Your view determines your values, and your values direct your life.

What is your lost cause in life? What has you ready to give up? A person? A situation? A big project? All of us have things we've quietly put into the "lost cause" category. For the disciples, feeding the five thousand felt like an impossible task. But looking in the face of their limitations, they learned this: a lost cause is never lost on Jesus.

Your view determines your values, and your values direct your life.

"Who am I" is the question posed in the classic game Guess Who. Through the process of elimination we narrow down the field to figure out which character our opponent is. Sometimes, we treat life like this but instead asking who other people are, we are trying to figure out who we are. We want identity. That's a good thing because without identity, insecurities run wild. That's why we've focused on this one thing today... Jesus wasn't bound by insecurities; He was established by identity.

A polluted attitude of worship will always lead to polluted acts of worship.

If you were known by your past jobs, what would your name be? Teacher? Banker? What if you were known by your family history? Would your name be Divorced, Bankrupt, or Funny? What about sins or emotions? Lust, Gossip, Anger, Happy, etc.? You can't choose what people call you, but you can choose what name you answer to. It's about identity, knowing yourself. When you don't know yourself, every emotion, bad day, and personal struggle can spiral out of control. So, here's the example we will learn today: Jesus wasn't bound by insecurities; He was established by identity.

Tonight's message is a brief introduction to our new study in the book of Malachi. We pray expecting this series to be used to help refine our lives for God's glory.

Jesus asked some of the most obvious questions, but sometimes an obvious question isn't about a simple answer. Sometimes it draws out a deeper issue. That's exactly what Jesus did when He asked a man who had been crippled for 38 years if he wanted to be healed. But why, in a crowd of afflicted people, did Jesus only heal this man? We can't really answer that question perfectly but we know this: Jesus found the one who needed Him most at the time most needed. And if He found the crippled man, He can find you too.

Life is full of highs and lows. Some seasons are full of joy while others are marked by pain. Some you see coming; others hit you by surprise. The nobleman found in John 4 was a dad with a son on his death bed. He came seeking Jesus in desperation but the lesson we learn is that in our difficult seasons, desperation is by design.

Thank you for joining our summer nights series on the parables of Jesus led by Tim Pemper. If you're interested in joining us in person, services start at 7:00pm. While this series will be on the livestream each week, we have other classes on campus as well. Our children will be studying the parables with practical, fun learning tools such as music, legos, cooking, and crafts (check-in at 6:30). Our teenagers' summer theme is Real which begins with a hangout time at 6:00 and service at 7:00. We have a ladies class called Encountering God and another coed class called the Foundations of a Nation both beginning at 7:00. Please reach out to our front office if you have any questions. We would love to have you join us!