Giant Killers Series

I love that video. That may or may not have something to do with the fact that that’s my daughter Spence. So hey, good morning and welcome to this place that we call DCC. It is so good to have you with us today that’s always true but especially true if you are brand new. So if that’s you, you need to know that all of your story is safe and welcome here regardless of how it reads, you belong with us regardless of what you believe and you have walked into a place today that is full of people exactly like you. We are people who have made mistakes, hurt people, been hurt by people, have parts of our lives and stories that we wish we could erase, delete, change and do-over, things in our lives that we all hope to and need to overcome. So if any of that sounds like you, me too. We hope that you feel safe and welcome here because you are and that you want to come back and do this again with us real soon. So thanks for being here if you are new, and to all of our online friends out there right now too.

ILLUST> So we are starting a brand new series today that is going to carry us right into Easter called Overcome and as I was thinking through this this past week two thoughts immediately came to mind. The first was what a great time to start this series. Tomorrow will be the 14th anniversary of DCC. Now, I wasn’t here when it all got started at Springs Ranch Elementary school, I didn’t get here until almost 6 years later but if you talked to the few dozen people who were there then that are still here today they would tell you that there may not be a better word to describe the story of this church than the title of this series, overcome. 3 pastors in the first 5 full years of the church, financial challenges and hardships, decline for about 3 straight years from about 350 people down to about 80, lots of stories, lots of obstacles, challenges, and mountains in the 14 year history of this church, lots of things to overcome. So the timing is really cool, but more than that I am pumped about what we are going to be talking about and through in this series this word overcome. About a year and a half ago I got the opportunity to meet and become friends with former Navy Seal Officer Jay Redman who wrote the book the Trident. If you don’t know his story he was shot behind his ear in combat and had his nose blown off of his face. He should have died, he didn’t. Overcome is his word. This past Friday night Stacy and I watched the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs take down a UCONN team that had won 111 straight games and was a 21 point favorite in the final four. There is it again, overcome. So, what is this thing that stirs in us when we hear stories like Jays, that pulls for the underdog if our team is not playing, that loves a good story but especially an against all odds, rags to riches Cinderella story? Answer. They touch our hearts because they touch our stories. There are challenges, issues, mountains, giants, things in all of our lives and stories that we really want and need to overcome. My guess is that we could all use some help with that. That’s why we are doing this series.

If you brought a Bible we are going to be in 1 Samuel chapter 17. If you don’t have a Bible they are back on the back tables that you can grab right now if you would like if you close or on you can always grab one on your way out. As always you can hit our app or the You Version app too. Or you can ignore all of that and read along with me on the screens. Since we are sort of jumping into the middle of the story let’s talk through a little of the back story so we are all on the same page and what we are getting ready to read really makes sense. So God’s chosen people are camped on a mountain ready to go to war with the Philistines who are camped on the mountain right next to them. The two mountains are separated by a valley and every day Goliath, this giant Philistine, 9 feet tall, comes down into the valley and offers to fight anyone from Israel one on one and winner takes all, whoever loses the one on one fight, their troops will surrender. The troops of Israel are terrified. No one takes him up on his offer so every day it continues. So this young man named David is sent by his father to bring supplies to his brothers who are in the front lines with Israel’s army. He hears this giant Goliath come out and taunt Israel. That’s where we are picking up the story today. So here we go 1 Samuel 17 starting with verse 32…