It’s Complicated Week 6 – Clayton King

Overview:

Special guest Clayton King spoke at Campus Community tonight. He continued the “It’s Complicated” series by sharing his personal story of finding his biological family. King was adopted in 1972 by a God-fearing couple. Clayton suffered the tragedy of losing both his adopted mother and father within two years. On Christmas morning Clayton King, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, began to write out prayer requests. Among the prayer requests, Clayton asked the Lord to find his biological family in 2019. Clayton King shared his story of being reconnected with his biological family in 2019 as he had prayed. Clayton was reunited with sister Paige and brother Clint.

Clayton King reminded us that we serve a kind, God. A God who is constant. A God who is in the details.

Clayton encouraged us that our past does not define us, and our heavenly Father loves us. There is no need to change our past because Jesus died on the cross to redeem it. There is no one we must impress because our identity is in the love of Jesus. Life is complicated but the Gospel is not. Life is rocky but we are safe and secure in Jesus’ love forever. Surrender your past, present, and future to Jesus. He will make all things new. Abundant life is in Jesus.

Verses:

Psalms 68:4-6

“4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
5Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

Quotes:

“Our past does not define us, but our past does play into our story.”

“We adopted you because we loved you. You will be adopted again when you are adopted into Christ’s family.”

“Deal with your father issues…Jesus wants to be the perfect Father that you need.”

“You have a heavenly Father that wants to fill the voids in your story.”

“My history doesn’t define me, but my Heavenly Father is the only opinion that matters.”

Questions:

1) What keeps you from taking the next step in giving everything to Christ?

2) What in your past is hindering your view of God?

3) What fears do you allow to hinder your prayer life?

4) Are there prayer requests that you have not surrendered to the Lord because it hasn’t been answered in the way that you were expecting? What steps do you take to surrender them?