Possessions

The wives who lived within the walls of Weinsberg Castle in Germany were aware of the riches it held: gold, silver, jewels -- wealth beyond belief. The day came in 1141 AD when all their treasure was threatened. An enemy army surrounded the castle and demanded the fortress, the fortune and the lives of the men inside the...

Making JOY A Part Of Life

Third Sunday of Advent (C), December 14, 2003 Making JOY a Part of Life Philippians 4:4-7 Many people misunderstand the significance of joy. They think it frivolous and unnecessary to life . . . at least that is how they act and look. I heard about a little girl who asked her grandmoth

I Want To Be A Friend!

Second Sunday of Advent (C), December 7, 2003 I Want to be a Friend! Philippians 1:3-11 It really doesn't matter what Personality Inventory test I take. I come out being friendly and needing friends. My wife tells me I never meet a stranger. I gather energy when I'm around p

Security In A Wild And Wacky World

First Sunday of Advent (C), November 30, 2003 Security in a Wild and Wacky World Luke 21:25-36 Marty Findley. Now I know that you don't know Marty, but I do. He was one of the adult parishioners in my first assignment after seminary graduation. We lived about two hours from Cincin

Be Persistently Stubborn!

Proper 9 (B), July 6, 2003 Mark 6:1-13 The word stubborn means, "Firmly, often unduly determined in will or purpose: obstinate. Marked by perseverance: persistent. Difficult to handle or work: resistant.1 The scripture text describes situations of stubbornness by obstinacy and the other by

The Foundations Of Life

Proper 11 (B), July 20, 2003 Ephesians 2:11-22 As a teenager I weighed approximately 300 pounds. During gym classes we would build a human pyramid of boys. Our goal was to get as many bodies on the pyramid as possible. I was usually in the center of the crowd on the bottom row. The higher t

Life As A God Possession

Proper 10 (B), July 13, 2003 Ephesians 1:13-14 The people of Ephesus would understand this portion of Paul's writing, ". . . you were sealed with the Holy Spirit" because of their geographical location. Ephesus was a maritime city and carried on an extensive timber trade. Merchants of the

Encumbrances

In the Alleghenies Mountains a hunter mistakenly shot a large eagle. Usually they soar far above the hunter's range, but not this time. When the hunter examined the bird, he discovered an interesting thing. One of the claws of the big bird held firmly a strong steel trap and a five-foot chain Attached! The trap and the chain were...

Dreams

The professor challenged his students to get to know someone they didn't already know. One of the football players felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and as he turned found a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at him. A smile lit her entire being. She said, "Hello handsome. My name is Rose and I'm eighty-seven years old....