Understanding The Emerging Church

Identifying and defining the 'emerging church' is like nailing jello to a wall - it's virtually impossible. In fact, leaders of the 'emerging church' movement refuse to allow it to be defined for fear that definition will lead to codification and codification will lead to institutionalization and...

God’s Redeeming Love

Isaiah 40:1-11 So often the Old Testament is perceived as portraying a wrathful God of vengeance. But in this Old Testament passage, we see the compassionate, loving nature of God. Comfort is spoken to those who suffered through the Babylonian exile. These Israelites...

Confession Brings Healing

Isaiah 64:1-9 Have you ever had a conversation with someone only to realize how distant that person was from God. It is a humbling and saddening experience. I wonder sometimes if that is how God sees us. "We are all like an unclean thing. And all our righteousness is like...

Answering The Call

Grady Nutt, the late Christian comedian and preacher, used to have an entire routine that revolved around, 'the call to the ministry!' He added to that last word the grunt that many old-timer southern preachers add to almost every sentence. The word came out sounding like 'ministruh' with ...

The Pastor’s Bedside Manner

In the almost fifty years since I graduated from medical school I've seen a thousand cartoons depicting the bedside manner of the doctor. They're funny because they often catch hold of a profound truth in a lively, comical way. But you pastors...

Wanted: A Passionate People For God

Mark 3:1-6 (Delivered at Hope Community Congregational Church) Mk 3:1-6 is the fifth of five stories which Mark strings together in Mk 2:1-3:6. Each story demonstrates Jesus' authority over the Law and Jewish tradition. The religious leaders steadily increase their ...