Sermon: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Fixing Our Eyes on JesusHebrews 12:1-3July 31, 2022 In 1948, Dutch physicist Hessel de Vries began doing some research on the two daughters of a colorblind father and discovered that their eyes perceived colors differently from both their father and others with normal color perception. Our eyes perceive color through the cones in our eyes; […]

Ordinary People

Yesterday I wrote about ordinary people. In preparing to write, I rummaged through my files and found several helpful statements about being ordinary and how God uses us in our humility. Alas, I wasn’t able to work those quotations into the article. But they are helpful and worth reading. So here are a few things […]

We are all ordinary and that’s the way God planned it

Several years ago, as part of the release of a new pen, the Bic corporation developed a project called “The Universal Typeface Experiment.” The intent was for individuals around the globe provide handwriting samples for each letter of the alphabet and that those samples would be compiled by an algorithm into a single universal typeface. […]

Sermon: Victorious Faith

Victorious FaithHebrews 11:32-40July 24, 2022 They have been called “The Most Crushing Losses in Sports History,” “The Hall of Flameout,” and “Snatching Defeat from the Hands of Victory.” They are sports events that are considered major failures, gaffs, and defeats. For years, ABC captured the sense of loss on Wide World of Sports with an […]

Sermon: Living by Faith in Our Great God

Living by Faith in Our Great GodHebrews 11:30-31June 19, 2022 In his book Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? Robert Wells exposes the size of the universe in understandable terms: The largest animal on earth is the blue whale.… But a blue whale isn’t anywhere near as big as a mountain. If […]

Sermon: Choosing to Live by Faith, Pt. 2

Choosing to Live by Faith: Living with UncertaintyHebrews 11:27-29June 5, 2022 In Malaysia there is a relatively small group of people (59,000) called the Semai. They might be fairly typical of what you might think about a Southeast Asian culture: they are sustained economically primarily through farming and hunting, they live in small, isolated […]

When threatened with persecution

Injustice, suffering, and persecution are normal and will happen in this world. That doesn’t mean persecution is right; but it does mean that nothing unusual has happened when someone is ostracized, condemned, persecuted, or even martyred for having faith in Christ. To be a follower of Christ is to live with the expectation that one […]

Sermon: Choosing to Live by Faith

Choosing to Live by FaithHebrews 11:23-26May 29, 2022 In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz tells of a trip to his local moderately sized grocery store. He found 285 varieties of cookies, 13 sports drinks, 65 box drinks, 85 kids’ juices, 75 iced teas, 95 types of chips and pretzels, 15 kinds of bottled water, […]

Sermon: Blessings and Dying Words

Blessings and Dying WordsHebrews 11:20-22May 8, 2022 The legacy of people’s final words is fascinating. What were the final words and thoughts on people’s minds as they departed this life for eternal life (or eternal death)? These words are significant because death is the ultimate enemy of all men. There are more harsh and less […]

Remember God’s Promises

Trials are regular and normal. Disappointment is inevitable. Failure is common. One skeptic rightly noted, “In times like these it’s good to remember that there have always been times like these.” If we expect a trouble-free life, we will never be satisfied. However, the goal in life is not to avoid trouble and trial, […]

Sermon: A Test of Faith

A Test of FaithHebrews 11:17-19May 1, 2022 More than 30 years ago, I walked out of a classroom and building, and crossed the street to head to the school-owned apartment in which Raye Jeanne and I lived. It was a pleasant early May day, with bright sunshine and moderate temperature. As I crossed the […]

Sermon: Living By Faith When Promises are not Fully Fulfilled, Pt. 2

Living By Faith When Promises are not (Fully) Fulfilled, Pt. 2Hebrews 11:13-16April 24, 2022 I came across a synthesis of some important life lessons this week: “I’ve learned that you can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.” “I’ve learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, […]

Sermon: Living By Faith When Promises are not Fully Fulfilled, Pt. 1

Living By Faith When Promises are not (Fully) Fulfilled, Pt. 1Hebrews 11:8-12April 3, 2022 I placed a book order last week. And a few minutes after I placed the order, I received an email telling me when I would receive the order, along with a tracking number from UPS so that I could follow it’s […]

Sermon: Living by Faith in the Present

Living by Faith in the Present, for the FutureHebrews 11:7March 27, 2022 I don’t have to tell you that we live in a perverse world. When you open up your news browser you are assaulted by that reality. Just this week: The latest Supreme Court nominee refused to provide a definition for the word […]

God is a rewarder

I always enjoyed school and learning — I suppose in large part because I have also always been curious about just about everything. “How does that work?” is still a common question from me in conversations. But the year I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was particularly motivated to do well. My parents […]