Gary Walter

Mark 1:29-39 When Jesus went to a "deserted place, "he prayed. That's not what most golfers do when they set up on the first tee, unless it is a prayer concerning their slice. And there is no way the experience of golf can be equated with a deeply spiritual, mystical experience. But there are some lessons for our spiritual lives to be learned from both Jesus' flight to a quiet place, and a golfer's drive to the green.

Jeremiah 1:4-10 In God's infinite wisdom, and with God's infinite power, God has chosen you, only you, as the only one who can stand as a particular kind of witness, perform a unique kind of ministry, give a distinct shape to Christ's body here on earth. You are the only one God chooses for this task. Only you can do God's work as only you can do it. Together with every member of the body of Christ, we make up a community of "onlys."

I Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 We all have spiritual gifts and are part of the body of Christ.

Luke 9:1-6 Evangelism starts by asking for God’s power and authority. The disciples were not sent out in their own strength or their own authority. A Lifestyle of evangelism involves asking God for opportunities to speak of him in our everyday lives and being willing to make use of them when he provides them; and he will provide them.

John 13:1-17: Love is not an emotion. It is an action. And the stage for the action of love isn't in the human heart or the mind of God. It's in the daily grind of living on this dirty planet. The promptings for love don't come from some mysterious emotion; the promptings come from basic human needs. People get dirty feet and love washes them. People get sick and someone sends them a letter. Love expresses itself not in grand gestures of heroic proportion, but in menial renderings of humble service.

1 Peter 5:6-11

Matthew 20:20-28 You shoot, you score, and your team wins the game if your score if more than the others. You serve in love, you score, and the Kingdom wins in any given day, situation, circumstance where Kingdom players outscore the opposition in love. It is time to serve as Jesus serves and gives his life for us.

Matthew 1:18-23, 28:16-20 In order to be successful playing basketball during a game you have to continue to rebound throughout the game. In order to be a strong believer you need to proclaim your faith throughout your life.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 We look in our changing world for attitudes that go against the game plan that God has given to us. We need to understand God's plan for relationships, gossiping, overeating, genetic questions, what we watch on Television. We need to be clear that we are made right with God not by our actions but by the act of Christ on the cross. Rev. Paul Burris, 4/17/2016