Posts with the category “chris-seidman-weekly-update”

The Open Texas checklists that have provided guidance related to the governor’s Executive Orders have all been revised. The current updates still have the seating restrictions that we have been operating under since last May. For the time being, we will continue to seat using every other row. While the governor lifted the mask mandate for all businesses as of yesterday, his updated guidelines stro...  Read More

Hey church family,This is Ryan Rainey here taking over Chris' weekly post to wish you a happy Independence Day and to remind you about two very special announcements:_________________________________________________________________ NO THURSDAY NIGHT SERVICE THIS WEEKDue to the holiday, we are taking this Thursday off.  We hope to see you on Sunday this week! Sunday service times can be found here...  Read More

“Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing."(Frederick Buechner) I love Easter at The Branch! Thanks to all who served, prayed, and brought friends! It was a blessing to witness a number of baptisms this past weekend and I believe seeds were sown in the hearts of many. If you missed the message or heard it and want to share it with someone, go here.But Easter is more than a d...  Read More

This weekend, I’ll address a matter that I’ve never addressed publicly with you in 19 years at The Branch.There’s no shortage of fascination with the subject of demons. Hollywood reflects this. Screenplays continue to be written and movies produced with demons at the heart of the narratives that unfold. It’s hard to ignore the subject in the Gospel of Luke as well. Throughout our journey thus far,...  Read More

There’s something missing from our facility at the Vista Ridge campus – much of the whole back end! It’s a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess. Sometimes things have to be deconstructed so that something better can be constructed. It’s true in life as well. God’s at work, and we’re all under construction!This is one of many reasons why prayer matters. Of all the things Jesus’ disciples saw Him do – ca...  Read More

I stumbled onto a treasure Monday. My office mailbox was full of notes from Branch kids who took the time to pray for me this past weekend. The card in the picture is one of many I was blessed with. I love Ryder Wilson’s depiction of me. I’m rather red and lean in it, don’t you think?Don’t sell the prayers of kids short. They pray big and we need it!  To all who pour into hundreds of kids every we...  Read More

Did you know that if you’re a grandmother and you have a grandchild in college, you’re 19 times more likely to become gravely ill and pass away before they have a major term paper due or have to take a final exam? You probably didn’t know our grandchildren’s term paper due dates and final exams could be a predictor of mortality rates.I’ll explain more this weekend, and tell you what this has to do...  Read More

Occasionally the words of a prayer bounce around in my mind. They’re from a luncheon among congressional representatives and senators. They go something like this, “Lord, I pray that the Jews among us would come to know Jesus, the Muslims among us would come to know Jesus, and the Christians among us would come to know Jesus.”It’s that last part that probably offended some. The truth is, though, w...  Read More

Seinfeld’s George Costanza and Michelangelo will be making guest appearances this weekend in our journey through the Gospel of Luke. I can’t think of two more different than those, but hey, Jesus brings all kinds of people together!  We’re covering the largest chunk of Luke yet – Luke 8:22-9:27 – and uncovering what the Lord might be saying to each one of us through how the stories work together.G...  Read More

Jesus had an entourage. Who was in it says so much about Him, and should say so much about us as His followers. This weekend, I’m going to be pulling on a long thread running through the Gospel of Luke. Of all things, it intersects with what’s on the front page of one of the nation’s largest newspapers this very week. This thread is running through our homes, our families, our careers, and through...  Read More

One of the best stories out of the NFL last year involved a number of Philadelphia Eagles who had given their lives to Christ in the last couple of years. Widely circulated videos showed numerous players being baptized in the recovery pool at the team’s training facility. I’ve never liked the Philadelphia Eagles as a football team, obviously, because of my allegiance to the Cowboys. But the baptis...  Read More

There’s no shortage of talk these days in the world of professional football...  Read More

“I can resist anything except temptation.” (Oscar Wilde)And that can be a problem.We head into the wilderness with Jesus this weekend in our journey through the Gospel of Luke. There’s much to be gleaned from the story of His temptations. I can’t wait to walk through this with you! It has some very practical and relevant implications for our lives. We’ll be touring Luke 4:1-15. Come...  Read More