Called For A Purpose: “The Power of Pentecost” - Lance Richards

Thrive: “Joy: Thriving in God's Strength” - Ken Coneby

We are struggling with the concept of joy in the face of something ending. And it’s not the ending we want, but it’s the ending we need. We don’t like change, but if you want to work towards the goodness of God, if you want to see that good ending, it takes being a person of purpose, love, and hope. Ken asks, “do I really hate endings?” Sometimes good endings catapult us to more joy! Sometimes the problem is that we can’t have the ending AGAIN. Sometimes the only things worse than a bad ending is no ending at all. Nehemiah 8:10, 12:27-28a, 30-31, 38a, 40-41a, 42b-43 ---------------------------------------- fmhouston.com [fmhouston.com]

Thrive: “Kinship” - Ken Coneby

How many of us when we look at any institution do we say “I trust that”? The more people that are involved, the less we want to trust it. Institutional trust is at an all-time low. It’s a hindrance, not a help. In the meantime depression, anxiety, isolation is on the rise. Too many people are trying to do it alone - because it does not feel safe to do it together. Somehow we have to create spaces that defy the distrust of organizations. And we have to be brave enough to realize that the only way to do that is to not live lives in isolation. Nehemiah 6:15-16, 8:1-12 ---------------------------------------- fmhouston.com [fmhouston.com]

Thrive: “Abundance” - Ken Coneby

At the heart of what we struggle with, so many times, is that we do not believe transformation can take place. We don’t believe we can fix what’s wrong without money or power that we don’t have. We want to see transformation in our lives, we want to see change for the better. But we feel like we’re not in a place to make that happen. When we talk about abundance, we get uncomfortable. It’s all surrounded by our belief about what it takes to have abundance. Because the world has a definition of abundance. But that definition flies in the face of the desires God has for us. Nehemiah 5:1-18 ---------------------------------------- fmhouston.com [fmhouston.com]

Thrive: “Witness” - Ken Coneby

Nehemiah knew the immense pain that his people were going through, and so he sought to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Because he knew that if people are ever going to switch from a life of survival to a life that is thriving, they need a sanctuary. If we want to be witnesses to the deep love of God, we need to be a people who create sanctuary. Nehemiah 2:9-12a, 15a, 16-20; 4:1-9, 13-15 ---------------------------------------- fmhouston.com [fmhouston.com]

Called For A Purpose: “The Power of Pentecost” - Lance Richards

As the church prepares for a massive vote on the future of the church, Lance returns to the Book of Acts and the story of Pentecost. “When we talk about membership in the church, it comes from this passage,” he reminds us. “We are part of one body.” God is calling us to a Pentecost moment, to be all together, one body, one movement, a light shining brightly on a hill. “Movements begin with faith, not certainty.” On the day of Pentecost, the disciples got busy praying. We need a Pentecost moment, too. But it can only happen when the church comes together in prayer. ---------------------------------------- fmhouston.com [fmhouston.com]