Getting Ready for Sunday, July 5, 2015

dunguaire-castle,-ireland,-castle,-lake,-reflection-126009

Join us this Sunday at King’s Cross as we continue our series, “Pray Like Jesus: The Lord’s Prayer”

“Your Kingdom Come”

Read these scripture passages: Isaiah 9:6-7, Revelation 11:15-16
and consider the following questions:

–How do you feel about Kings? Is it possible for there to be a good King?

–Why does Jesus spend so much time talking about the Kingdom of God? If Jesus is the King of this Kingdom how does that shape your view of him?

–How do we call for Jesus to change our circumstances, other people, our culture if we are not willing to be changed ourselves? What are some areas that you are resisting that Jesus wants to change in you? What areas can you see Jesus extending his rule over in your life?

–The purposes of God’s Kingdom have been misunderstood since Jesus’ day? How are Christians  misunderstanding it today? What are the effects of these misunderstandings in our culture today?

Songs we’ll sing include: 
Let us Love and Sing and Wonder, Indelible Grace

Have Mercy by Sandra McCracken


Lead on O King Eternal, Indelible Grace

Getting Ready for Sunday, June 21, 2015

father& daughter

“Father & Daughter” by Shanna Bruschi

Our Father…

Join us this Father’s Day at King’s Cross as we celebrate our good good Father in Worship. This is our second week in our series, “Pray Like Jesus: The Lord’s Prayer.”

The words of the Lord’s Prayer are beautiful in their simplicity yet powerful in their application to the whole of life. This week, we continue our look at the phrases contained within this well known prayer so that we can see both the richness of each distinct part and the fullness of the whole prayer. It will be our goal to understand what Jesus was teaching his disciples and how what he taught them can be of great help to us in our daily lives.

Father Is Listening
Matthew 6:9a, Galatians 4:6

Questions to consider:
1. What are the popular views of Fathers in our culture today? Are they positive or negative? How does this impact our cultures view of Fathers?
2. Read Matthew 6:9. How does Jesus’s directing us to call God Father impact the way we approach God in prayer?
3. How do your views of your Father impact how you think about God?
4. Read Galatians 4:6. How does this verse inform you about your relationship to God? How might you pray different thinking about God as your Father?

Songs we’ll sing include: 

In the Hours


Lay My Burdens Down


Beautiful Things

Getting Ready for Sunday, June 14, 2015

teach usThis Sunday at King’s Cross, we begin our Summer Series, “Pray Like Jesus: The Lord’s Prayer.”

The words of the Lord’s Prayer are beautiful in their simplicity yet powerful in their application to the whole of life. For the next 12 weeks we will look at the phrases contained within this well known prayer so that we can see both the richness of each distinct part and the fullness of the whole prayer. It will be our goal to understand what Jesus was teaching his disciples and how what he taught them can be of great help to us in our daily lives.


Matthew 6:5-8
“Teach Us to Pray”

Read Matthew 6:5-8 and think about the following questions:

–What warning does Jesus give us about our motivation for doing good/righteous things?

–How is Jesus calling us to consider our motivations and search for approval?
What is the difference between the the hypocrites and gentiles prayers and how Jesus calls us to pray?

–If Jesus wants us to look to God as our Father as we pray then how should we look at ourselves as we pray to him? What difference could how we look at ourselves change the way we pray and live?

Songs we’ll sing include: 

Let us Love and Sing and Wonder


Approach my Soul the Mercy Seat


Beautiful Scandalous Night

Prayer is the Greater Work

prayerPrayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God. The way fruit remains firm is through prayer, but remember that it is prayer based on the agony of Christ in redemption, not on my own agony. We must go to God as His child, because only a child gets his prayers answered; a “wise” man does not (see Matthew 11:25).

Prayer is the battle, and it makes no difference where you are. However God may engineer your circumstances, your duty is to pray. Never allow yourself this thought, “I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly cannot be used where you have not yet been placed. Wherever God has placed you and whatever your circumstances, you should pray, continually offering up prayers to Him. And He promises, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do…” (John 14:13). Yet we refuse to pray unless it thrills or excites us, which is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We must learn to work according to God’s direction, and He says to pray. “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

There is nothing thrilling about a laboring person’s work, but it is the laboring person who makes the ideas of the genius possible. And it is the laboring saint who makes the ideas of his Master possible. When you labor at prayer, from God’s perspective there are always results. What an astonishment it will be to see, once the veil is finally lifted, all the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

From My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers (click to buy)

Oswald Chambers The Key of the Greater Work.

Psalms of Ascent: Lenten Prayer Guide: Week 1

lent 2015

This Lent at King’s Cross, we are praying through the Psalms of Ascent. Here is week 1.

Psalms of Ascent (click here to download full Lenten Prayer Guide)

WAIT  Psalm 130

First Week of Lent, Feb. 18-21

I. Opening Prayer

O, LORD

No day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in Thy sight.
Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;
Praise has been often praiseless sound;
My best services are filthy rags.
Blessed Jesus,

let me find a hiding place in Thy appeasing wounds.
Though my sins rise to heaven,

Thy merits soar above them;
Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell,
Thy righteousness exalts me to Thy throne.
All things in me call for my rejection,
All things in Thee plead my acceptance.
I appeal from the throne of perfect justice to Thy throne of boundless grace.
Grant me to hear Thy voice assuring me:

   that by Thy stripes I am healed,
that Thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
that Thou hast been made sin for me
that I might be righteous in Thee,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins, are all forgiven,
buried in the ocean of Thy concealing blood.
I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost, but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning, but cleansed.
Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to Thy cross,
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
Open to me the springs of divine knowledge.  Amen.

“The Broken Heart”  from The Valley of Vision

II. Psalm 130

  • Read Psalm 130 aloud slowly. What captured your attention?
  • Meditate on the Psalm. One-minute silent reflection. What words or phrases particularly struck you?
  • Pray the Psalm. How does it lead you to praise, confess, thank, or petition Christ?
  • Obey the Psalm. What is God asking you to do? How will you be obedient today? How will the spoken word get infused into your everyday life?
  1. Reflection and Listening: Silent and Written.

IV. Prayer for Cypress 

Local Schools:

Adam Elementary Andre’ Elementary Ault Elementary Bane Elementary

Bang Elementary Birkes Elementary Black Elementary Copeland Elementary

Anthony Middle Aragon Middle Arnold Middle Cy-Fair High School

Cy Creek High School

Churches:

Bridgepoint Community Church           St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church

Neighbors:

-Pray for your across the street neighbors

King’s Cross:

-Pray for Dennis, Jane, and the Hermerding family

V.  Hymn:

From the Depths of Woe (Psalm 130)

Music by Christopher Miner, Words by Martin Luther

1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee, a voice of lamentation.
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me, And hear my supplication.
If Thou iniquities dost mark, Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,  O who shall stand before Thee?
2. To wash away the crimson stain, Grace, grace alone availeth.
Our works, alas! are all in vain; In much the best life faileth.
No man can glory in Thy sight, All must alike confess Thy might,  And live alone by mercy.
3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord, And not in mine own merit.
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit.
His promised mercy is my fort, My comfort, and my sweet support.  I wait for it with patience.
4. What though I wait the live-long night, And ’til the dawn appeareth.
My heart still trusteth in His might, It doubteth not nor feareth.
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, Ye of the Spirit born indeed,  And wait ’til God appeareth.
5. Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth.
His helping love no limit knows, Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, Who will at last His Israel free,
From all their sin and sorrow.

VI. Closing Prayer

Father, I know my wounded and broken places oh so well. At times they can consume me and keep me from being able to hear your voice. Help me to see my pain as an invitation to know you more intimately rather than a reason to doubt the goodness of your heart. Help me to know that through my pain you desire to accomplish something very good in me. In the name of Jesus, the Author of our salvation, who was “made perfect through suffering.”  Jim Branch

Getting Ready for Sunday, February 8th, 2015

“Ministry without prayer is the highest form of arrogance.”- John Vicary

This Sunday at King’s Cross, we continue our journey through the Gospel of Mark in our series “Glimpses of Good News.” This week, we are in Mark 1:35-45 and we will take a look at The King’s Ministry… His prayer, His purpose, and His pity.

Read Mark 1:35-45 and consider these questions for Sunday:

– What does it say about Jesus that He goes away to pray? Why are we so hesitant to pray? What does that say about our view of God?

– What was the purpose of Jesus’ ministry? What did the crowds and disciples think it was?

– Why does Jesus tell the Leper who was healed to be silent?


Songs we’ll sing include:

Come People of the Risen King  Getty/Getty/Townend


Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing  Robinson/Nettleton


Satisfied  Williams/Digerness


Cling to the Crucified  Bonar/Twit


Lead on O King Eternal Shurtleff/Pardo

A Prayer for the New Year

sailboat

Happy New Year! Here is a great prayer to begin 2015 from The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions   

 A Prayer for the New Year

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me
Except the days are passed in Thy presence,
In Thy service, to Thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour
that I may not be a moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love
Advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father, as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, as my helm,
Thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy call,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.

May Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

Amen.

find The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions on Amazon.