Sermon Blog

  It’s Memorial Day Weekend.   While summer is still technically still 27 days away, this weekend for many marks the kickoff of the summer season.   It is the weekend where many make their first venture to the beach or the lake.   It is the weekend where many families may take the first swim in their pool for the year or fire up the grill for the first time.   It is a weekend of fun in the sun for so many.   Yet, for others it is not.   It is a weekend that for some families is a time of remembering and grief.   It is a weekend where children, spouses, parents, and friends remember those who have lost their lives in the line of service to their country.   We paused earlier in our service this morning to remember those who gave their lives in military conflict—why, because they put their lives on the line for family, friends, and nation. Yet, a person doesn’t have to be in service in order to give their lives for someone else.  ...

  It was something that I had watched many folks go through in my years of ministry and marriage, but until September I had not experienced it myself.   However, within mere hours of my surgery in September, I was experiencing it.   For most who have experienced it, there is a definite “love-hate” relationship.   What is it?   It is known by many simply as torture, but the professionals call it “physical therapy.” For anyone that has had surgery or been in an accident, physical therapy is necessary.   Through the pain, growth occurs.   When I began therapy, I was barely able to put my left hand behind my left hip.   Amongst other exercises was one dedicated to increasing the range of motion behind my back.    Each week I would push a little further and hold it a little longer, despite the pain…and while I have not completely regained all of the range of motion prior to my shoulder freezing up, I can now reach the far side of my...

Have you ever had one of those conversations? “It’s time to get up.” “But why?” “You have to go to school.” “But why?” “Because it’s Monday.” “But why?” “Because yesterday was Sunday.” “But why?” “Because that’s the way weeks work.” “But why?” And it goes on and on and on. How many times have you ever found yourself caught in one of those endless cycle of “why” questioning? Well, as I was preparing for this week’s message, I found myself constantly going back to last Sunday’s sermon and thinking about the issue of the temptations and trials.   As I thought about it more, I realized that where I left us opened us up to “why” questions: “why would God allow these trials, “why would God allow us to be to be tempted,” “why does God allow suffering,” “why doesn’t God just make everything and everyone do what is right,” or “why doesn’t God just do something about it all.” We could come up with almost an endless set of “why” questions relating to t...

How many of you like pop quizzes? Not too many, huh?   Let me try a different approach. How many of you like trivia? I know it is not all of you, but it is significantly more than like pop quizzes.   So here is your trivia test.   I need to know whether this quote is from the Bible or somewhere else.   If it is from somewhere else, where?   If it is from the Bible, where? “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”   Jeremiah 8:20 “Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.” Langston Hughes “Whatever life holds in store for me, I will not forget these words: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’” Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) – Spiderman “Casting the lot puts an end to disputes between powerful contenders.” Proverbs 18:18 “…the badgers are a people without power, yet they make their homes in the rocks…”   Proverbs 30:26 “Tell me something, my f...