The Son of Man’s Authority to Call His Own

“The Son of Man’s Authority to Call His Own”Luke 6:12-19May 11, 2025 In virtually every realm of life, there are questions about authority — the question is often cynically asked, “who died and left you in charge?” The debate about authority and what the authority can and can’t do is seen between people and government, […]

“God Raised Him Up”

“God Raised Him Up”Acts 10:34-43April 20, 2025 Every preacher, every week asks himself the same question, “what do you preach this week?” What do you preach to those who are suffering by walking through the valley of the shadow of death? (Six church members have had mothers die in the past 4-6 weeks.) What do […]

The Son of Man’s Authority Over the Sabbath

The Son of Man’s Authority Over the SabbathLuke 6:1-11March 30, 2025 In three weeks, we will remember the most important aspects of Christ as we gather to meditate on His death on Good Friday and celebrate His resurrection on Easter morning. What happened on those days 2000 years ago is the foundation of our faith […]

The Son of Man’s Authority to Seek Sinners

The Son of Man’s Authority to Seek SinnersLuke 5:27-39March 23, 2025 One of my favorite declarations of authority was given by poet Judith Viorst, writing in the voice of an elementary-aged boy named Alexander: “If I were in charge of the world…” If I were in charge of the worldI’d cancel oatmeal,Monday mornings,Allergy shots, and […]

The Forgiving Authority of the Son of Man

The Forgiving Authority of the Son of ManLuke 5:17-26March 16, 2025 Into every life a little rain must fall. Death and taxes are a certainty for every person. Trouble is all around us. And everyone has trouble, trials, problems, and difficulties. Even in a land of prosperity. Of course some of them are unique […]

The Cleansing Power of the Son of Man

The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManLuke 5:12-16March 9, 2025 Finish this statement for me: “Cleanliness is next to __________ .” So I’m not sure what to do with Dave Whitlock. Dave is a grad of MIT, a chemical engineer, and the founder of AOBiome which markets bacterial products that are supposed to […]

“Follow Me”

“Follow Me”Luke 5:1-11February 16, 2025 It’s an old childhood game — follow the leader. Players first choose a leader and the remaining players (followers) all line up behind the leader who then moves around and all the players have to mimic the leader’s actions exactly. Any player who fails to mimic the leader is out […]

Preserving Unity

Preserving Unity — Ministry Focus for 2025Ephesians 4:1-3January 19, 2025 For several years, we have had a theme for the year — a biblical truth that would help orient us and guide us as we serve Christ. Often those themes come from circumstances that we see in the culture (both secular and church) that […]

God’s Expectations for Your Shepherds

God’s Expectations for Your Shepherds1 Peter 5:1-3 January 19, 2025 Tanner, I will share a job description for you that was shared with me (by my father!) on the Sunday I was installed as pastor at GBC; the privilege to be a pastor/elder is immeasurably great; and so are the responsibilities. You need to know […]

A Prayer From God’s Word

A Prayer From God’s WordPsalm 19:12-14 January 12, 2025 Think about a moment in your life when you have been awed by some part of creation: You have walked through trees to arrive at a vast meadow that leads to the foot of a towering mountain; you are swallowed up in the immensity of the […]

The Wondrous Works of God’s Word

The Wondrous Works of God’s WordPsalm 19:1-11 December 29, 2024 Christmas is over and two days of this year remain. That means we have moved from the Christmas season to the season of resolutions. In my files, I have the following articles to help you set some goals for this year: 7 Surprising Traditions to […]

The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 2

The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 2Luke 4:38-44December 22, 2024 I suppose Elizabeth was a couple of months old the first time she got sick. I don’t remember all the particulars, but I do remember it was something respiratory and she was struggling to breathe. One night she was especially uncomfortable and was […]

The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 1

The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 1Luke 4:31-37December 15, 2024 Authority. Authority is a word that can bring comfort when we are under wise and benevolent leaders. And it is a word that can provoke us to be fearful when we are under foolish, ungracious, and harsh authoritarians. Yet we all live […]

The First Reactions to the Son of Man

The First Reactions to the Son of ManLuke 4:22-30December 8, 2024 First impressions are not always accurate impressions. And first evaluations are not always true. I have experienced those truisms many times in my life, but one of the first times was when I was about seven years old. Mom and Dad were going […]

The Father’s Mission for the Son of Man

The Father’s Mission for the Son of ManLuke 4:14-21November 17, 2024 On Monday, April 2, 1739, John Wesley began preaching open-air evangelistic sermons at Kingswood Bristol. That decision and event was the start of a revival in England that the country had never seen before (or since). Wesley later wrote this in his diary about […]