Randy Willis

2,000 years ago, Jesus walked the earth. He was a revolutionary, and the world doesn’t like revolutionaries. The world kills revolutionaries! And the world killed Jesus. But three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and walked among people for 40 days. Then he ascended into heaven, but just before left, he told his disciples … Read more

Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2 Why the prayer of thanksgiving? Not only has Hannah has just given birth to a child, a wonderful gift from God, a gift in response to a prayer of total dedication to God. Hannah gave all for God! Samuel, of course, grew up to be one of … Read more

Today, we wrap up this series where we have been discovering that we are missionaries to this world — ones who are sent with a mission, the same mission Jesus had — to preach God’s revolution! "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." (Jesus) Hospitality is hard to teach. Most churches … Read more

Today, we’re talking about conversations. Conversation is one of the primary ways that we relate to others. To get us started, let’s look at a couple conversations that Jesus had with Nicodemus and the woman at the well. These two stories in John 3-4, where Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus, followed by a conversation … Read more

Mark 1.16-20 “Evangelizing in the church is like fishing in a bathtub: it’s terribly convenient, but you don’t catch much.” (Dr. Roy Fish) Evangelism is hard work! It requires dedication and perseverance! Listen to Paul’s commitment and dedication in1 Corinthians 9.20-27. Stay on task!“Too many Christians are no longer fishers of [people] but keepers of … Read more

"Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens." (James 1.17) One of my favorite images for us is a cup or a clay jar. I am an empty vessel, and I depend on God to fill me. If my cup runs over, it’s only because … Read more

Psalm 67 I have been saying for since the end of 2004 that I believe these first four months of 2005 are a vitally important time in the life of our spiritual journey together. We began the year talking about “revolutionary discipleship” (what it means to be a Christ-follower). During Lent, we looked at a … Read more

John 20.1-23 Why is this night different from all other nights? That’s what a young child asks at Passover during the Jewish Passover meal. And the answer is, This is the night that God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. Why is this day different from all other days? This is the day God … Read more

Our closing hymn last week, Where He Leads Me, impacted me in an unexpected way. I shared a little bit about that during the benediction, saying that I can’t think of a more dangerous prayer, or statement of commitment: “Wherever he leads me, I will follow.” This idea leads us right into this week’s talk, … Read more

One of the vital habits of growing disciples involves the process of becoming immersed in God’s Word. I believe that if we’re going to be devoted followers of Jesus, we must be people of the book! And if we’re going to be a missional community after God’s own heart, we must be people of the … Read more