Valley View Church

The thing I learned that day is that God is always working behind the scenes to prepare you for what is next, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Even when you think your work or season of life is a complete waste, He is still at work. One of our memory verses last year was I Corinthians 1:8-9. In it are two powerful phrases: “God is faithful,” and, “He will sustain you.” He is faithfully working behind the scenes to prepare and sustain you for what comes next. This is also a major theme of the book of Esther, which we started studying this past Sunday. God’s name is not even mentioned in Esther, and yet He is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating events. 

We try to do things with excellence at Valley View. We don’t ever want to excuse laziness or sloppiness. And yet we also never want to think it’s our ability to be polished and well put together or ‘professional’ that will transform the hearts of those who don’t know Christ. There is only one power that does that, and as Andrew pointed out Sunday, it is the power of the Holy Spirit stirring and awakening hearts to know and love Jesus.

John Piper lists ten reasons to read the Word daily, all of which increased my understanding of how essential our regular reading of God’s Word is for health and life and growth. The Bible is where we see what real life is about. Many of the messages we absorb throughout the day are tugging us toward a false reality – one not concerned with Christ. Starting the day by saturating our minds with truth helps us to believe truth rather than lies.

Seven years ago I walked into a meeting room to listen to our ministry leader give a monthly update. He said something along the lines of “This year I experienced one of the most profound moments of my life, in fact, apart from the birth of my children, it was likely the most profound moment.” What was it? A total eclipse of the sun. We were living in Little Rock at the time, not in the path of totality, and I didn’t care to take the drive up to Missouri, but after hearing this, I was sure we would drive wherever we had to this time.

…even in the midst of challenges, those who know Christ have a peace, a hope, and a joy that gives us the ability to acknowledge that we truly are blessed. That’s one of the things I love about Valley View. I love coming on Sunday and seeing joy pour out of so many, even in the midst of some very real challenges many are facing. We don’t pretend life isn’t hard, and yet we lean on the joy of knowing Christ and the power of community to get through the pain.

Who has God put on your heart to invite? They might be the beginning of a chain of eight or more families of a new spiritual family tree. God might use you to change the spiritual legacy of generations throughout our community just by taking one step of faith to invite someone. And over time, as we plant new family trees, our prayer is that these seeds grow into a mighty forest throughout all of Southwest Louisville!

Everyone wants to encounter God at church, that’s why we come. And when we do encounter God, when we experience His presence, we want others to know and experience that too. In fact, Bob makes the point that a worship service filled with the awe and joy of God’s presence is one of the most powerful evangelistic tools the church has today. Where else can one encounter the presence of God in such a powerful and tangible way? Even a pre-Christian (a friend of mine says that instead of ‘non-Christian’ – I love it) can sense that something powerful is at work in a worship service where God is moving.

After leaving Mammoth Cave we went to the Corvette Museum. A few years ago a massive sink hole opened up right in the middle of the main showroom of the museum. It swallowed up 7 or 8 collector Corvettes. Where did this sink hole come from? A cave that was deep under the structure, one there long before the museum. This dark cavern lay dormant for so long and yet eventually ate away at the life above it. 

How do we gain clarity in the spiritual realm of life? One of the songs we sing at church has the line “a sound mind so that I can see clearly.” How do we move toward a sound mind? For us, the starting place is the Word of God. It’s through God’s Word that the Holy Spirit speaks to us and guides and directs us.

Henri Nouwen in his book on the story of the Prodigal Son says it this way, “It often seems to me that the more I try to disentangle myself from the darkness, the darker it becomes. I need light, but that light has to conquer my darkness, and that I cannot bring about myself. I cannot forgive myself. I cannot make myself feel loved. By myself I cannot leave the land of my anger. I cannot bring myself home nor can I create communion on my own. I can desire it, hope for it, wait for it, yes, pray for it. But my true freedom I cannot fabricate for myself. That must be given to me. I am lost. I must be found and brought home by the shepherd who goes out to me.”