "Extreme Makeover: Soul Edition" series on WaggonerMedia.com. Comments always welcome.

Celebrity or Hero?

I won't share his name, not only because he would be embarrassed but because you wouldn't know it. I recently ran into an old friend. It was great to see a warm smile of friendship on his worn face. I wanted to tell you a little about him but was wondering if you would listen. If I name dropped a celebrity name you may have taken notice. But why would we? For some reason the star of some meaningless TV show, or the voice on a recording or long-gone victories on the athletic field grabs our attention. We take note, we stop and look and listen. We tend to overlook real character while being captivated by the emptiness of make believe fame. Instead, we see a well-known face that was once a person we all thought we "knew." We don't think much of the addictions, the failed relationships and the layers of self-centeredness, we only see the face that once beamed from so many autographed 8x10 glossies.

No, my friend is no celebrity, he has simply kept his marriage vows for 40 years, took his kids to Sunday School, went to work and paid his bills and above all loved his God. He is not a household name but he is a hero. Not for what he did that was noticed, but what he did wanting no notice.

I prefer heroes to celebrities.