VOUS Church

Rich Wilkerson Jr. - Worth Dying For: Is There Not A Cause

Mike Todd – Planted and Undervalued

Every human wants to be seen.  We have a desire to know the significance of who we are, what we do and who we do life with, in short, that we matter.  Sometimes, we feed that desire to be seen by watching others perfected highlight reels and coming up short, even with the progress we’ve made in our lives.  This only leads to a cycle of frustration of feeling underpaid, under pressure and undervalued.

We welcomed a special guest at VOUS in Pastor Mike Todd, who reminded us that God specializes in small things first.  He showed us what a mature Christian looks like from Psalm 1 in his message titled Planted and Undervalued.  Though God likened us to a tree, he doesn’t plant us as such, but as a seed.  And, there’s a process between the seed being sown and the tree fully formed in bearing fruit.

Pastor Mike challenged us to shift our perspective about difficult seasons where we feel buried with our gifts instead of planted, as we develop not only our gifts but our character. That we dig deep during those times to not allow our pain of not being seen to prevent us from producing and when we produce, doing so for purpose and not for approval. 

He shared Leah’s story from Genesis 29, a woman neither valued by her father nor her husband.  Though God blessed her with the ability to conceive, she couldn't see the blessing of each of the first three children but focused on her misery, waiting for her husband’s validation until the fourth – Judah.  Then Leah praised God even without the change in family’s attitude towards her. The same should be said of us – that we turn our pain into praise knowing we’re producing for an audience of one. 

Rich Wilkerson Jr. - Are You OK?: Hacks to Happiness

Did you know 10% of what happens to you is directly related to 90% of how you react? Having the right reactions lead to happiness and the wrong reactions lead to anxiety and worry.

Jesus’s disciples, Peter and Judas, both walked with Jesus and both betrayed Jesus. The outcome of their betrayals couldn’t have been more different – Judas’ life was destroyed while Peter moved on to become the foundational leader of the Church. And it was because each nurtured their mental health differently – Judas sought isolation, while Peter sought community.

When it comes to our own mistakes, it’s vital we get the right perspective on it. Our failures don’t have the final say in our lives, rather, they are formative to our growth. Therefore, as opposed to taking on the identity of being a failure, it’s best to view it as a growth opportunity. Failure is not a person, it’s an event.

For the final talk on “Are You OK?” Pastor Rich gives us 7 Hacks to Happiness, resources that serve as guardrails to prevent downward spirals from failures and troubles in life. The practical hacks include taking walks, kindness, and gratitude. The hacks help us preprogram our reactions and build healthy habits to secure our mental health. 

And while good habits can lead to happier lives, Pastor Rich points to the ultimate way to produce sustained happiness, indeed, joy, in our lives. When our view gets clouded by trials, we can find our joy in our savior, Jesus. Choosing to rejoice in the Lord always will allow peace and healing to take over during the storms. God will guard our hearts and minds when troubles come our way. 

 

Luke Barry - Are You OK?: Fowlers and Flowers

If you’ve ever asked someone for advice on a problem you were worried about, the last thing you’d want to hear from them is “Don’t worry.” With a response like that you might be offended. In the least, you’d hope they could show a little sympathy and start worrying along with you. But Jesus gives us this very same, seemingly flippant, answer to the worries we may have in life. Whether the worry comes from a sense of insecurity or a need for control, he tells us to just stop worrying. 
 

In his “Are You Ok?” talk, Luke Barry shares Jesus’ words on worry in The Sermon on the Mount. On the mountainside, Jesus spoke to a crowd and zeroed in on the essence of their worry – food, fashion and the future – things that, if we are honest, consume us today. He asked the crowd a series of searching questions that allowed them to understand the why behind their worries and compelled them to turn toward the source that would set them free. 
 
The strange thing about worry, though we put so much energy towards it, is that it doesn't have the ability to get us what we want or need in life. While worry has nothing good to add to our lives, it has the very real capability of taking away from our lives. Our minds waste away, thinking of things that probably won’t happen at all, and we miss out on the joy of the moment in front of us. 
 
Jesus’ directive to not to worry is not a call to take the easy road in life and be concerned with nothing. No, he wants us to see life as something far more precious than the troubles he knew we’d face. Instead, our energy should be redirected on seeking first his kingdom and righteousness. With our priorities straightened, he promises to take care of all the rest. 

Rich Wilkerson Jr. - Are You OK?: The Suicide Deception

Sometimes on the outside damage can’t be seen, but on the inside turmoil is taking place. We tend to hide the signs of mental illness until it’s too late. When this damage progresses, unseen by others, it prevents us from being able to receive blessings in our lives and destroys us from the inside out.

 

Pastor Rich tackles the crippling issue mental illness by opening the collection of talks “Are You Ok?” with “The Suicide Deception”. In it, he explains that depression, anxiety, and fear are common psychological challenges many of us face in life but the state of our mental health doesn’t have to lead to our downfall. 

 

If we are dealing with mental illness it's not because we aren’t spiritual enough. Being unwell in mental health is not a sin, is not a weakness, and is not our identity.

 

It’s OK to not be OK, it’s just not OK to not tell anyone. At VOUS, we know that God wants us all to have life more abundantly and we are a family that helps each other through the highs and lows of life.

 

The suicide deception is a lie, and the only way to counteract a lie is with the truth. The truth is when we focus on faith and community it leads us running to life. We’ve got to fight with faith, and sometimes the only way to fight back and exercise faith is to get up after being knocked down. To choose life and discover purpose we have to get up.

 

Mental illness unchecked has real repercussions - depression in 2018 is the leading cause of suicide. Suicide is the number one killer of people ages 15 - 24. Realize that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if you need to talk to someone, at 1-800-273-8255.

Micahn Carter - Pick It Up

There’s an “it” that gnaws at each one of us - that issue that bothers us, but better to stay comfortable by relegating it to the back of our minds, something to be dealt with on another day and another time. It could be an open secret in a marriage, a purpose we’ve found excuses for not being realized or perhaps, we’ve chosen to step over the rubble of what’s left of a life once carved out than dealing with it head-on.  

We had a special guest at VOUS in Pastor Micahn Carter who asked us of our “it,” why we haven’t dealt with it, and charged us in his message to Pick It Up.  He shared from the Book of Nehemiah and how Nehemiah lived comfortably in the king’s palace until receiving the message about the walls of Jerusalem in ruins. 

Pastor Micahn showed us that though the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins for 120 years, they were rebuilt in 52 days when Nehemiah acted with a step of taking the first brick. The unique thing about Nehemiah’s story can be likened to our lives:  God uses what’s already there – what’s in us rather than from an outside source.  That we don’t need something new to rebuild what’s left of our lives if we’re willing to give it to him, just as it is. Then we can see the value he’s placed in us as he makes us strong at the broken places. 

Rich and Dawncherè Wilkerson - Love Lies: Trapped in Offense

On a daily basis, there are opportunities to get offended. Whether it’s in the checkout line or office, or the way someone says something to us, there doesn’t fail to be something to trip us up. The question is, what to do with offense when it comes our way. 

Completing the “Love Lies” collection of talks with the message “Trapped in Offense,” Pastors Rich and DawnCheré breakdown how offense has the potential to ravage our relationships. They let us know that offense is actually a trap that can lead to resentment, bitterness and even hatred if left unchecked. The way we contend with offense makes all the difference in whether we take the bait or not.

In order to avoid the specific pitfalls of offense the enemy has specifically planned for us, we must resolve to have a strategy when dealing with offense. The first of which is to deal with offense quickly with forgiveness before offense has a chance to take its toll. Then we must constantly remind ourselves of our identity and purpose in Christ - we find that in the word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And any strategy in relationships must include an understanding that the fight is a spiritual one, therefore we must approach offense with our spiritual weapon of prayer. 

The petty misunderstandings in life do not have to become the major problems in life.  Before offense has the chance to fence us into a corner, let’s go on the offensive, armed with a strategy that gives us a way out. When in doubt, we can look to the example of Jesus. He had every reason to take offense but forgave to the very end. Because of his forgiveness, we too have the power to forgive. 

Rich and Dawncherè Wilkerson - Love Lies: How to Handle Heartbreak

Dawncherè Wilkerson - Love Lies: In My Feelings

How many times have you sat in a room full of people, yet because of the content of the conversation, you felt completely alone? The feeling of loneliness is not unique to a sad few, it's a human condition, affecting relationships all around the world. Loneliness has such a disruptive effect that it has repercussions for our health, negatively affecting our bodies on a cellular level. 
King David, the warrior, the man who was dear to God’s heart, was not exempt from loneliness. As if in a journal, David wrote the psalms with his real, raw feelings. In Psalm 22, we read his discouraged thoughts in a season of loneliness. He thought himself unworthy. David’s very identity was at stake – all of his triumphs were cast in the shadow of his lonely thoughts. 
How often have we been in this very position, losing the sense of who we are? Yet through David words, we can find strength. It’s who he wrote his words to that counts–to God. David, despite feeling empty, isolated and unwanted, gave over his grievances to God, the only one who can provide the perfect answer to our feelings of emptiness. The Lord is our rescue, never leaving us alone when we are down and out. 
The perfect company, position, or surroundings can’t fill us up, but God can. So like David, let us never forget where we could draw on strength to get us out of loneliness. Rather than putting on a façade and further isolating ourselves, let’s give the turmoil that’s happening on the inside to God, so we can be transformed from the inside out. 

Rich Wilkerson, Jr. — Love Lies: Big Little Lies

We’ve heard many songs of falling in love and having a fairy-tale ending.  But what if many of those songs, in nod to another hit, have been telling us sweet little lies. The truth is, falling has to do with stumbling that can lead to broken pieces.  And to that fairy-tale ending, life proves more complicated with its detours, to find ourselves in the destructive wake of what we once called “love.” 

 

Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. delved into that concept of when falling in love falls apart by kicking off a collection of talks on Love Lies, with a message titled Big Little Lies.  He took us on a journey of King David’s family from 2 Samuel 13, specifically with his children Amnon and Tamar and the lie of how Amnon “loved” Tamar but quickly turned to hatred after a horrific act.

The message was a mirror to how we see our relationships. Do we see them as one thing that becomes so familiar that we forget the multi-faceted nature of those individuals and their intended purpose to sharpen us as we give to it? 

One of the lies we tell ourselves in relationships is thinking lust is equivalent to love. Lust is using someone as an instrument for our satisfaction.  Lust is about taking something while love is about giving something. Love is an intentional decision – to look past convenience to commitment, past feelings to faith. And that, is the truth about love.