What's Next? - August 8 2017

This week we also announced the launch of the VOX Community Teaching Team! Karrie Garcia reminded us of the awesome responsibility we have as Jesus followers. As background, she recalled Matthew 22, where Jesus was portrayed as having a growing anger at the religious “elite” at the time, who were manipulating God’s word to place themselves above others. Jesus detested this misuse of scripture and advocated for a different expression of faith. That context plays directly into Matthew 25:14-28, the parable of the talents, which is about a rich master who entrusted his servants with varying amounts of money (based on their ability). Two servants doubled their allotment, but one was fearful of his master’s demanding nature and buried his money to keep it safe. The first two entered into the joy of the master, while the third earned the master’s wrath. All of this is apt for the Vox Community, as we too see deficiencies in various expressions of church and desire to do it differently. And just like the servants in the parable, we all have been entrusted with varying gifts and we are to work to double them—not bury them—as we work together to follow Jesus. Storytelling by Scott McMichael Scott shared his story of serving God in the midst of despair. As he entered adulthood, he found himself struggling with depression, anxiety, and OCD. This emotional state, however, enabled him to truly lament the plight of many migrants in the Middle East, convicting him to serve those who are fleeing injustice. Scott will be going abroad soon in order to be a missionary to these vulnerable people. His story is inspiring because his hope is not that God just heals him, but rather that God will use the redeemed version of his depressed self to serve others. Would love to see your comments and thoughts below! Learn more about VOX Community: www.voxoc.com Like VOX Community on Facebook: www.facebook.com/voxcommunity Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/voxcommunity Follow VOX Community on Instagram: www.instagram.com/voxcommunity Say Something! [email protected] Watch from home or on your mobile device LIVE on Sundays at 9am on Facebook: www.voxoc.com/live VOX Community is a church expression of the VOX Podcast with Mike Erre that began in the late spring of 2016. You can participate beyond the VOX Community by listening, commenting, and sharing the conversation happening on the VOX Podcast with Mike Erre at www.soundcloud.com/thevoxpodcast. Learn more about the VOX Podcasts at www.voxpodcast.com