Sermon Leftovers

It cost too much, but the inspiration was priceless I might have discovered my special purpose. I was sipping a s’more frappuccino (which I hadn’t had before and which I found to be just okay), hanging out with Marianne and Emma when I saw a storefront across the street that called to mind visions of pro-life protestors at an abortion clinic. We don’t see them as much anymore (I think the government has clamped down on them), but maybe we could recall their movement just for a moment. Operation Save-A-Life I know that’s not a real name. At least I don’t think it is. But you know what it might look like. Lots of people marching in front of an abortion clinic. Carrying big signs, sometimes chanting or singing. They approach young, scared girls and seek to convince them (either through dialogue or literature) not to end their child’s life. Those who show interest are offered “crisis-pregnancy” counseling. For the few who choose to keep their children, systems are in place

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record a story of Jesus sending out His followers with instructions to spread His good news. Each time, the details of his instructions differed slightly but one element always remained the same. Matthew 10:11 says: “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.” Mark 6:10 says: “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.” Luke 5:5–7 says: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” The principle is very clear. Find a house. Stay there. I don’t think this negates the efforts of those who evangelize door to door or those who engage in street preaching. I do think we should recognize that those methods ar

How do you measure success? If you are chasing material gains, accumulation of wealth and property, fame or accolades of those around you; you might not ever be successful. You cannot necessarily control all the factors required to achieve these goals. But if success means loving relationships, peace and calm, ongoing contentment or a sense of fulfillment; success is not out of reach for you. Proverbs has much to say about living a successful life. Today, I grabbed five ideas about success from Proverbs 12. FIVE CHARACTER TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE: They are teachable "To learn you must love discipline, it is stupid to hate correction." (Proverbs 12:1) Everyone makes mistakes, everyone is wrong sometimes. True friends will correct you and set you on the right path. But if you aren't willing to be corrected, you'll never grow as a person. They work hard "A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense." (P

On May 10, it seems fitting to publish 10 Proverbs from Proverbs 10. These particular wisdom sayings are each lessons I want my children to live by. 10 PROVERBS FOR MY CHILDREN Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace. Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster. People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray. Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes. The way of the LORD is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked. The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will

Several years ago, a dating web-site ran a commercial offering five matches for those who signed up for the first time. When we first saw this commercial, Marianne astutely pointed out, "They must not have much confidence in their process if they are giving you FIVE matches..." I immediately thought that this was a wonderful demonstration of the way some people view church. Eharmony is built on the idea that their thorough analysis of every person almost always leads to compatible relationships. Unfortunately, from time to time they discover people for whom they don't have a match. Rather than suggest a match which falls below their standards, they choose to apologize to that person and say, "We can't hook you up right now." Apparently, other dating sites take a different approach. They have the philosophy that if they throw you into as large a pool of people as possible,  you're certain to find a match. Unfortunately, a lot of people spend a lot o

Christ came to restore man’s fellowship with God. His death provided the necessary atonement to bridge the gap, and thus upon his return to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to begin gathering a people who would fellowship with God through the sacrifice of Christ. Of course, we call these gathered people "THE CHURCH!" Fellowship is central to God’s story and to the formation of the church . It should not surprise us that the very first time the followers of Christ gathered together, the central theme was fellowship. More appropriately, we could say the central theme was a “SHARED PASSION” which united them in true fellowship. Acts 1:14 says,   “they all joined together constantly in prayer…” The word “together” is the focal point as it describes not just their activity, but the nature of their activity. The idea being communicated is that these people had “one shared passion”. They were joined together by the thing about which they were most passionate. Have you ev