Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

Jesus never worried. He grieved and suffered and cried, but he never worried. Which is why the 3rd clause of the Lord’s Prayer (“give us each day our daily bread”) is so important. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 Matthew 26:26

The number one question people ask me regarding prayer is: “How do I know if I’m praying for the right thing?” After all, if we’re supposed to be praying “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” (as it says in the Lord’s Prayer), then how do we know if what we’re praying for is God’s will? My short answer: it doesn’t matter. Listen for the longer answer. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13; Matthew 26:36-42 Quotations: Our “kingdom” is simply the range of our effective will . Whatever we genuinely have the say over is in our kingdom. -Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

Jesus prayed in a way that made his disciples ask him, “How do we do that?” His answer was what we call the Lord’s Prayer. This week: What does “Hallowed Be Thy Name” actually mean? Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Luke 9:28-29 Luke 11:1 Matthew 6:9-13 Quotation: This request is based upon the deepest need of the human world. Human life is not about human life. Nothing will go right in it until the greatness and goodness of its source and governor is adequately grasped. His very name is then held in the highest possible regard. Until that is so, the human compass will always be pointing in the wrong direction, and individual lives as well as history as a whole will suffer from constant and fluctuating disorientation. Candidly, that is exactly the condition we find ourselves in. —Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

Is it possible to love someone you don’t like? Is it possible to love someone while still disagreeing? Do you have to agree with someone before you can love him or her? Can you love someone while not liking what that person believes? This is not an academic question. In 21st century America, we’re each surrounded by people who don’t think the way we think. And, according to Jesus, his followers will be known by how they love their enemies. This week we talk about how. Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48 1 Peter 3:8-9 References: Martin Luther King, Jr. on loving our enemies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhMNr9NtSD0. Elias Chacour: “Children,” he said softly, turning those sad eyes upon us, “if someone hurts you, you can curse him. But this would be useless. Instead, you have to ask the Lord to bless the man who makes himself your enemy. And do you know what will happen? The Lord will bless you with inner peace—and perhaps your enemy will turn from his wickedness. If not, the Lord will deal with him….” Father’s othe

We’re always waiting for something, but Pentecost reminds us that what we’re waiting for is now. Scripture: Acts 2:1-39 References: “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist in either Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast to both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” -- John Wesley Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_akwHYMdbsM.  

There is one thing you can do to immediately to improve your relationship with your parents. This one thing applies to everyone, including: • people with bad parents; • people who never met their biological parents; • even people whose parents are no longer living. Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:16 Ephesians 6:1-3 References: The lyre bird: http://www.npr.org/2015/10/20/450038490/flights-of-fancy-exploring-the-songs-and-pathways-of-the-living-bird.

It’s a simple concept, but one that’s hard to really trust and believe: What if God’s mercy is actually hunting us down? Scripture: Psalm 23:6 Luke 15:1-7

Christianity is not a crutch. The gospel is honest about how hard life is at times. Sometimes we really are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But, we can learn to face the bad things without fear. We just need to practice the paradox. Scripture: Psalm 23:4, Romans 8:15-16. References: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain Jim Collins on the so-called “Stockdale Paradox, referring to Admiral James Stockdale (from “Good to Great”): "I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade." When Collins asked who didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied: "Oh, that's easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christm

In week 2 of our Hello Hurricane series we continue to explore the simple steps we can take to prepare for whatever comes at us. To be able to say “Hello Hurricane” with confidence, to be able to face life’s storms without fear, you’ll need to be more sheepish…. Scripture: Psalm 23:1-3 John 10:11-15 Luke 15: 1-7 References: “cast” sheep (3 examples) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fttt3fFTxk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lMGnrzUytI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6eZgBKwPKI Final scene from the movie “Hoosiers:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fttt3fFTxk

Fight for the Forgotten: Andrew Forrest interviews professional MMA fighter Justin “the Big Pygmy” Wren. Justin Wren was a suicidal drug addict, had a conversion experience, and then had a vision that God was telling him to go to the Congo rainforest and befriend these really oppressed pygmy people who are treated like animals. They adopted him and called him “The Big Pygmy.” Justin’s story is a story about how God takes our pain and redeems it. It’s a story about God at work in the world.

Storms in life are inevitable. Are you prepared? Unlike meteorological storms, life storms can’t be predicted or evaded: Life storms can only be endured. In week 1 of our Hello Hurricane series, we look at one of the shortest parables Jesus tells, and one that specifically tells us what we need to do to prepare for storms. Scripture: Matthew 7:24-29 Also Matthew 5:13-16 Matthew 5:27-28 Matthew 6:34 Matthew 7:1 Matthew 7:12 References: “Now we need to understand that what simply occupies our mind very largely governs what we do. It sets the emotional tone out of which our actions flow, and it projects the possible courses of action available to us…. “The deepest revelation of our character is what we choose to dwell on in thought, what constantly occupies our mind—as well as what we can or cannot even think of.” -from The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard