Hey Wildwood Family!

I don’t know about you, but I have to admit—while I have loved having the great blessing of rain for our state (all the lakes and ponds are full, and there is currently no county in the entire state considered under any type of drought status, which by the way, I don’t ever recall happening before in my 46 years in Oklahoma)—I am SO ready for 5-6-7 days in a row of sunshine.  How about you?

This is an exciting week for Janet and me as Jennifer and Zac (and family) are coming back from Mexico for several weeks largely for medical checkups and tests.  We love how they serve so faithfully in Mexico, but we also love being able to see them and Summer and Max. Grandkids are wonderful!

Just a reminder, we will have Baptism Classes this Sunday (in anticipation of an upcoming Baptism Sunday).  If you’ve considered honoring the Lord through baptism, why not catch a baptism class in the 11:00 hour Sunday.  Children’s class will be in the Lodge (downstairs children’s theater) and the student/adult class will be just off the worship center near the offices in Room 227 (a conference room and Mark’s office).

Also, it’s not too late to join in on men’s and women’s summer bible studies.  The men meet on Wednesday and the women on Thursday, both at 7pm.  You can sign up at wildwoodchurch.org/adult.

This Sunday we will continue our study entitled Blessed! with message #2.  Our plan has been to mine 4 nuggets of the blessings God has provided for each of us from Romans chapter 8.  The first was No Condemnation.  The second one has something to do with the Holy Spirit.  Ya gotta come to find out more!

See you Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, June 15, 2025, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 1” from our BLESSED! series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. We all experience life’s ‘twists and turns,’ its ‘ups and downs.’ Briefly share a recent struggle you have faced. How did God encourage you “in the midst” of it?
2. Bruce stated that it is easy for us to fall victim to what he called “the 4 Ds.” List the 4 Ds in order. Note how one “D” can often lead to the next. Share how you—or someone you may know—experienced the downward flow of the 4 Ds.
3. Ephesians 1:3 states that as believers, God has blessed (past tense) us with every spiritual blessing. Since Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long sentence, identify a blessing from those verses that encourages you as a follower of Jesus.
4. Romans 8:1 states an amazing blessing!  What is the basis/cause of this blessing, and when does it take effect?
5. How should this great blessing impact us when we are ‘in the midst’ of life’s ups and downs?
6. Take some time in prayer to delight in and rejoice in the great blessing of Romans 8:1.

Hey Wildwood Family!

The last six months or so has been a testing time for many of us.  Some of us have experienced financial issues, relational issues or medical issues (if not recently, you likely will have some of those issues coming your way soon). 😉

The later category (medical) has been the adventure that I’ve experienced the last 6-7 months.  As many of you know, I had a serious side effect from my radiation treatment from 2016.  After several surgeries and 58 hyperbaric treatments I’ve come out better this June.

When we are “in the midst,” what perspective helps see us through those times?  Where should our focus be? What should we remind ourselves about our great God?

We will be launching a short series this Sunday that I have entitled “Blessed”.  The overall series theme verse is taken from Ephesians 1:3, He has Blessed us with Every Spiritual Blessing.  This first message will zoom in on one of the plethora of blessings we’ve received by examining Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I haven’t spoken on Sunday morning for many months so I hope I remember what to do.  That aside, we encourage you to come Sunday with reachable, teachable hearts as we seek to share some important biblical perspective that we all need.

See you Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, November 3, 2024, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 3 – How to Cultivate a Clear Conscience” from our The Bible and Your Conscience series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. Bruce stated that Satan’s strategy is to keep us from the blessing of living with a clear conscience.  Why does he employ that strategy?
2. One step in cultivating a clear conscience is to proactively flee from sin.  How can we accomplish that most effectively?
3. Have your personal convictions ever been altered by Scripture?  Elaborate on how that transpired.
4. What are some productive ways we can calibrate our conscience to God’s Word?
5. When it comes to consistently monitoring our conscience, how did David choose to do that in Psalm 139:23-24?
6. What kind of things get in the way of us regularly confessing our sin?
7. Bruce said it is possible to go passive spiritually.  Why do you think that happens and how can we avoid it?
8. Bruce mentioned three motivations for cultivating a clear conscience.  Can you list the three?  Which one is most motivational to you?
9. Have you ever found it profitable to confess a sin in the presence of another believer, or believers? [see James 5:16]   If so, explain why you found it helpful.

Some personal questions:

• Are there any dark corners or “hidden rooms” in your life that you have refused to open to the Lord?
• Are you postponing doing something that your conscience has been telling that you should do?

An old Monday night football saying went like this:  Are you ready for some football?  We could mimic that by saying:  Are you ready for some rain?  It looks like we’ll have soaking rains over this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  We need it!

Well, Christmas continues to march toward us.  On Sunday we are beginning the toy collection for the annual Mission Christmas Shoppe.  We hope to once again bless some 600 disadvantaged children (and their families). Please drop by the main lobby, or the children’s lobby, and select some gift suggestion cards to purchase a gift or gifts.  You can select a Boy or Girl, plus select from different ages.  We are also seeking to collect new (or nearly new) coats; along with new socks, underwear and gloves for kids. What a privilege to serve our community in this way!

Please be in prayer for two groups who are “getting away” this weekend.  Some 160 men and sons are at the Father-Son campout…pray for refreshed connections. Note:  Due to the threat of severe weather on Saturday evening, the campout “officially” will end at 8pm Saturday, although brave dads and sons are free to stay longer.

The other group we’d encourage you to pray for is our college group’s retreat.  This also is a time of connection and instruction.  We love college students!  Pray for a great retreat.

This Sunday we will be concluding the series, The Bible and Your Conscience. In this final message we will be examining How to Cultivate a Clear Conscience, a very worthy goal for all of us (see Acts 24:16 and Hebrews 13:18). I’m excited about exploring this together!

See you Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 3 – Your Conscience and Other Believers” from our The Bible and Your Conscience series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. Bruce listed a number of examples of perceived right/wrong issues today that Scripture does not directly address. In your experience, what are some of the most prominent areas where believers often view things differently?

2. Has there been a time in your spiritual walk when you considered something as wrong, but other believers considered it as OK? Explain.
How about the reverse, where you considered some behavior as OK and others considered it to be wrong?  Explain again.

3. Have your convictions of right and wrong altered in some way after studying Scripture more fully? Elaborate.

4. Have you ever felt pressure from someone else to violate your conscience?
How did you respond in that situation?

5. Why is it that people in the believing family can so easily view someone who’s conscience may differ from theirs as being spiritually flawed in some way?

6. What does it mean to “never put a stumbling block in the way of a brother”? (see Romans 14:13, 21; 1 Corinthians 8:9, 13)

7. Bruce mentioned five ‘principles of grace’ that can help us develop convictions about issues today that Scripture does not directly address.  List them out.

Personal reflection for later:
Is there anything you may be doing or saying that could encourage another believer to potentially violate their conscience?

Hey Wildwood Family!

What happened??

Well, we all blinked and now we are staring down the end of the month of October with Halloween happening next Thursday.  All that, and yet we haven’t had any fall weather to speak of. Hmmm…is that some sort of indicator about the upcoming winter season?  What do you think?

As we continue with this fall/early summer weather, much is happening around Wildwood.  The Samaritan Purse Christmas child shoe boxes are due back on Sunday. We so appreciate all who have filled those boxes!  In addition, toy collection for The Mission Christmas Shoppe is just ahead.

It’s not too late to register for the Dallas Theological Seminary one day class happening a week from Saturday on November 2.  Email info@wildwoodchurch.org for the registration link.

If you’ve never been through Wildwood’s Starting Point class (information on our mission and beliefs…and the first step toward church membership) it begins a week from Sunday (Nov. 3) at 9:45am in Room 4.

This Sunday we will be teaching the third message in our series, The Bible and Your Conscience. You won’t want to miss this one. No two believers have consciences that are exactly the same. How are we to relate to one another when we have different perspectives on issues that the Scripture doesn’t directly address? Sometimes that situation can lead to conflict within the body, and even to judgmentalism towards others.  There’s a lot of great biblical perspective this week!  I’m looking forward to it.

See you Sunday!

Bruce

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess’ message is “Message 2 – Some Anatomy of our Conscience” from our The Bible and your Conscience series. Below are some questions for your personal or group reflection.

1. Bruce mentioned at the beginning of his message the classic movie Pinocchio (first released in 1940, last released in 1992). Assuming you watched the movie somewhere along the line, how much did you grasp about the imagery of “turning into a donkey” by not letting your conscience be your guide?
2. Share a time when your conscience may have made you feel uneasy about something you said or did.  How did you handle the situation?
3. Why is it not wise to solely rely on our conscience to guide us in life?
4. Do any examples come to mind of how you once thought something was acceptable before the Lord, but the Bible gave you additional insight? How has your growth in understanding Scripture calibrated your conscience?
5. What are some practical ways we can “take pains to have” (ESV); “maintain” (NASB) a clear conscience?
6. Christopher Ash was quoted as saying, “The suppression of conscience has a narcotic effect upon morality.  Our moral antennae go to sleep.”  Expand on what you think he meant by that.
7. Spend some time praying for one another to have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things (Hebrews 13:18)

Hey Wildwood Family!

I hope everyone enjoyed the “smell of fall” in the air the last few days.  I really do enjoy the change of seasons.  Alas, it looks like we’ll be having some early June weather again in the next week or so (projected highs in the mid 80’s). Don’t pack away that sunscreen yet!!

It is an exciting weekend as some 109 dads and daughters are on the Father-Daughter campout in the Sulphur area.  The Lord has graciously given them some fabulous weather for the weekend.  Pray for refreshed connections with the dads and daughters.

The Father-Son campout is scheduled for Nov 1-3.  To learn more and to get more details go to wildwoodchurch.org/campouts.

The next round of Starting Point (where you can learn more about what Wildwood believes and about the membership process) is set to launch on Sunday, November 3^rd at 9:45 am in Room 4 downstairs.  If you haven’t been to Starting Point, it’s time to go!

It’s not too late to enjoy the free one-day Dallas Seminary class (Theological Method and Bibliology) to be held at Wildwood on Saturday November 2. Email info@wildwoodchurch.org for the registration link.

I am excited to share the second message this Sunday in our new series entitled, The Bible and Your Conscience.  We will delve deeper into the Word as we spend some time looking at the anatomy of our conscience.  What does all this have to do with Pinocchio??  Well, you’ll have to come and find out!

Hope to see you Sunday!

Bruce