Sermon Blog

We've seen those kinds of stories before...instances of unexpected new families.   Maybe they don't always happen like they did with this Sally and Jason...inheriting four children, due to the death of a friend, but it could happen.   It could happen with the unexpected death of a family member.   It could happen with a marriage.   That is how it happened for me.   I married Anita and instantly, with Natalie and Ben, we became a family of four as the minister said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."   There was no slow development into a family of four (but slowly, after two years to a family of five after Davey was born), the preacher and we said the words, and ‘boom’ instant family. Last week we began talking about Baptism as God’s gift to us, or actually, we began talking about baptism as the recognition of God’s gift of grace.   We came to understand baptism as the fact that God’s grace began working in us before we were even aware of ...

Have you ever had one of those “pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming” moments?   You know, those times where what you just discovered or what you were just told was too good to be true.   We have those events in our lives from time to time…those events that fill us with a kind of disbelieving joy…For the guys, maybe it was that moment as a teenager when you asked that great looking girl out and she said, “yes,” or maybe it was years later when you asked, “Will you marry me?” and, for some odd reason, she said, “yes.”   Gals, maybe it was that day when your husband or boyfriend (depending on whether you are married or not) actually remembered your birthday or anniversary and actually gave you a gift that was more than an afterthought from Dollar General.   A newly married couple may experience at the reception or the next morning…new parents may experience it right after the delivery…it may be a job offer or a promotion…it might have been how E.J. Nettles felt when he weig...

Water…is a truly precious gift from God…a gift we sometimes take for granted…many of us using it without thinking…at other times not realizing how important it is until there is none to be had. Water…the waters of baptism…another gift that we so often take for granted…often not realizing its significance.  Beginning today, and for the next four weeks, we will be examining this precious gift from God…the gift brought to us in the waters of baptism.  We will consider how it brings the gift of family, the gift of God’s forgiveness, the gift of a new life, and the gift of a new kind of living.  Today, though, we will consider simply the fact that it is a gift. In the video clip it was noted that all water that we have on earth has been here since the moment of creation.  It ties into that scientific understanding that matter is neither created nor destroyed…once God has spoken matter into existence, it is there.  It may change states, but it continues to ex...

How many of you love top ten lists?   If you do, great, we’ve got one tonight.   If you don’t, then learn to love them because we’ve got one tonight.   In 2009 I surveyed over 400 people and asked, “What is the Number One Love Song of all time?”   231 submissions were made, nominating 130 different songs.   Here are the songs that made the Top 10: Tied for 10 th – “All My Life” by KC and JoJo, “Always and Forever” by Heat Wave, “God Bless The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, “Here and Now” by Luther Vandross, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley, “Moonlight Serenade” by multiple artists, “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton, and “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor. Tied for 8 th – “Annie’s Song” by John Denver and “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Tied for 5 th – “Endless Love” by either Lionel Richie and Dianna Ross or Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey, “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole, and “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge. ...

It probably comes to no surprise to many of your that there are times where I operate outside of the norm…whether it is in joking around, or simply stating something in an unexpected way, there are times where I have come across as just not right.   There have been quite a few times over the years where I have done or said something, and folks give me a look as if to say, “something’s wrong with you.”   Others don’t stop with the look, they will go on to say, “You’re crazy Pastor Lee” or “You’re crazy Daddy.”   My quick and ready response is always, “You’re right…and I’ve got the papers to prove it.”   Now don’t get me wrong, mental illness is not a joke.   It is serious and so many folks struggle with it.   For years it has been a stigma—with folks afraid to confess that they struggle with it, or family members living in denial of it, or, if they accept it, trying to hide it from the rest of the world.   Many of our homeless and some who st...