Welcome to June in March!  Only a high temp on Saturday of 95 degrees!  Where’s my shorts?

This kind of weather gets one thinking of the month of June, and June 1-4 means VBS! VBS is for kids ages 4 (potty trained) through those entering 5^th grade. Kids must be registered by May 25.  For those of us who are “older kids,” there is the opportunity to both volunteer to serve at VBS and to donate to support VBS.  All the detail info and signups are at www.wildwoodchurch.org/vbs

People often ask me about how to view or listen to Wildwood’s sermons.  They can easily be found at www.wildwoodchurch.org/sermons   When you click on the message and then “resources” you can locate the sermon questions (and for last week, the PDF summary of the message).  Also, be sure to check each week’s bulletin for multiple ways to volunteer or get further involved in the life of Wildwood.

This Sunday will be part 2 in the 2-Part series entitled, Reflecting on (sometimes) Perplexing Bible Truths.  The message title this Sunday, To Fear, or not to Fear?  Some have said that ‘Fear Not’ is the most frequent command in Scripture.  At the same time, a great number of verses in Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, exhort us to ‘Fear God.’  How does all this work together?  Are we to fear, or not to fear?  Do we know as followers of Jesus what Scripture means when it says, Fear God?  Did Jesus ‘Fear God?’

Our aim is to bring some clarity to what the Bible means when it urges us to ‘Fear God.’  I hope you will be able to be there Sunday.  Lord willing, I will be!

See you Sunday!

Bruce

Well, here we are on the cusp of spring break next week. Sounds like we will be starting the week with a mid-January-like day or two and then ending it with an early-June- like day or two.  It’s FUN to be an Oklahoman!

Last Sunday was a wonderful celebration day of 22 baptisms at Wildwood. If you were out of town (like me, with some 14 guys at the Sky Ranch Men’s Retreat) or if you were unable to view all the baptism videos—good news! You can view the testimony videos by going to vimeo.com/channels/1959843.  There are many wonderful and delightful testimonies from that day.  It’s a joy to celebrate them.  I would especially encourage you to see my friend Chad Shanks story. A wonderful testimony of our God’s gracious love and mercy.  Praise the Lord for all the testimonies!

This Sunday will launch a 2-message series I’ve entitled, Reflecting on (sometimes) Perplexing Bible Truths. The focus of this week’s message is on the salvation issues of divine election alongside the responsibility of individuals to personally believe in the gospel.  These Bible topics have often fueled confusion, consternation, and even controversy among followers of Jesus.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do plan to share my best understanding of these issues and hope to bring some perspective that can help relieve some of the confusion and consternation.  Our foundational verse for this week is Romans 11:33, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Just a reminder, you can always access the sermon questions for messages by going to wildwoodchurch.org/sermons.  Click on the message, and then on “resources.” This week I will also be including a PDF summary of the message content.

See you Sunday!

Bruce

Hey Wildwood Family!

Finally…we’ve been blessed with some wonderful moisture! I’ve just done some overseeding on my fescue lawn and the water is welcome.

We do want you to be in prayer for the Father-Daughter campout this weekend in the Wichita mountains. Pray for no severe storms that could disrupt a great getaway and minimize the ability to hike around.

Also, the Father-Son campout is scheduled for November 7-9. It’s not too late to learn more and register. Info is found at wildwoodchurch.org/adult

This Sunday is the deadline for returning any Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes so bring those boxes of blessings with you!

Just a heads up…the gift collection for The Mission Christmas Shoppe will launch the first Sunday of November. Look for the gift trees in the Gathering Hall. Our desire is to again bless 600+ underprivileged kids and their families this year.  We’d love for you and your family to have a part in it!

God has recently been leading me to speak on the issue of trials and life difficulties, something we all deal with from time to time. The title I’ve given to the message is, Navigating the Valley of the Shadow. The title is drawn from Psalm 23:4 where it talks about walking through “the valley of the shadow of death” (ESV).  Many translations render the phrase, “the valley of deep darkness” (NASB margin, NET, NIV, CSB).

All of us experience times when we are in “the valley of deep darkness.” At any given time, we are either in that valley now, just came out of the valley, or about to enter the valley. When we find ourselves in the dark valley, how should we navigate that walk?  What do we need to remember?  How should we respond? We plan to address those questions in a frank manner with the message, Navigating the Valley of the Shadow on Sunday.

​​​​​​​
See you on Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, October 12, 2025, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Jesus’ Intercession for us” (Romans 8:34) from our BLESSED! 2 series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. Why can we be so inclined to lose sight of many of the ways that God has blessed us?
2. Bruce said what we often need is divine perspective, spiritual encouragement… we need to “remember.” What are some practical ways we can do that?
3. List some of the practical benefits of knowing Jesus serves as our Advocate (legaal dimension) beofre the Father in heaven.
4. List some of the practical benefits of knowing Jesus intercedes as our High Priest in heaven and that He lives to pray for us.
5. R. Kent Hughes has said this: Jesus, our high priest, has an unequalled capacity for sympathy (Hebrews 4:15). It goes far beyond the intellectual, because it is truly experiential. Jesus does not just imagine how we feel-He feels it! Whatever we may be going through, there is not a note we can play, not a melody or a dirge, no minor key, no discordant note, that does not evoke a “sympathetic resonance” in Jesus. What does that mean for us in everyday life?
6.  How can we recall the blessing of Jesus’ intercession for us in such a way that it seres as a “sure and steadfast anchor for our soul” (Hebrews 6:19)?
7. Take some time to praise God for His great blessings to us.

Hey Wildwood Family!

For those who have fall break this week, I hope it is a refreshing break for you and your family!  The weather is certainly mild—more so than for many years.

A couple of special things to note:  First, for those who are filling Operation Christmas Child boxes, the deadline to return them is the last Sunday of the month, October 26th.  Second, fall means campouts and again this fall Wildwood has organized both a Father-Daughter campout (October 24-26) and a Father-Son campout (November 7-9). I have great memories of those with my family! You can sign up by going to wildwoodchurch.org/adult

This Sunday and next I am going to reprise the Blessed! series from this past summer. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us (past tense) with every spiritual blessing. God has given us a plethora of spiritual blessings that we can lose sight of at times. We plan to mine two more of those blessings from Romans chapter 8. First up will be the blessing of Jesus’ Intercession for us from Romans 8:34. This one is often overlooked and has some intriguing elements that may even catch some of us off guard.  I’m excited to have the opportunity to open the Scriptures with you again! Please read Psalm 19:7-11 to be refreshed about the great benefits of God’s Word.

See you Sunday!
Bruce

On Sunday, July 6, 2025, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 4” from our BLESSED! series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. I remember a time (I was around 9) when I decided I didn’t like my family.  I was ready to be welcomed and adopted into another family. I told my dad and mom I was leaving and climbed onto my bike and proceeded to ride around the area not sure where I was headed. Of course, my dad kept an eye on me and when it started to get dark I decided to head back home.  That was a wise decision. Was there ever a time in your life when you thought: I wish I was in another family?  If so, what prompted those feelings?
2. Bruce pointed out a comparison between justification and adoption in the life of a believer.  What stood out to you about that comparison?
3. Bruce said that adoption signifies we are not just ‘accepted’ by God, we are ‘cherished’ by Him. What does that tell us about how God values us?
4. Bruce said it is a joy to be chosen. List some benefits of knowing God wanted you to be a part of his forever family.
5. Our adoption, in effect, brought a smile to God’s face (one legitimate way of understanding the last phrase of Ephesians 1:5). Why do we tend to have doubts about how God views us?
6. The full unveiling of our adoption is yet to come. Share some thoughts about how we might feel when that day arrives.
7. Think of some specific people with whom you can use your ‘adoption story’ to share Jesus.
8. Johnson Oatman suggested we count our blessings, name them one-by-one, and see what God has done.  Spend some time in prayer thanking God for His great blessings in your life.  Ask him to refresh your perspective, rejuvenate your soul, and to rekindle your gratitude.

Egads!  July.  How can it be?  Well, we better get prepared…it’s here!!

I want to remind all of us to spend at least a few moments tomorrow (our national birthday) thanking God for blessing our nation all these decades.  He has been amazingly merciful and gracious to us. There are many things happening in our culture and many different perspectives. May God grant us unity and, indeed, may God bless America!

Ever wish you could have a deeper influence on the next generation?  Well, you can.  Our children’s ministry has some more open ministry spots of different kinds for the fall season. What an opportunity to tell kids about Jesus and to demonstrate to them that Gods loves them.  If you’d like to see God use you to help shape the next generation, just email Brooke for more information about the possibilities.

Just another reminder…this Sunday is an all-in Sunday.  No children, student, college or adult groups.  But we are excited about the opportunity to gather together in three services to worship our amazing Savior and to delve into His wonderful Word.  Come and join us…don’t miss out!

This Sunday we will conclude our series, Blessed! In message 4 we will look at a truly astonishing blessing—that we have been adopted into the most wonderful and valuable family in the universe…the family of God.  On the surface this may not appear that significant, but it is.  We look forward to mining this final nugget of our spiritual blessings together.

See you Sunday!

Bruce