Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

I have this weird job whereby I have a relationship (sometimes close, sometimes relatively superficial) with thousands of my neighbors. As a pastor, I hear folks’ stories and prayer concerns and am invited into their lives in a unique way. And you know what I think the biggest problem is for people in our community? FEAR. If work is going badly today, fear is at the root. If your relationships are worrying you today, fear is the source. Fear causes ulcers, drives addiction, poisons our relationships. But what, ultimately, are we afraid of? We don’t like discomfort, but we also know that nothing in life comes without a cost and as we grow and mature, we become more willing to do something uncomfortable now for future gain. For example, we’ll workoutor go to the dentist or have the hard conversation if we believe those things will get us a good outcome. What we’re ultimately afraid of is not difficulty. What we’re ultimately afraid of is that in the end, things won’t be okay. You’d face chemotherapy courageousl

Chances are, this is probably true about you today: There is a gap between what you have and what you need. Maybe you need more TIME to get it all done. Maybe you need more MONEY to pay for it all. Maybe you need more PATIENCE to listen to it all. Maybe you need more LOVE to put up with it all. Maybe you need more FORGIVENESS to give up it all. Maybe you need more FAITH to believe in it all. Whatever it is, I bet there is a gap today between what you have and what you need. Normally, we try to close those gaps—more time, more money, more patience, more love, more forgiveness, more faith. But what if? What if the gaps you have are actually what you need? What if the gaps can be good? That’s what the Feeding of the 5,000 is all about. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: John 6:1-15 Reference: Goodbye to All That, by Robert Graves

Do you actually want things to change, or would you prefer to wallow in the filthy status quo? Lots of people (most?) complain about the way things are. Very few people are willing to do anything about it. This Sunday, we’re looking at the strange story of Jesus healing a demoniac: after the villagers see this amazing miracle—namely that a man they all knew to be crazy now healed and in his right mind—do they: A.  Beg Jesus to fix their other problems? or B.  Tell Jesus to leave immediately and never come back? Which would you choose?  Why? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

We Americans tend to be mistrustful of authority, with good reason. But, Jesus doesn’t use authority the way other people do: his authority leads to freedom and healing. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 9:1-8

When you think about it, our temptations are usually about going after legitimate needs in illegitimate ways... Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

We’re reading through the New Testament over 4 months this fall, and I’d like to challenge everyone reading this to join me, whether you believe or not, whether you’ve read it before or not, whether you go to Munger or not. I’d like EVERYONE to read along with me. Sure, it will be difficult at times, and you and I are joining to have to turn aside from digital distractions, but the main hurdle we face won’t be a distraction, but something else. Our main problem will be the same problem that Harry R. Truman had…. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: John 1:43-51

If Nehemiah’s story ended with the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem, the point would be clear: be like Nehemiah, and things will work out for you. But that’s not where the story ends, which means the Book of Nehemiah can’t be a leadership instruction manual. In fact, the author has another point entirely: You can’t change other people. Here’s what you can do instead. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Nehemiah 6:1-4 Nehemiah 13:15-31 Mark 10:45

What if becoming like Jesus isn’t actually that hard? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Nehemiah 6:1-4; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Matthew 11:28-30

There are three kinds of people: The first group has no discernible sense of mission or purpose but just drift with the cultural currents, moving from one social media outrage to the next, adopting trend after trend. These people accomplish nothing. The second group has a sense of purpose, but unfortunately, it is the WRONG purpose. These people may, in fact, accomplish that which they set out to accomplish, but because they were always heading in the wrong direction, actually arriving is a tragedy. The third group has a sense of purpose, and it’s the RIGHT purpose. What happens when they single-mindedly pursue this purpose? God does great things. I want to be in that third group. What about you? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Nehemiah 1-6

This Sunday I’m going to follow-up on last week’s Advice to my Daughter by doing the same thing for my son. What is a man? What does godly masculinity look like? What should he strive for? How will he know when he has arrived? It’s hard to define masculinity and not resort to cultural stereotypes (all men like working on engines) or to qualities that also apply to women (men are courageous, etc.). Any definition of masculinity has to be something that can only apply to men as men. Here’s what I think. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 3:8-12 Matthew 1:18-25 John 3:16 References: Dad Saves Montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Gpch0oEUM Thomas Vander Woude’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcxeUG-9Yc Father Thomas Vander Woude’s essay: “St. Paul exhorts men to love their wives ‘as Christ loved the Church, handing himself over for her’ (Eph 5:25). How does a husband and father hand himself over to his bride and children? He follows the example of Jesus Christ, who offered himself on the c

The wisdom literature in the Bible is about knowing the world as it is and living accordingly. We don’t conform reality to fit us—that’s impossible—but we conform ourselves to fit reality. So, we’ve been reading through Proverbs and are about to read through the Song of Solomon, and as a father of a daughter, it’s got me thinking: what does she need to know about the topic of marriage? Why does it seem that there are so few marriageable men? What happens if she never meets someone worth marrying? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, 8:4 Matthew 10:16 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

There is a seat at the dinner table next to Jesus, and he’s waving you over. And then you see the other people at the table with him, and you’re not so sure…. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Jonah 4

What if the judgment of God is actually a good thing? (Spoiler alert: it is. Here's why....) Scripture: Jonah 3 Preacher: Andrew Forrest

Everything is going to be alright. That’s what the famous episode of Jonah and the fish actually means. Not in a simplistic sense (after all, Jonah still gets thrown overboard and Jesus promised that we’d face difficulty and challenge), but in the deeper true sense: in the end, everything is going to be alright. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Jonah 2

What if the place you least want to go is the place you most need to be? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Jonah 1