Bad Things Happen to Good People?
Hebrews 11:32-40
Lori Gilbert-Kaye was a good person. She was happily married and had one daughter. She was one of the pioneering congregants of her synagogue. Her best friend said of her she was always running to do a good deed and gave charity to everyone. “It’s not like she gave a million dollars for a building, but if someone was sick or someone died, she was the first one there with food or asking what she could do.”
A week ago Saturday she went to worship in her synagogue when she […]
To Be Most Pitied
Matthew 28:1-10
Corinthians 15:1-4, 12-22
As the pastor introduced his children’s sermon on Easter, he asked the little ones, “Do you see anything different about our church today?”
Little Heather quickly figured out the difference and blurted out, “It’s full!”
A guy attended church one Sunday and became increasingly annoyed as the pastor preached. After the service, he decided to speak to […]
The Crucible (Palm Sunday)
Luke 19:28-40
Mark 14:26-72
Derek Lam is a courageous young Christian leader living in Hong Kong, who has entered The Crucible. In August, 2017 he wrote in The New York Times about the suppression of human rights for Christians in China:
Since I was 16 years old, I have wanted to be a pastor. I was raised in a Christian family in […]
Situational Awareness
I Chronicles 29:1-18
Luke 12:13-21
A fellow was riding a bus when he suddenly realized he needed to pass gas. The music was really loud, so he decided to decrepitate with the beat. After a couple of songs, he felt better much as he approached his stop. As he was leaving the bus, people were really giving him the stink eye. And that’s when […]
Avoiding Temptation
Matthew 6:7-13
I Peter 5:8-11
If you were only 8 years old and saw a commercial advertising a delicious Big Mac how far would you go to get your hands on one of those famous cheeseburgers? A boy from East Palestine, Ohio was not going to be deterred from getting one. While his parents slept, he
Overture to Temptation
Today as we open a Biblical inquiry into the subject of ‘temptation, ’I begin with an ‘overture.’ That is I’d like to talk about temptation in very general terms, while at the same time giving a preview of where we are headed in this series. With that in mind, let’s turn to the Bible as our foundation.
Genesis 3:1-6
Psalm 25:1-5
James 1:12-16
Four priests were on a spiritual retreat weekend and on Saturday […]
A Broken Orchestra
Acts 6:1-7
I Thessalonians 5:12-13
Reader’s Digest Life in These United States: A week after a father applied to enroll his son in a private school, he received a questionnaire. One of the questions was: “Is your son a leader or a follower?” He thought about it and then indicated his son was a follower. A couple weeks later, he was informed his son […]
Beautiful Feet
Matthew 28:18-20
Romans 10:1-15
As a young couple’s wedding day neared, both grew increasingly nervous over secret problems they had never shared with anyone. Privately, the groom-to-be approached his minister. “I have really smelly feet—and am afraid my fiancée won’t be able to take it.” “Look,” his pastor said, “Wash your feet twice a day and wear socks all the time.”
Meanwhile, the nervous […]
I Believe
John 20:24-31
Romans 10:8-15
Formal statements of beliefs like ours, what are formally known as creeds have been part and parcel of the faith we hold dear for over 3,000 years.
Yes, that means they appear in the Bible. Twelve centuries before Christ, the first Hebrew creed, known as The Shema, appears in Deuteronomy:
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, […]
How Can I Be Sure?
Mark 8:27-38
I John 5:1-13
In 1967, I went with high school buddies to the historic Akron Civic Theater to my first rock concert to see one of my favorite American bands, The Young Rascals. The band was famous for Good Lovin which appeared on their first album in ‘66. That summer they released their second album Groovin’ that contained two singles Groovin’ and […]
Who Do You Say I am?
Mark 8:27-31
Isaiah 53 (selected)
Romans 5:6-17
I have another question for you this morning. I call it the question of the ages. For in my mind, there’s no more important question that can be asked of any living human being residing on the face of this planet. For the answer to this question will forever shape the future of the one who accepts […]
Raising the Bar
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Matthew 5:21-30
I Thessalonians 4:1-10
Talk about raising the bar, I found this true story online where the author says: “Last weekend, a group of my friends were waiting in line for a concert in the city. My girlfriend excitedly started pointing at a hotel a few blocks away; ‘Look at the top of that building! I think that’s an indoor pool on the top […]