Drawing Near

?November 15, 2009 Proper 28 Hebrews 10:19-25 When my oldest daughter was 3 years old, we were traveling and staying with friends. Surrounded by other children and staying in an unfamiliar place, she found herself in various stages of disobedience several times in one day!

For Me?

?November 8, 2009 Proper 27 Hebrews 9:24-28 In the process of getting a divorce after five painful years of separation, Chip and Cindy Altemos had begun seeing other people. Then without warning, Chip's health began to deteriorate rapidly.

The Art Of Video Sermon Illustrations

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor . . . but he (the rich man) took the poor man's lamb . . . " (2 Samuel 12:1-4 [NKJV]) Nathan was sent to David armed with a message from God,

Safe In Jesus?

1 John 5:9-13 As a group of young, neighborhood friends, we were playing a fierce game of tag, running through backyards and between houses. I was being hotly pursued, when I sped around the corner of a house and saw him: a huge, tethered dog staring at me from a back patio! He barked and

Mission Possible!

Isaiah 6:1-8 In the TV series Mission Impossible, Jim Phelps received his secret mission assignments from a mysterious voice on a tape recorder. Listening carefully, Phelps would hear the voice say, "Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it . . ." Wouldn't it be

But Wait! There’s More!

Romans 8:22-27 Do you recall the famous Ronco commercials? Did you ever find yourself wishing you had a Mr. Microphone, the Pocket Fisherman, the Dial-O-Matic Food Slicer, or the Smokeless Ashtray? Ron Popeil the inventor revolutionized the ad industry with his sales pitch: It cuts, it sli

The Problem Of Counterfeit Christianity

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Walking in the hot summer sun, we were enjoying a wilderness hike near a saltwater marsh in south Louisiana. Suddenly my son Jonathan was crying out, "It moved! It moved!" I looked up and he was dancing in circles about 15 yards ahead of us. Running to his aid, I arrived to see a...

The Problem Of Ineffective Christianity

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 On July 20, 2004 Jason Clauss and his brother went surfing on a beautiful summer day off the coast of Long Island, New York. At the end of several hours of fun, Jason returned to shore and had removed his wetsuit when he heard cries for help offshore. Two brothers had been pulled...

Finding Your Spiritual Home

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Children shouldn't have been throwing the ball in the church's fellowship hall downstairs, but they were . . . and the inevitable happened: striking the wall by accident, the boys left a small, indented "crater." One of the older men came in the next morning with his tools, calling out to me as...

At The Starting Line

Acts 2:1-21 In high school I enjoyed running on the track team. As the official gave us directions at the starting line, I vividly recall the adrenaline pumping through my veins at the beginning of each race. He would slowly call out three phrases in an elongated, deliberate...