"Learning To Play"

This is the text outline from my sermon this past Sunday at our Sunrise Campus. It was the 3rd of a 5 part series entitled "It All Goes Back In The Box" (inspired by the book from John Ortberg entitled "When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box").

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Joshua 1:6-9

Play By The Rules:
-Play with integrity

-Integrity is not the same as reputation or "sin avoidance"

-Matthew 18:8-9

-Be aware of sins of commission and sins of omission (so often we get focused on not committing sin that we sin by neglecting the things we should do, remember these words from James 4:17)

Play With Gratitude:
-The events of recent days in Haiti should serve as a poignant reminder of our need to do this

-Please checkout UMCORHaiti.org for more ways to help

-Luke 17:11-19 (live as the one that gave thanks)

Play With Your Mission In Mind:
-Your mission starts where you are

-Your mission is not about you

-Your mission will use your strengths (Exodus 4:1-5...God used Moses staff, the very thing he knew and drew strength from)

-Your mission will be connected to a deeper need
*Frederick Buechner writes that "generally the kind of work God calls you to is work a) that you need to do and b) that the world needs to have done. The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

-Your mission means that God wants to use you
*Don't forget that Jesus chose a couple raggedy fishermen and a couple tax collectors as his closest disciples, he not only can but wants to use you