http://jeffpaschall.com worship | connect | continue the conversation... Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:32:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en SERMON SERIES    Psalms SERMON TITLE    The desire for only one me SERMON DATE    01/22/2009 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Psalm 15 David Moore was a very successful pastor of the SW Community Church in Palm Dessert, CA.  His church grew from 400 people in 1987 to over 7000 people.  He erected a $36M, 300,000sqft complex set ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=96 SERMON SERIES    God’s Playlist SERMON TITLE    …worship when I feel spiritually flat? SERMON DATE    01/18/09 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Psalm 95 Dr John Stott is one of the most perceptive theologians of our time.  And he identifies… 3 hungers of the human heart.  1)  The hunger to matter… the desire to be significant… we want ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=93 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    What Makes faith Unforgettable SERMON DATE    06/22/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 13:1-40 Last week we posed that the 18 commands presented in this last chapter are here because 1) of the real needs these people were facing at the moment.  And 2) to plead with them to exercise their ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=91 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    What Makes faith Unforgettable SERMON DATE    06/22/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 13:1-40 It took a dozen chapters for the writer to stretch our minds and challenge our convictions.  He’s taken us from the ancient past and pondered when the Son of God fashioned our world… to far into the ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=90 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    Seeing the Unseen SERMON DATE    06/22/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 11:1-40 (I’ll try, Travis!) Whatever else you might say about faith… it’s very clear that it matters.  “Faith” surfaces 40 times in the letter to the Hebrews.  28 times in this chapter alone.  It’s what THEY needed in that ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=89 Rebecca Watson, an internet blogger made famous for her religious skepticism and atheism, said, “I once was a born-again Christian…but I’m not any more.” Every once in a while I a comment accusing me of being a liar, saying it’s impossible for me to once have been a “real” Christian ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=88 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    The Hard Edge of Christianity SERMON DATE    11/30/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 10:26-39 Dr. Michael Schermer is a writer for Scientific American and founder of the Skeptics Society and an advocate for evolution. (B.A. in biology, master’s in Exp. Psych, a PhD in the history of science).  You might ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=85 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    What Makes Christianity Better? SERMON DATE    11/16/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 9 One of these movies received the stamp from the American Human Society:  “No animal was harmed in the making of this movie.”  One of them… didn’t.  Guess which.  It’s a funny thought when you see that line… ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=84 Now there’s nothing wrong with the 10 commandments.  I think they are incredibly insightful.  And they cover everything from our perception of God… to our treatment of other people… from maintaining property rights… and proper sexual boundaries… to speaking truthfully and living contentedly.  IT COVERS THE WHOLE… GAMUT of human ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=82 SERMON SERIES    Hebrews SERMON TITLE    What Makes Christianity Better SERMON DATE    11/09/08 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Hebrews 8 Two times in my life my wife and I have purchased a home.  Maybe you’ve had that same experience.  The choosing… the deciding… the evaluating… and the dreaming all come down to this heart-stopping moment around a ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=78 I’ll never forget the woman who couldn’t wrap her mind around the truth that confessing her sin to me… did nothing to right her relationship with God!  I had to let her down!  “I CAN’T DO THAT!”  Countless times I’ve waded in to untangle a complicated relational mess… help them ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=76 I’m not telling you anything new when I tell you that most of us have been disappointed by a minister… a pastor… or a priest.  Either he wasn’t what we hoped… or he couldn’t help like we thought… or he let us down in his word or our expectations.  Maybe ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=74 ……………”Why isn’t He saying something?  Why doesn’t he DO something?  This waiting is annoying!  I’m just not going to sit here doing nothing!  I expect more!  If he doesn’t act or speak very soon I think I’m going to leave!”  These are not the thoughts you have of me… these ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=72 A woman prays a prayer to accept Christ… but after a few months she starts to drift away from church because she hears things she doesn’t like.  Like… giving… or hell… or something about homosexuality.  A young man in a Muslim country after professing Christ… is violently rejected by ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=70 If you were here last week. Ch. 5:11-14 is a rebuke! Because as a Christian… it’s NOT OKAY… if you’ve been a Christian for any reasonable amount of time… to not grow up! And know this… spiritual maturity is not a state that you enter and don’t ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=69 A number of years ago Robert Fulghum scribbled a note that became a popular poster… and then was expanded into the book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. It’s simplicity and innocence really makes you smile. “All I really needed to know about how ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=68 Derek Redmond arrived at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona determined to win a medal in the 400. The color of the medal was meaningless; he just wanted to win one. Just one.  Derek's father Jim had accompanied him to Barcelona, just as he did for all world competitions. ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=65 My wife ran the San Diego marathon in 2004... pregnant!  It was an amazing ordeal.  Not the pregnant part.   My wife has been pregnant most of our marriage.  What was amazing to me was what she described at the end of the marathon.  As she and the other 20,000 runners ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=64 Let me spell out two very different pictures of the Christian experience. We’re born. Somehow through the course of our life we come to understand the gravity of our moral failings… that we’ve done wrong and gone wrong before a Holy God… and through His grace… we come ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=61 A year from now some of you will no longer be here.  For some of you… a job may take you to another city.  For some… you may move away to college…  Some of you… may decide to change churches even… for any number of good reasons.  And some of ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=60 The Californian reported yesterday that 80% of Americans believe there are many ways to believe about spiritual things... many legitimate options of religions... and you're fine!  (Oprah denies Christ illustration.  "There just CAN'T BE one way!  There just CAN'T BE!") One of the most offensive beliefs of Christianity to modern ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=59 The pull to quit is very natural. Everyone of us has had to learn not to give up when the task before us becomes difficult or dangerous or just plain pointless. We'd rather just walk away and just do something else more productive… or maybe just pain-free! ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=56 Scripture:  Matthew 6:25-34 Although you might not verbalize it, I’m sure the thought goes through your mind… “What if…?”  What if he loses his job?  What if it’s… cancer?  What if I’m not good enough for them anymore?  What if they grow up and quit God?  What if my parents find ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=55 Trouble has a way of narrowing our focus… not necessarily in a good way.  You know, you hit your thumb with a hammer and pretty much all you can think about is the throbbing of your thumb.  It narrows your focus.  You let somebody ridicule you, and all you can ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=53 So… can we TALK?  Last week we learned the reasons it isn’t as easy as we might think.  But what we learned last week is that the problem in communication isn’t with our mouths… but with our hearts.  Sometimes the problem isn’t our WORDS… or even our SKILLS…  the problem ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=52 We’ve taken a look at the following aspects of marriage: That it was God’s idea in the first place. We’ve asked the question, “Why not have sex with anyone?” We’ve asked the question from both sides, “Can I respect You?” And we’ve realized, with God’s power… ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=50 SERMON SERIES    Stay Married SERMON TITLE    Can I Respect You – part2 SERMON DATE    05/04/2008 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Ephesians 5 Last week we saw, that because of sin, Conflict has ravaged the human landscape.  It is the main cause why a lot of marriages go belly up.  And now for relationships to even have ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=48 SERMON SERIES    Stay Married SERMON TITLE    Can I Respect You SERMON DATE    04/27/2008 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Gen. 3 A woman took her husband to a doctor for a check up.  And before they left, the doctor pulled the woman aside and said, “You know, stress is killing your husband.  If you don’t make some ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=47 SERMON SERIES Stay Married SERMON TITLE Why Not Have Sex With Anyone? – part 2 SERMON DATE 04/20/2008 SPEAKER Jeff Paschall TEXT 1 Cor. 6 We talked about this last week… we live in a sexually supercharged society. So ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=45 SERMON SERIES Stay Married SERMON TITLE Why Not Have Sex With Anyone? SERMON DATE 04/13/2008 SPEAKER Jeff Paschall TEXT 1 Cor. 6 Let me begin today with a disclaimer. This message does carry a PG-13 rating. I say ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=44 SERMON SERIES Stay Married SERMON TITLE Why Get Married – part 2 SERMON DATE 04/06/2008 SPEAKER Jeff Paschall TEXT Selected Scripture On rare occasion… I’ve have given people the finger. The last time I remember it… was about 3 ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=42 SERMON SERIES    Stay Married SERMON TITLE    Why Get Married? SERMON DATE    03/30/2008 SPEAKER    Jeff Paschall TEXT    Selected Scripture If you ever want to know the real answer to tough questions… ask a kid.  (Andrew, “Have you ever been to a funeral?”  “…do weddings count?”) We have a lot of questions about marriage… and, thanks to ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=41 This is a cool picture Micah Durham took of me and the fam. http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=40 Yesterday Andrew (9) and I were talking about easter and Jesus and death and I asked, "Andrew, have you ever been to a funeral?" And he replied, "Do weddings count?" http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=39 The popular television drama ER usually led off with a predictable incident that would grab your attention. There’s a flurry of activity… racing bodies clad in turquoise wheel a gurney into the ER… and you know what happens… on the count of three they transfer the bruised and bloodied ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=38 SERMON SERIES Palm Sunday SERMON TITLE The God You’ve Been Searching For SERMON DATE 03/16/2008 SPEAKER Jeff Paschall TEXT Daniel 9; Luke 19:41-44; Rom 8 Finding God is a lot like playing hide and go seek with a two year old. I remember it most playing with Jordan when she was little. When she was ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=33 SERMON SERIES Contagious Christianity SERMON TITLE When You Open Your Mouth SERMON DATE 03/02/2008 SPEAKER Jeff Paschall TEXT I Peter 3; Mark 2:15-17 When I was 19 I used bus tables at T.G.I. Friday’s. One of the men who ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=32 Some churches grow by shuffling the decks. You know, Christians just moving around from one church to another. Some churches grow by childbirth (fertility drugs in the communion juice). Some churches grow by just filling a room with whoever, however. But filling a room is not ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=30 John 14:12 Jesus tells his disciples in some of His last words to them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” As this ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=29 This is going to be used in a sermon someday! http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=28 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  To count yourself means “to think” – to believe that something really is true!  That’s the first step!  Monitor and change your thinking! Now that doesn’t mean you’ll give in or fall on my face.  ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=26 "The only thing I like about baseball is that you get to smack things... and sometimes break things on accident." - Andrew Paschall, 9 http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=25 I think you would have liked James. James had a magnetic wit and a warmth about him that seemed to put everybody else at ease. He loved kids. And He saw in Jr. highers the potential to turn the world upside-down for Jesus. I think that’s ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=24 I know how we think, because I’ve thought this too. Jesus… doesn’t really ASK much of us! After all, he simply tells us to BELIEVE in Him… and TRUST in Him to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. AND HE ONLY ASKS… that ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=22 Jesus must have been a P.R. staff member's worst nightmare!  Jesus, at the peak of his popularity turns to see the sea of people who claim to follow Him and tells them bluntly... "EXPOSURE to Christ... dose not make a FOLLOWER of Christ." Jesus isn't distracted by the inflation of his ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=21 I thought I learned it all. We ended a 12 week series through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount titled "Inside Out." And I was amazed at what I learned. The most impacting thing was how Jesus deals with the pandemic problem we have with greed and worry. And ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=20 Born 9lbs. 2oz. at 3:07pm, Thursday, December 6th, 2007. http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=18 Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Jesus is urging people to take the initiative. Come on! Make the spiritual decision… and interact with God about that decision. He’s saying, ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=17 Although you might not verbalize it, I’m sure the thought has gone through your mind… “What if…?” What if I lose my job? What if it’s… cancer? What if I don’t make the team? What if she grows up and doesn’t live for Christ? What ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=16 Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. It’s impossible to do two mutually exclusive things. You can’t go east and west ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=15 In our weakest moments we reverse the order of the Lord's prayer. Instead of praying how Jesus instructed - God's glory - then our good - we put ourselves on the spotlight. We worship... not God... but ourselves. And this is how it sounds. “Hey, God! Make ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=14 Someone I came to know when I became a youth pastor surprised me when I head him confess that one of the unspoken rules in his family as he was growing up was to evaluate everything in light of one particular question. They never outwardly asked the question (well, ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=13 This note was posted in the office of a church I visited this summer over the copy machine It read, "Dear God, so far today I’ve done alright. I haven’t gossiped. I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy or grumpy or nasty or selfish or ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=12 This photo was from Christmas break 2006. I just thought it was cool. http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=11 Early on when I was first attempting to learn the game of golf I remember it being an entirely frustrating experience… The entire sport is so impossible! I knew very little about keeping score… which club to use… and I quickly learned that, no matter how skilled ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=9 Most of us are familiar with the term “politically correct” – although I’m not sure many of us can define it very well. It rarely has to do with politics and often… it isn’t even correct! The more humorous ones are things like: It’s no longer called ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=8 In August this year our staff had the opportunity to attend one of the satellite locations of the WCA leadership conference at Journey Church in La Mesa. One of the speakers was pastor John Ortland who is also the author of a book called The Life You’ve Always Wanted. ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=7 Most of the time we don’t know what would make us happy… one time I ate a whole box of fried mozzarella sticks from Smart and Final… And I was happy!... for about 2 days… I’m not going to say what happened… And I won’t tell you ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=6 If you think that lawyers have it bad with stereotypes about them… think for a moment about preachers. For the longest time I didn’t want to be one because most were overweight. They wore white shoes. A lot of them had big, poofy hair. Preachers are notorious for speaking long and ... http://jeffpaschall.com/?p=5