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.

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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

On Sunday, June 29, 2025, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 3” from our BLESSED! series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. There are times we have all struggled in our prayer life. We’ve faced a truly difficult situation and found ourselves thinking: I don’t know what God is doing AND I don’t really know what to pray, or how to pray about it. Share with others some of the details of such a time in your life.
2. Bruce listed some common reasons why believers don’t pray as they should: being overconfident, sin in one’s life, and busyness. Which reason stands out to you as most common? How should one respond to avoid that issue?
3. The Blessing of focus this week is the Spirit’s ministry of prayer intercession from Romans 8:26-27.  Bruce said this ministry/blessing is hardly known, rarely taught, and largely unappreciated. Why do you think that is?
4. One key verb in this passage states that the Spirit HELPS us in our weakness. The verb pictures one person helping another carry a load. Should would we just go “passive” and let the Holy Spirit do the praying for us? Why not?
5. The other key verb in this passage is that the Spirit INTERCEDES for us, according to the will of God. Explain more of what that means.
6. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit intercedes for us with ‘groanings too deep for words.’ Some in the church at large claim this is a description of speaking in tongues.  How would you counter that assertion?
7. Corrie Ten Boom asked, Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?  Share in your own words what she was emphasizing.
8. What stood out most to you from this message?
9. A good prayer practice is to use NT prayers as a guideline for our prayers for ourselves and others.  Here’s some examples:  Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-12.  Choose one to practice with right now.

Hey Wildwood Family!

Two streams of thought have been running through my mind this week.  One, with all the events unfolding in the middle east these past days, I am so glad we have a God who is always on the throne, always sovereign.  He rules from on high (Psalm 2).

Second, what a wonderful treat for our capital city (and state) to have our NBA team be world champions!  And we have an outstanding group of men representing us on the Thunder.  I’ve never lived in an NBA championship city before (of course, Norman is part of OKC extended).  I like it.  No, I love it!  Let’s do that again.

Please remember to pray for our Wildwood students as they are at camp (around 152 students, middle and high school, and some 31 leaders).  May there be open ears to hear, teachable and reachable hearts, and a renewed desire to honor the Lord in all that’s said and done.  Exciting!

This Sunday will be part 3 of our 4-part series entitled, Blessed!;We will be mining for a special blessing nugget in Romans 8:26-27.  This is a blessing that many are unaware of, but one that is so wonderfully encouraging.  We will be looking at the blessing of the Spirit’s ministry of prayer intercession for us.  It’s a mysterious, but meaty passage.  I can’t wait.

See you Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 2” from our BLESSED! series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. Why is it we can be so prone to feel at times like our Christian life has lost its “pizzazz,” like we are just coasting along? What contributes to this? Discuss.

2. Ray Stedman said that people can still be “babes in Christ” no matter how long they have been Christians. Why does that happen?

3. Note some of the biblical evidence Bruce cited that underscores the Holy Spirit is indeed a person, not some force.

4. Share some ways in your life that the Holy Spirit has been guiding you into the Truth over time.

5. It is a startling reality that while the Holy Spirit is omnipresent (like the rest of the Godhead) his special place of residence is in the believer…in you and me. Reflect on what that means.

6. Discuss the ramifications of Ephesians 1:14.

7. Charles Spurgeon made this observation:
If I am not walking in obedience to God, I am breaking the law of the house, and that house is the house of the Living God. Should we not take heed lest we insult the King in His own palace?

Are there any doors you need to open to Him? Any shift in perspective or life choices you should make? Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you.