At 365 we began the new year with, what we believe, was a message from God for us as part of the Body. The message was taken from the account of Jesus turning the water into wine in John 2. According to scripture, six (the number of man) stone vessels (also a picture of man) were filled with water (symbolizing the Word of God/truth). From these filled vessels, something supernatural was drawn out which was pleasing to the governor of the feast (a picture of God), which made the bridegroom (Jesus) look good, and was a blessing to the people attending the feast (the community/world).

We have spent the last few weeks discussing the many different job descriptions Jesus held during His time here on Earth and what they mean for all of us. We found that during His 33 years He was fulfilling prophecy on, almost, a daily basis. Jesus was/is the Last Adam, The Great High Priest, The Good Shepherd, The Word Made Flesh, The “I Am”, and much more. All of this has been building toward His ultimate and final reason for coming to this planet to dwell among men. That is Jesus the Christ or Messiah.

This Sunday (12/19) we will wrap up our series, “Reasons Jesus Came” by looking at Jesus the Messiah and how this event has forever changed man’s plight. Be sure to join us as we celebrate this historic event.

In a conversation with Moses recorded in Exodus 3:14, God refers to himself as “I Am”. According to my experience, this is not a normal title. In fact it’s a quite puzzling one. “I am” seems more like an incomplete sentence than a title to me. However, it speaks more of the characteristic of God than you and I can even wrap our mind around. In referring to himself in this way, God was saying I am the One without beginning or end. (Who of us hasn’t struggled with this concept?)”I Am” also means, I’m the One who is always in the present tense.

Then later in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to himself as “I Am”. This brings us to our topic for this Sunday’s (12/12) gathering. As part 5 of our series “The Reason Jesus Came” we will discuss how Jesus, God in flesh and blood, played the role of “I Am” in the New Testament and what that means for humankind today. Hope to see you there.

The Apostle John began his gospel with a description of Jesus as “the Word made flesh”. He let us know that the Word (Jesus) has been since the beginning, and is, in fact, God himself (John 1:1). That’s rather difficult to wrap our mind around. The Word is also the means by which everything we see was created (John 1:3). As if that’s not enough, John continues his expounding of the role of the Word until he gets to chapter 1, verse 14. It is in verse 14 that we discover the function of the Word that should mean the most to you and me. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The weather is fall-like, football is in its peak, (of course hunting season is in) and the food is down right sinful. It also brings back wonderful memories of being with family. And that is what 365 has become, a family. Not just in the sense that churches are supposed to be family. We really have connected in deep ways and the relationships are life-giving. Therefore, 365's gathering this Sunday will be a true Thanksgiving gathering.

We will meet at Lori and I's home at 10:00 am and begin with breakfast and fellowship. Later we will have an extended time of worship (longer than normal), followed by a brief message. The topic will be a continuation of our series "The Reasons Jesus Came". So far we have highlighted the fact that Jesus came: As the Last Adam (to undo what the first Adam did), and as The Great High Priest (to be our advocate before the Father). Sunday we will learn of His role as The Good Shepherd.

The message will be brief because we want to allow time for us to express our thanksgiving to God for His goodness. So come with a grateful heart and a good appetite.

See you Sunday!

Last Sunday we began a message series titled "Reasons". In this series, which will last through Christmas, we are taking a look at the reasons Jesus came to earth. I shared that the reason we are looking at this subject is so we, as Christians, will, first understand the process of redemption, secondly understand what redemption has purchased for us, and finally motivate us to share our findings with others. We started with the fact that Jesus came as the second, or last, Adam (I Cor. 15:45) to recapture what the first Adam lost.

This Sunday (11/14) we will discuss Jesus' coming to serve, not to be served. Further more we will look at the invitation that He has given each of us to join Him in His service.

We would love to have you join us as we learn how to live and grow… 365 days a year.

I guess fall officially begins in October, but living in the south it sure doesn't feel like it. November, however, is a different story. November feels like fall… even in the south. Maybe it's just the anticipation of the taste of turkey because the leaves still haven't changed on all these cedar trees in the Hill Country. (By the way, cedars are evergreens so they never do.) Regardless, November is here and this Sunday (11/7) is the first 365 gathering of the holiday season. After three great weeks of meeting in the Homestead neighborhood of Bee Cave, we will once again be meeting in Lakeway. (Login on the website to find the location address.) As we move toward the Christmas season and the end of the year our topics of discussion will centered around the reasons that Jesus came to earth, and how we, as Christians, can further His work with our lives. Don't miss it. Looking froward to celebrating the holidays with you.

This Sunday 365 will get to enjoy one of the perks of being a home church. We're forfeiting our Sunday morning gathering for a community outreach. That's right, we won't be meeting on Sunday morning. (Is that even legal for a church? We think so.) Instead we are meeting at Lori and I's home to host the Halloween activities for our neighborhood.