Welcome to the weekly podcast of Declaration Church in Spring, Texas led by Pastor John Sherrill. To learn more visit our website at www.declaration.org.
This week Pastor John continues through the Gospels' account of the birth of Jesus in the book of Mark. Interestingly, there is nothing about the birth of Jesus in the book of Mark, instead starting with John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. In the same way we can prepare our hearts in anticipation of Jesus coming, both at Christmas as a baby and as we wait for him to come again.
We all have a different perspective of Christmas based on our history and traditions. Each of the Gospel writers also viewed the story of Jesus birth through a different lens and wrote about it through that lens. This week we start a new series by looking at the Christmas story as told in Matthew.
We respond to how we feel, and we feel what we believe about ourselves and ultimately about God. When we receive His truth, we then can rest in our true identity. This week Jeff Rollins brings a message about how true rest comes by finding our true identity in Jesus.
It is easy to get busy during the holidays, which is why it is even more important to find time to recharge by connecting with God. You cannot poor out from an empty cup, which is why God is calling you to rest in His abundance to provide you with a refreshing that will carry you through the holidays and prepare you for the new seasons that are upcoming in your life!
"I love you more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow." In the final week of This is Us, Pastor John uses this simple phrase to show how your marriage can grow in intimacy with both the Lord and your spouse.
The last several weeks have been about engaging in your marriage and placing Jesus in the center of your relationship, but what if you are actually in a dangerous situation with biblical grounds for divorce? Or what if you have already been through a divorce, what happens next? Pastor John talks about this and more in this weeks message. We also hear from the Pyle's, a couple who both went through divorce and God redeemed their story on the other side.
Marriage starts with a vow of "For Better or For Worse," but when the worst comes, do you double down on that vow or look for the exit? It is easy to love your spouse when things are good, but it is when things get hard that our true character shows and we have the opportunity to love like Jesus, even when it's hard.
In Week 2 with Dr. Michael and Amy Smalley, they talk to us about the dance of love and respect that is necessary for a healthy marriage.
This week we had special guest speakers Dr. Michael and Amy Smalley come talk to us about communicating in our relationships. The Dance talks about how we get stuck in a cycle of escalation and avoidance that leads to deeper hurt and misunderstanding. The secret is recognizing we have entered this dance and finding an exit ramp to treat our partner with love and respect.