I was recently at a dinner with some of the Executive Team of an international ministry. We were discussing their incredible impact on the world and how God was doing “exceedingly, abundantly beyond” anything anyone could imagine.

At some point, our conversation turned to what we do at Sherwood. I was asked about what makes up the DNA of the church. What are the things that are important to us? When I’m asked these kinds of questions, I usually have no clue where the questioner is coming from. But what I discovered in that conversation was a lot of like-minded people. Continue reading →

Be sure to download this month’s FREE monthly sermon series through Sherwood’s online bookstore – Does God Still Speak?.

In this 5-part series, pastor Michael Catt helps believers know how to discern the voice of God and identifies what happens when we turn a deaf ear to the Lord.

What to Know When You Aren’t Sure
The Result of Deafness
We Return to You
Are You Hearing From God?
Is God’s Way Like Man’s Way?

To download the free series, click here. Once on the series page, please check the box next to “MP3” for each message, then click “Add to Cart” for each message. After adding the messages you want, click on the shopping cart icon in the upper right corner of the screen next to “Quick Links”. Choose the option “Checkout”. Follow the prompts through the check-out process.

If you create an account in the bookstore, it will keep track of all your purchases. So, for example, if you download these MP3s to a laptop and then lose your files or change computers, you can come back to your bookstore account and download the messages again! It’s free and easy!

I love the different seasons of the year. Summer is my least favorite because in Southwest Georgia it’s hot and humid and you’re swatting away gnats 24/7. Winter can be cold, dark, and dead. Winters in the South aren’t so bad, but I’ve been in Alaska in January and there aren’t enough clothes and hand warmers to make me comfortable. I do love winter in the mountains. I often take a study break just to get away and hopefully get snowed in for a few days. I love spring when the trees begin to bud and the flowers start to bloom. Spring reminds me that life comes out of death. My favorite season is fall, when the leaves are changing and the air begins to cool. Sweater weather is my favorite weather. There’s nothing like that first fire in the fireplace to relax my mind and heart. Continue reading →

Many years ago, Casting Crowns released a song entitled “Stained Glass Masquerade.” It was a haunting, convicting song about the masks we wear to church each Sunday to cover our insecurities, flaws, and sinfulness.

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade Continue reading →

One of the most successful movies of recent times was Titanic. The movie made millions based on the true story of the tragic sinking of a ship that was considered unsinkable.

The World Book Encyclopedia, in an article by Robert L. Scheina, defines a shipwreck as “the accidental destruction or loss of a ship. A ship may be lost by striking land, another ship, or another floating object, such as an iceberg. Fire also causes shipwrecks.” The article goes on to say, “Although ships are now safer, the impact of shipwrecks that do occur is much more severe. This is because present-day ships can carry more cargo than ever before, and many cargoes are hazardous.” Continue reading →