Category Archives: Sermons

Sunday’s Sermon Today: Joseph – Forgiveness (Character Counts Series)

One of my favorite modern movies is Warrior. It’s the story of two brothers, Tommy and Brendan, who have been estranged since their teenage years. They are separated by their anger, by the feelings of separation that occurred because of their … Continue reading

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Sunday’s Sermon Today: Moses – Call (Character Counts Series)

I love the Old Testament. I know, it may be a little weird, with all of its rules, regulations, strange lists, and tough to pronounce names. Yes, I love Jesus, too, especially his parables about the kingdom of God. But … Continue reading

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Christmas Eve: The Church Awakens

It was May 4, 2012. For those of you not in “the know,” that’s the Annual Star Wars Day. But in 2012, it was the release date of the long-awaited Avengers film. The exact time doesn’t matter… But I was minding my … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: God Wants You To Be Rich (Mark 10:17-27)

“Christmas is not your birthday.” That’s the tagline of Mike Slaughter’s Christmas series that saw Ginghamsburg UMC revolutionize their mission to the poor. Slaughter stood before the congregation and said, “I want you to have a slim Christmas this year … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: You Need To Keep Christ In Christmas

A few weeks ago, a brouhaha erupted over the styles of cups that Starbucks unveiled for their 2015 holiday season. Previous cups had featured rainbows and snowflakes, but this year – gasp – they are plain red! A firestorm, headed … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (Or, What Jellybeans, Thanksgiving, & Refugees Have In Mind)

I had been planning a sermon for months about what it looked like to welcome in the unwelcomable (I made that word up) and what it looked like to care for those who were unloved. And then Paris happened last … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: Faith Fixes Everything (Hebrews 11:1-16)

We all have faith in something. Even people who say they don’t believe in anything have faith that their understanding, their intellect, their concept of “not god” is correct, true, powerful, and is going to get them where they need to go. … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: Grow Up! (Luke 18:15-17)

Paula Poundstone has joked that “adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.” It leads itself into the debate over what it means to be adult and what … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: God Only Has One Plan For Your Life (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Do you stay on the path or do you wander all around it? That’s a simple question but the answers are complicated. It can apply to your practical application when taking a walk – do you go where everyone else … Continue reading

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Things Jesus Never Said: Everything Happens For A Reason (Romans 8:18-30)

Some of you have been through the grinder over the last few months. Maybe it’s emotional, or scientific, physical or completely relational. But at some point in your struggle, someone has said something like: God is doing something big in … Continue reading

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