Advent 2023

SERMONS | ADVENT GUIDE | ADVENT PROJECTS

"Advent" means "arrival." And since the early church, God's people have celebrated the arrival of Jesus' birth during this time of year. As we remember his first arrival, we also look ahead to Jesus' promised second arrival - when He will return and make all things new. So, each week, we'll look at different aspects of Christ's coming and how that should shape how we think, feel, and react to the Christmas season.

SERMONS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: Hope

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: Peace

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Joy

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Love

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Christmas Eve

(Sermon)

GRAB THE BOOK

To help us prepare our hearts for the Christmas season, we wrote an Advent devotional guide for you and your LifeGroup to work through during this season. The suggested donation is $8 per copy.

ADVENT PROJECTS

One of our goals as a church family is to be generous people. So every year around the holidays, we press into generosity to think about God’s generosity to us and to talk about how we can grow in walking in the kind of generous love He’s shown to us. 

This year, we are focusing on three practical ways to grow in generosity:

#1. START TITHING

We consider tithing a spiritual practice that helps develop a lifestyle of sacrificial generosity. We encourage church members to set up a recurring tithe because the gospel transforms us to be generous around the holidays and throughout the year. It’s also specifically how we fund and fuel all we do as a church in our city.

#2. PERSONAL FINANCE SEMINAR

We want to equip our church family to be spiritually healthy by stewarding the financial resources God has entrusted us. On January 27 from 9am-12pm at our Downtown church, we’re hosting a practical training class to manage your finances, pay off debt, invest well, and practice biblical generosity.

#3. GIVE TO SERVE THE CITY 

Serve the City is our initiative as a church family to partner with local organizations serving the most vulnerable people in our city. This year, we want to fund the various Serve the City events we do throughout the year to serve these organizations and the people they work with. These funds will also go towards our Serve the City Weekend on March 16, 2024. We partner with the following local organizations:

• Transitions

• Home Works for America

• The Ezekiel Center

• Epworth Children's Home

• Daybreak

• Salvation Army

Embodied

Oversimplified narratives about our bodies surround us. Through conversations and airwaves, we are constantly told what we should pursue with our bodies, how we should think about them, and what dangers follow disagreement with the cultural ethos of desire, gender, sexuality, and marriage.

But these messages skip over some very essential questions–questions like: what is your body, exactly? What is your body for? Who created it, and with what purpose? What is the eternal destiny of our bodies, and how does that inform what we do on a normal week? 

Join us for an eight-week series unpacking God’s plan for the human body–a majestic story from beginning to end.

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DISCLAIMER for parents:

During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.

The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: Telos

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: Ish and Ishah

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Union

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Eros

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide) (Married Couples Conversation Guide)

Week 5: Epithumia

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 6: Resurrection

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 7: Incarnation

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 8: Q & A

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

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Q & A Podcasts

During our Embodied series, we had over 70 questions texted in. To cover these questions more fully, we’re releasing a handful of extra podcast episodes to further equip you.

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During the series, we want to know the concepts and ideas that you wrestle with the most or would like to learn more about. We'll base the final sermon of the series off of the submissions we receive.

To submit your topic or question, text "LEXINGTON" followed by your topic to 855-855-0655.

People of the Pages

Midtown Fellowship started over 15 years ago, in 2007, in a context where Christ's name was abundant, but faithfulness to his teachings sometimes was not. The resounding question back then was: Why aren't we just doing what's on the pages?

Fast forward fifteen years, and new challenges face the church that we must learn to navigate if we want to live out being a Jesus-centered family on mission faithfully.

These challenges require us to look again at our Bibles and ask questions like: What are we at risk of neglecting as Christians today? What must be rediscovered and re-committed to if our story is to remain the same story – to be a church that says, "Why don't we just do what's on the pages?"

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: People of the Pages

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: People of Jesus

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Enchantment

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Known, Loved, and Challenged

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Enjoying the Imperfect

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 6: People of Presence

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Jesus &

Jesus Christ controls the universe with His power. He is supreme, and how you view Him changes how you view everything else. But Jesus is also intimately personal -  what does Jesus have to say about you? What does He say to you in your hurt? What does He have to say to you in your doubts? What does He have to tell you when you screw up?

For this series, we’ll spend seven weeks looking at how Jesus interacts with different types of people in Scripture and what He has to say to us too.

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: Jesus & the Jealous

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: Jesus & the Slow to Learn

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Jesus & the Hurting

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Jesus & the Outcast

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Jesus & the Bully

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 6: Jesus & the Doubter

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 7: Jesus & the Little Ones

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Stand-Alone | The Parable of the Wonderful Father

Sermon by Michael Bailey on June 18, 2023.

In Luke 15, we find one of Jesus' most famous teachings. It is often called "the Parable of the Prodigal Son" or "the Parable of the Two Sons." While the two siblings have much to teach us, perhaps we are also invited to understand this passage through a different lens: the Parable of the Wonderful Father. In this passage, Jesus radically upends what many believe God is like and invites us to recapture the wonder of His love and grace.

Colossians

SERMONS | RESOURCE ROUND-UP

A growing church. A bustling city. Cultural pressures threaten the way of Jesus - from religion to philosophy, to mysticism and politics.

It’s here, around 60AD, that the apostle Paul, in prison, writes to this church. Here, he offers a panoramic view of Jesus and how this bigger view changes how you view your life and reality itself.

So for the next ten weeks, we’ll study this book as we ask - what does the church in Colossae have to say to our church? What are the cultural pressures we face? And how does a bigger view of Jesus change how we view everything else?

SERMONS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: TexMex & Christianity

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: All Things for All Time

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Mature in Christ

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Hold Fast to Christ, the Head

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Put Off

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 6: Getting Heaven Into Us

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 7: Getting Heaven Into the Home

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 8: Work, Slavery, and Power Dynamics

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 9: The Frisbee on the Roof

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

RESOURCE ROUND-UP

One of the main ways we grow into the image of Jesus is to listen, meditate, and live out what He says in Scripture. To help us with that, for this series, we’re offering resources to help you further study the passage from Sunday.

Below you can find related videos, podcasts, and articles to learn more about the passage we studied that Sunday. You can also choose to receive those resources every Monday straight to your inbox. Just type in your email below. For now, we only have the first few weeks of the series posted, but more will be added soon.

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Enter your e-mail to receive resources directly to your inbox every Monday of this series: *

WEEK 1

WATCH

“Book of Colossians Summary” from The Bible Project (9 minutes) For almost ten years, The Bible Project has released short explainer videos of every book of the Bible. This video provides a visual overview of what Colossians is all about.

“How to Read the New Testament Letters” from The Bible Project (6 minutes) Another one. Along with Bible book overviews, The Bible Project also has a series on how to read different genres of the Bible. This one centers around how to read New Testament Letters.

“Letter to the Colossians” by N.T. Wright (14 minutes) If you don’t know the name, N.T. Wright might be the GOAT in New Testament studies. Combining both the academic and pastoral, Wright provides the cultural landscape of Colossae, situated within the Roman Empire.

LISTEN

“Strength to Wait with Patience” from Desiring God (3 minutes) A devotional written by John Piper on Colossians 1:11 - is available both as an article and as a podcast episode.

READ

“Knowing the Bible: Colossians and Philemon” from The Gospel Coalition (over an hour) TGC released a free 12-week class on this book. Talk about a deep dive.

WEEK 2

WATCH

“Heaven and Earth” from The Bible Project (7 minutes) Like we mentioned in the sermon, Heaven is more than just a place you go to when you die. As the video explains, the emphasis of the Bible is that Heaven is a reality you can experience through Jesus now.

“Understanding God’s Identity in the Bible” from The Bible Project (8 minutes) Arguably one of the densest pieces of theology in the Bible, The Bible Project explains the concept of the Trinity.

LISTEN

“How Did God Reconcile All Things to Himself?” from Desiring God (14 minutes) John Piper dives more into Colossians 1:20 on his popular Ask Pastor John podcast series.

“The Son of God: Dr. Iron’s Trinitarian View of Jesus” from Trinities (50 minutes) This is a deep one - one of the premier Trinitarian theologians discusses the biblical view of the Trinity on a podcast devoted to talking solely about the Trinity. Meta.

READ

“He Holds All Things Together” from Desiring God (30 minutes) Both a sermon and a manuscript unpacking Colossians 1:15-20 from David Mathis, the executive editor at desiringGod.com.

“The Preeminence of Christ” from Reformed Theological Seminary (22 minutes) A seminary chapel message to an audience of mostly seminarians, Dr. Dusenbury unpacks Colossians 1:15-20.

WEEK 3

WATCH

“What Happens When We Die According to the Bible?” from The Bible Project (55 minutes) Last week’s text/idea was a big one, so to unpack a bit more on this concept, here’s more from Dr. Tim Mackie.

Kids Bible Devotional - Rooted in God | Colossians 2:6-7 from YoungHearts Ministries (5 minutes) Ok this is a little cheesy, but a great little video to teach kids about being “rooted in Christ.”

LISTEN

“Guard Yourself with Gratitude” from Desiring God (35 minutes) This is a sermon of John Piper’s from 1985. So yeah, this is a throwback.

READ

Colossians and Philemon For You by Mark Meynell For those interested in Bible commentaries, the “For You” series is an accessible, concise set of commentaries that digs into different books of the Bible.

“The Incomparable Christ” from Reformed Theological Seminary (15 minutes) Dr. Ligon Duncan works through this passage in Colossians expositionally with his seminary students.

WEEK 4

WATCH

“Spiritual Beings series” from The Bible Project (about 5 minutes per video) When Paul mentions “elemental spirits” in Colossians 2:20, he doesn’t really believe evil spirits exist…right? In this video series, The Bible Project brings up an important concept that serves as a helpful biblical backdrop.

LISTEN

“What is Baptism and How Important Is it?” from Desiring God (45 minutes) Baptism is a central part of Paul’s argument in this passage - so how are we to think about baptism biblically? John Piper got you.

READ

“How Do Baptism and Circumcision Correspond?” from Desiring God (46 minutes) Also central to Paul’s argument in the passage is the connection between circumcision and baptism. So….what’s that about? Once again, John Piper on the mic!

The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser If that Bible Project video series whet your appetite, then check out the book that inspired it (outside the Bible, of course). This book teeters on the intellectual side, so Heiser also released a non-academic version of the book too called Supernatural. Either book is well worth your time.

WEEK 5

WATCH

“The Glory of Christ and Racial Unity” from Desiring God (45 minutes) What does Jesus’ death and resurrection have to do with racial unity? A lot actually. Here, John Piper unpacks how because of Jesus’ work, He is drawing all people to Himself.

LISTEN

“Saved From God’s Wrath” from The Bible Project (56 minutes) The Bible Project not only is the top-tier video resource, their podcasts are also pretty solid too. In this one, the gang covers how to think about the atonement.

“The Light Beyond the Light” from Desiring God (4 minutes) I love that title! In this quick podcast, John Piper unpacks what it means to be seated with Christ.

READ

“The Incomparable Christ” from Reformed Theological Seminary (20 minutes) Once again, Dr. Ligon Duncan, president of RTS, teaches through the book of Colossians.

BONUS VIDEO

A couple of years ago, most of us learned to be pros at Zoom. The key phrase here is, “most of us.”

WEEK 6

WATCH

“What Jesus Meant by Eternal Life” by The Bible Project (6 minutes) The call to “put on” Christ is a call to step more and more into the abundant life Jesus makes us available to us now. The Bible Project unpacks this more.

“What Happens When We Sing?” by Desiring God (1 hour) In Colossians 3, one way in which we let the “word of Christ dwell in us richly” is through singing together. In this sermon, John Piper presses into this idea and why singing is a crucial practice in our formation to Jesus.

LISTEN

“Gloria Furman on Eternal Outlook for Everyday Life” by The Gospel Coalition (49 minutes) ”Whatever you feel defines you, look at this in light of what you read in Colossians—that this life is not all there is. You know that. We all know that. God has put eternity in man’s heart. But we have to do the hard work of remembering that our life is hidden with Christ in God.”

“Matt Chandler on Worship” by The Gospel Coalition (48 minutes) In this sermon given to an audience of worship pastors, Matt Chandler speaks on the importance of worship in our lives.

READ

Following Jesus Together - We created a website on spiritual practices to help us further “put on” Christ. Here you’ll find blogs and videos on how to abide with Jesus, confess sin, fast, and more.

“Living Together When Christ is All” by Desiring God (26 minutes)

WEEK 7

Watch

Parenting Resources from Midtown Fellowship There are a million voices and blogs telling you what to do and not do as a parent. So we created and pooled together some of the best parenting content to help!

“Marriage: Forgiving and Forbearing” from Desiring God (53 minutes) Colossians speaks to the importance of marriage. Ephesians 5 is also a great text in the New Testament, further unpacking that. In this sermon, John Piper speaks to how marriage is a pointer to the work of Jesus.

LISTEN

“How do I Not Provoke My Children?” from Desiring God (12 minutes) Colossians 3:21 warns against fathers provoking children. But what could that look like?

”Family of God” from The Bible Project A podcast series on the biblical theme of family from Dr. Tim Mackie and Jon Collins. Enjoy!

The Family of God sermon series from Midtown Fellowship How we love our neighbor reflects our love for God and how we love God manifests itself in how we love our neighbor. And the reality is, while our “neighbor” encompasses everyone, it most immediately applies to who we share a home with and see daily. Check out our sermons from 2021 as we unpack this more.

READ

Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley “Discover simple habits and easy-to-implement daily rhythms that will help you find meaning beyond the chaos of family life as you create a home where kids and parents alike practice how to love God and each other.”

Family Worship by Donald Whitney “Gathering together for worship is an indispensable part of your family’s spiritual life. It is a means for God to reveal himself to you and your loved ones in a powerful way.”

WEEK 8

Watch

"Does the Bible Support Slavery?" from The Gospel Coalition (1 hour) Dr. Peter Williams (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) argues, based on the standard definition of slavery, no. "To make his argument, he examines the key Old Testament and New Testament texts said to support slavery. Along the way, he looks at the biblical words commonly associated with slavery and how their translation has changed over time. He also looks at the logic of the Old Testament world and the way ancient societies were structured quite differently from ours."

LISTEN

Precious in His Sight sermon series by Midtown Fellowship. In our sermon, we explored the power dynamics at play in Roman culture and how Jesus speaks into those dynamics. And while our context looks different than Rome, we want to equip each other to understand better our nation's history and how to navigate such issues.

Work sermon series by Midtown Fellowship. We can put love into our work without necessarily loving our work. Check out our sermon series from 2019 to learn more.

READ

Garden City by John Mark Comer. "Does God care where I work?" "Does he have a clear direction for me?" "How can I create a practice of rest?" Check out this book on work to learn more.

How Then Should We Work? by Hugh Whelchel. This book covers topics like the difference between work, vocation, and calling as a Christian, the history of the Christian view on work, the call to "reweave shalom" through your job, how to live a life of deep significance, and more.

Resources on Race by Midtown Fellowship. "As followers of Jesus, we stand up for righteousness, truth, justice, and love - because those things are definitive of life in the Kingdom of Heaven…In the list of resources, we've also included links to organizations and opportunities for you to take further steps to stand up for justice and love." 

WEEK 9

Watch

“How Does God Answer Prayer for Others?” by Tyler Staton (13 minutes). When we pray for others, what happens to us? Check out this video (and honestly, this whole series is awesome and worth your time.)

“Paradise Now” by Tim Mackie (50 minutes). From the 24-7 Prayer USA Conference, The Bible Project’s Tim Mackie talks about entering this Heaven and Earth reality when we step into prayer.

LISTEN

“The Power of Persistent Prayer” from Midtown Fellowship (30 minutes) This was from our Acts sermon series in 2022. (Personally, I’m a fan of whenever we can mention Dwayne the Rock Johnson as an example.)

“The Practice of Prayer” from Midtown Fellowship (38 minutes) Fom our 2020 series based on the Sermon on the Mount, “The Way of Jesus.”

READ

“Abide” from Following Jesus Together. For some practical steps on prayer, including blogs and videos, check out our Abide page and practices like “Lectio Divina” and “Examen Prayer.”

“Persevere in Prayer!” from Desiring God (5 minutes) John Piper unpacks Colossians 4:2-6 and offers five guidelines for prayer.

A Praying Life by Paul Miller IMO, this is one of the best books of prayer in the last ten or so years.

BONUS VIDEO

Hoop dreams!

Stand-Alone | Easter 2023

Sermon by Brandon Clements on April 9.

Our Easter sermon will focus on reasons why we can be confident Jesus is alive, and why that should make us incredibly happy. Join us on this Resurrection Sunday to celebrate world-changing news!

Baptism Stories

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Wait Till I Get My Money Right

SERMONS | WEEKLY HOMEWORK

The Bible, and Jesus in particular, have an awful lot to say about money and resources. One commentator says there are over 2,000 references to material wealth in Scripture. Jesus spoke more about money than he did about faith and prayer combined. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that our approach to money is a primary indicator of the health of our hearts.

And if that’s the case, we have a lot to learn. 65% of Americans say finances are a significant source of stress. The average credit card debt per household is $14,241—with the total in our country hitting $787 billion and nearly a third of Americans with no savings plan. 

So how do we think and live well with our money? How can we learn from Scripture to get our financial house in order and, in the process, help our hearts to flourish in the Kingdom of God?

SERMONS

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: Cash Rules Everything Around Me (C.R.E.A.M.)

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: It’s All About the Benjamins

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Working 9-5 (What a Way to Make a Living)

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Can’t Buy Me Love

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Bonus Podcast: Midtown Midweek | Money FAQs

(Podcast) (Debt Snowball Calculator)

Weekly Homework

Our goal for this series is to apply what Jesus has to say about money to our lives and follow him as we manage what, in reality, is already his. To accomplish this goal, we will have weekly homework for you to intentionally work through outside your LifeGroup time. Then, when you meet with your LifeGroup weekly, you will have time to discuss your homework and what Jesus is teaching you.

WEEK 1 HOMEWORK

Spend some time reflecting and journaling through the questions below. If you are married, then discuss these questions with your spouse.

• What is your financial story? How does your family treat money?

• Where have you experienced seasons of financial strength or hardship?

• What is your overall perspective and attitude towards money (Do you want more of it? Does it make you scared or nervous? Do you stress out because of it? Etc.)? 

• What purchases do you make to fill a perceived need in your life? Where are you tempted to overspend?

• Read Luke 12:15-21. What do you think it looks like to be rich toward God? If someone looked at your bank account, would they naturally conclude that you are rich toward God? Why or why not? 

• Read Luke 12:32-34. What does it mean to provide yourself with treasures in heaven? Where are you sacrificing potential treasures here on earth in order to send your treasure forward to heaven? How might you grow in generosity through this series?

• Are there any beliefs, attitudes, or actions you currently have regarding money that you know are unhealthy or sinful? Where do you hope to see your life grow in light of this series?

• This week, regularly ask God to remind you that your identity is found in him, with true security and significance

WEEK 2 HOMEWORK

Here are some goals for you to consider for your homework this week. You may have additional financial goals you want to set as well. If you are currently not practicing any or some of these goals, we encourage you to use them as a starting point.

Goal 1 - Start giving

Generosity is a step in trusting that God will provide for all you need as you seek to advance his kingdom first. Scripture calls us to start with generosity to God and then meet our basic needs. What our Midtown members commit to in our membership covenant is giving 10% of their income to Midtown as a baseline. If you are not currently tithing, start there as a first step in following Jesus with your finances. Then, give to other ministries and missionaries as you sense the Lord leading you. The goal is to start somewhere. Aim to increase your generosity from year to year.

Goal 2 - Save for an emergency fund

Financial emergencies happen to all of us. An initial great savings goal is to save $1,000 as a starter emergency fund. If you have $1,000 saved, the next goal would be to save three to six months of your basic living expenses. If you haven’t experienced an emergency yet, it will happen to you at some point. Your car might break down, and you have to replace it. You may have an unexpected hospital visit. You may lose your job or have a reduction in income. If emergencies are going to happen, you would be wise to save for them. Having money set aside for emergencies will help you avoid having to go into debt. 

Goal 3 - Make a budget

The next financial goal is to create and follow a budget. Proverbs 27:23 says, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.” The practical implications for you are to make a plan for your regular income, have a budget, and tell your money where to go. Know what’s coming in and know what’s going out. If you don’t, you will only wonder where it went. As managers of what is God’s, we want to tell money where to go rather than be mastered by it. In the coming week, we will have some homework time for you to put a budget in place if you don’t already have one or make tweaks as needed if you do.

Goal 4 - Make a plan to pay off all debt(s) you have (except your home mortgage)

If you currently have bad financial debt, a great goal would be to create a plan to get out of debt as quickly as possible. This plan should only be done after you have at least $1,000 for an emergency starter fund. Bad debt would be credit card debt or debt on an asset depreciating. A home mortgage would not fall in this category as you are investing in an asset generally appreciating in value. If you’re unsure about what is meant here, ask someone in your Lifegroup that you know and trust regarding personal finances for their insight and wisdom.

Goal 5 - Save for future expenses

If you have money saved for emergencies, a working budget you stick with, and living debt-free, you will need to consider other goals. Plan ways to save for upcoming expenses such as retirement, a car, a college fund for your kid, or a vacation. That way, instead of going into debt later, you can save now to pay for future expenses. 

Goal 6 - Build up the church

Some of you are great examples and models for our church family in stewardship and generosity. You are exemplary in what you do, which is part of your giftedness. Consider ways to invest your wisdom and giftedness into your LifeGroup. How might you be a resource to others in your group that are just beginning to learn how to manage their finances? In addition, are there areas you can trim down to be even more generous? Consider ways Jesus invites you to live with less to invest even more courageously towards seeing his kingdom advance.

WEEK 3 HOMEWORK

To assess your monthly spending, we have created a spreadsheet for you to enter all your expenses from the previous month. To access the spreadsheet, click the link below. Once you open the link, click ‘File’ and ‘Make a Copy’ in the top left corner of the spreadsheet.

Step 1: Enter your income

Your first step for using this spreadsheet will be to enter your income for the month in the very top left of the spreadsheet. Enter your total income for the month in the green cell. Only enter your total income. Not your total expenses. You will enter each individual expense in the next step, and it will be totaled automatically. If you have irregular income, your total income should be what you estimate your monthly income to be based on previous averages. It’s okay if it is more or less than what actually came in.

Step 2: Enter your expenses

Next, you will enter each expense you had for the month in the columns below. You will enter the date, who you paid, and the amount. You also need to select the type of expense that it was using the drop-down for each row. This will categorize all of your expenses in the pie chart to the right to help you see where your money went for the month.

If you did not spend all of your income and don’t allocate it to a savings account, add an expense line to categorize this as general savings. If you do allocate some of your money to a savings account, make sure to enter that as an expense even though you are not actually spending that money. That will help you see what percentage of your income you set aside for savings.

Step 3: Assess your spending

Once you have entered all your monthly spending and the total income and expense numbers match, look at the pie chart to the right. This chart shows you where your money went for the past month. Where is your money going most? Are you spending more than you make? How do these numbers line up with your financial goals that you set last week? Is there anything that needs to change? Are you spending more in certain areas than you would like to? Does your spending reveal how you look for satisfaction in temporary things rather than eternal things?

We encourage you to do this as an ongoing practice. The goal is to assess and reevaluate monthly. Next week for homework, you will take your financial goals from week two and the assessment from this week and work on creating or tweaking your budget as needed.

WEEK 4 HOMEWORK

This week you will be working on creating a budget. We have created a spreadsheet for you to create your budget. To access the spreadsheet:

1. Click the link below.

2. Once you open the link, click ‘File’ and ‘Make a Copy’ in the top left corner of the spreadsheet to create your copy.

3. If you already use a different tool for budgeting, feel free to use that during this time.

Step 1: Enter your monthly income

First, you will enter your monthly income. You only need to input numbers into the green cells in the file. As a reminder, if you have irregular income each month, you will need to figure out what your average monthly income is.

Step 2: Enter your monthly expenses

Below the income section, you will enter all your monthly expenses in the appropriate green cells. The cells in black will show you how much of your income you are putting towards a specific expense type. Feel free to change the names for the particular expense categories as it suits you.

As you budget, here are a few things to keep in mind. The Net number at the top of the spreadsheet must equal zero. If not, you are not finished. The goal is to allocate every dollar you are planning to receive for the coming month.

Next, always start with generosity. Scripture calls us to give our first fruits and our best to God. Start your budget with generosity and flow out from there. Finally, plan to meet your five basic needs first. Those are housing, utilities, food, transportation, and clothing.

Step 3: Budget using your financial goals

Once you have planned for these in your budget, use your financial goals from week 2 to help guide you. Do you need to save your first $1,000 or fully fund your emergency savings? Make that a priority. In the budget, there are lines for savings goals. Input what you can save each month to reach your goal. Even though you won’t be spending this money now, remember you are allocating every dollar in your budget to get your net to zero.

If you have emergency savings, are you trying to pay off any non-mortgage debt? After you meet your basic needs and have saved for an emergency, figure out how much you can put toward paying off your debts. Can you pay more than your minimum payments to get out of debt quicker? Is there spending happening beyond your basic needs that you can cut or trim down to help you achieve your financial goals?

WEEK 5 HOMEWORK

As an initial step for ongoing accountability, set aside time each month to assess where your money went for the month, tweak your budget as needed, and lock this time in as a monthly event on your calendar.

As you do an ongoing assessment, if you are spending more than you budgeting for in a specific area, what needs to change? For example, if you budget $100 for eating at restaurants and are spending $200, what do you need to stay on budget?

Here are some additional ideas for ongoing accountability and maintenance:

• Once a month (or more frequently if needed), use the assessment tool you went through in week 3 to determine where your money went for the month.

• If you need help staying on track during the month, consider pulling out cash at the beginning of the month for expenses that are the hardest for you to stay on track with. For example, if your restaurant budget is $100, get that out in cash at the beginning of the month. Once you have spent that money, you have no more money to eat at restaurants for that month.

• Another option is to make a note on your phone of your restaurant budget for that month. Decrease the amount each time you eat at a restaurant as a way to track as you go. This method can help you stay on budget for more variable expenses such as eating out, groceries, and gas.

• For additional accountability, ask for help from someone you love and trust. If you're spending money on unnecessary Amazon shopping and getting a package at your doorstep daily, ask someone for accountability. Accountability can look like asking a friend if they will check in on you monthly to see if you're spending more than you're planning to in a particular area. This step is significant for your good and the good of the person you're sharing with. Walk in the light with your finances and ask for help if you need it.

• Revisit your financial goals that you set in your week two homework as part of your monthly review. Are you making progress toward your goals? Have you accomplished any of them? As you accomplish goals, make adjustments and start new goals as needed.

Upon This Rock

Finding your way toward spiritual health in the chaos of modern life can prove quite difficult. When you survey the mental health landscape in our culture, things don't get any rosier. It can feel like solid ground to stand on is hard to come by, so we are taking a season to study and meditate on five simple verses that offer a robust Christian worldview--a place to stand against the winds and lies around us--not only so we can stand, but so we can provide much-needed hope and stability to those in our neighborhoods and workplaces.

These words are from the Apostle Peter, who himself went through the agony of failure, and felt the throes of instability around and inside of him, only to come out on the other side standing firm, offering these words of life to us so that we might stand on the truth they convey as well:

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:6-11

To help facilitate LifeGroup discussion, we'll be posting resources for each week of the series.

Week 1: Upon This Rock

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 2: Humble Yourselves

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 3: Cast All Your Anxieties on Him

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 4: Watch Out for the Lion

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 5: Resist Him, Firm in Your Faith

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 6: Know You are Not Alone

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 7: The Bad Won’t Last Forever

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

Week 8: Forever and Ever, Amen

(Sermon) (LifeGroup Guide)

We want to focus on tools to help us learn to follow Jesus more closely. Therefore, we'll do a couple of things for this series to help us in our spiritual formation.

The first is to memorize 1 Peter 5:6-11. In LifeGroups, we'll tackle one verse at a time each week.

Second, we want to focus on one of the five spiritual practices below. Each is proven to improve mental health. Just click on one of the practices for tools to grow in that area. We're asking everyone to spend the next five weeks focusing on that particular practice.

• Meditation/Abiding

• Journaling

• Serving

• Community

• Gratitude