Por encima de todo
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Above It All
What Did You Expect?
Above It All
What Did You Expect?
Por encima de todo
¿Que esperabas?

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

Small Faith: What Can You Find?

Pastor Tim Timberlake

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

Mark 6:35-44

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denari worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

REFERENCES: MARK 6:33-44, EPHESIANS 3:20

Main Idea

Clay is only clay until it is placed in the hands of a potter. Much like formless clay is turned into a beautiful work of art, our small faith in the hands of God can turn into much more than what we could ever imagine. The disciples had witnessed Jesus work many miracles yet at a key moment they were still not sure how Jesus would feed five thousand. Similarly, we can start to question and ask how God will work a miracle in our lives. The disciples did question and may have even hesitated but, they still followed the instructions of Jesus. Even if we have questions, we should not allow our doubts to deter our obedience, whether it is to start a new business, go back to school, pray for a child, or simply be still and wait on him. As we trust him, we will come to know that what we have is more than enough for him to work wonders.

A little in the hands of Jesus can turn into a lot in the life of the recipient.

1. When you obey he responds

At times, we can let thoughts of uncertainty and fear overpower our higher calling and true purpose. We find ourselves questioning God’s plan, hindering our ability to see his miracles. But truth is, Jesus begins to perform miracles the moment we step out of our comfort zone. To clear our vision, we must silence doubt and take initiative by putting just a small amount of faith in the right place so that God can move.

Success only occurs when obedience supersedes excuses
God honors your initiative, not your intention
He will move in your life at the speed of your obedience

God will never advance your instructions beyond your last act of disobedience.

Share a personal example of how your obedience advanced God’s purpose for your life or how your disobedience hindered God’s purpose.

2. Small faith can unlock big blessings

With five loaves and two fish to feed thousands, Jesus used the disciples’ small faith to make the impossible possible. The disciples believed their surroundings to be desolate and they assumed the food they found was insufficient. Still, they obeyed, and moments later Jesus proved that the insufficiency was actually their ability to see that Jesus was able to do a lot with a little.

Your limitation isn’t what you don’t have, but rather what you have and don’t use
Don’t miss an opportunity for a miracle if it doesn’t look like what you expect
Put your small faith in the hands of Jesus and he will bless and multiply it

If Jesus meets your expectations, he can't supersede them.

What in your life seems small that God desires to use?

Summary

God has already mapped out your path and he knows the plans he has for you. He knows what you have is enough because he is the one who makes everything out of nothing. Do you trust that he will do what only he can do? Small faith always starts with believing Jesus paid the ultimate price to set us free from sin that kept us bound. Obedience is all it takes to make the most of what you can find. Trust that God will certainly finish the good work he began in you, for he is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving author and perfecter of our faith.

Call To Action

What has God told you to do, that you haven’t done yet? Challenge yourself to spend 10 minutes a day working on what God has instructed you to do.

Announcements

Pray First

We’re in week two of Pray First and there’s still time to join! Prayer is where intimacy with God begins—it aligns our hearts with His will and unlocks Heaven’s power in our lives.

Let’s grow closer to God together. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Join us for Pray First by texting "PRAY" to 30596.

Monday - Friday

Zoom Prayer @ 6:30AM
vouschurch.com/zoom

Monday - Saturday
IG Live @ 12:00PM

Wednesday - 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Prayer Rooms - Miami Gardens

Wednesday, January 15 - Pray First Gathering
7:00PM Pre-Hang
7:30PM Service
SoMi, Miami Gardens, Design District

For all gatherings information and resources on Pray First, please click here!

Baptisms Sunday

We are having baptisms this Sunday, January 19th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.

To sign up for baptisms, please click here.

Heart & Soul

Heart & Soul will be taking place on Wednesday, January 22nd. This is a night for anyone who loves VOUS with worship, community, and a stakeholders message from Pastor Rich on where we're headed in 2025.


This SZN, we will be holding Heart & Soul at VOUS City!


‍RSVP here to let us know which location you will be joining us at. This is a night you do not want to miss!

I Love My City

This month's spotlight initiative is human trafficking awareness. We aim to bring light to this critical issue by partnering with organizations working to prevent trafficking and support survivors.

We will meet at our South Miami, Design District, and Miami Gardens locations on Saturday, January 25th at 10:30am to gather and serve at an outreach throughout the city.

To sign up for an outreach at one of our locations or an Off-Site outreach, please click here.

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

What Did You Expect?

Pastor Luke Barry

Continuing the Conversation
VOUSCon 2023: Reflect

VOUSCon was nothing short of a miracle! We're still praising God for all He did. Reflection builds gratitude. Spend the first few minutes of Crew sharing a testimony or reflection from VOUSCon 2023.

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Additional Scripture References: John 11:32; Job 13:15; John 11:5; Matthew 14:31

Main Idea

Life often doesn't meet our expectations, leading to frustration and disappointment. We may hope for one outcome, only to be met with something entirely different, creating a gap between what we expected and what we experienced. This gap can lead us to question God, our faith, and our hope. But through stories like that of Lazarus and Job, we learn that God isn’t in the business of just meeting expectations, He’s in the business of exceeding them.

God’s power to perform exceeds our ability to ask

1. Hope and Expectation

Faith grows through hope and trusting God’s timing. Positive expectations can fuel faith, while unmet expectations can lead to disappointment. Often, we expect something specific from God but find ourselves limiting Him to only a particular outcome. When we don’t see Him come through just as we expected, we can find ourselves frustrated and disappointed — where was God? The truth is, God is always at work. We may not always see Him moving, or understand His plan, but He has something greater in mind.

Disappointment can tempt us to give up on expectations, but it’s an opportunity to strengthen our faith
God’s plans always exceed our expectations
Don't allow your expectations of what God was “supposed” to do get in the way of what He wants to do

If God always met your expectations, how could He ever exceed them?

What areas of your life are you waiting for God to show up? How can you operate from faith in the present as you hope for the future?

2. Endurance and Enjoyment

Job’s story is a powerful example of enduring pain and disappointment without losing faith. Even in his suffering, Job declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Despite the immense loss, he continued to trust God, showing us that our hope can remain, even in the midst of struggle. Endurance is the ability to trust that God is working, even when we can’t see it.

Endurance strengthens our faith through trials
God hasn’t called us to merely endure life, He’s called us to enjoy it
Enjoying life is appreciating the little, it’s not a pain-free life, but a grateful one

We can say: “God, I don’t understand everything but I trust you in everything”

How has a difficult season strengthened your appreciation for God’s blessings?

Summary

Possibly the greatest source of frustration in life is unmet expectations. The difference between what we expected versus what we experienced often leads us to stop expecting. But there’s an invitation of faith amidst the frustration. Don’t lower your expectations; lift your faith. Give God something to exceed. God can do it, the question is: can you believe it?

Call To Action

Identify areas where you may be limiting God by expecting a specific outcome. Practice finding gratitude by celebrating the little things.

Announcements

Pray First

We’re in week two of Pray First and there’s still time to join! Prayer is where intimacy with God begins—it aligns our hearts with His will and unlocks Heaven’s power in our lives.

Let’s grow closer to God together. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Join us for Pray First by texting "PRAY" to 30596.

Monday - Friday

Zoom Prayer @ 6:30AM
vouschurch.com/zoom

Monday - Saturday
IG Live @ 12:00PM

Wednesday - 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Prayer Rooms - Miami Gardens

Wednesday, January 15 - Pray First Gathering
7:00PM Pre-Hang
7:30PM Service
SoMi, Miami Gardens, Design District

For all gatherings information and resources on Pray First, please click here!

Baptisms Sunday

We are having baptisms this Sunday, January 19th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.

To sign up for baptisms, please click here.

Heart & Soul

Heart & Soul will be taking place on Wednesday, January 22nd. This is a night for anyone who loves VOUS with worship, community, and a stakeholders message from Pastor Rich on where we're headed in 2025.


This SZN, we will be holding Heart & Soul at VOUS City!


‍RSVP here to let us know which location you will be joining us at. This is a night you do not want to miss!

I Love My City

This month's spotlight initiative is human trafficking awareness. We aim to bring light to this critical issue by partnering with organizations working to prevent trafficking and support survivors.

We will meet at our South Miami, Design District, and Miami Gardens locations on Saturday, January 25th at 10:30am to gather and serve at an outreach throughout the city.

To sign up for an outreach at one of our locations or an Off-Site outreach, please click here.

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Sign Up for a Crew ->