Sermon: Liberty and Unity

Liberty and Unity Romans 15:1-6 August 1, 2021 I began praying for this church long before I knew the name of this church. I knew that coming straight out of seminary to pastor a church that both the church and I would need particular attributes if we were going to thrive together. Because I didn’t […]

Sermon: Encourage One Another

Encourage One Another 1 Thessalonians 5:11 July 24, 2021 I love the story told by Larry Olsen in Outdoor Survival Skills: A guy has been lost in the desert for days. He’s out of food and water. His lips are parched, his tongue swollen. His legs are bruised and bleeding from crawling, his skin is […]

Grab bag — evangelism edition

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently) on the topic of evangelism: “The Motivation of Evangelism” (Mike Riccardi) “Getting beyond ‘Do you believe in Jesus?’” (Jordan Standridge) “How To Share The Gospel With Roman Catholics” (Jordan Standridge) “How Do I Evangelize Someone Who Says That They Don’t Trust the Bible?” (Jordan Standridge) […]

Pursuing happiness…

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield seriously said in an interview a few years before his death, “I have never been happy. My whole life has been a downer. Similarly, Katherine Hepburn once said, “I don’t know what one means by happy. I’m happy spasmodically. If I eat chocolate turtle, I’m happy. When the box is empty, I’m […]

Sermon: The Righteous God’s Righteous Word

The Righteous God’s Righteous Word Psalm 119:137-144 July 11, 2021 Puritan John Rogers, who died as a martyr under Queen Mary in 1555, was a lover of the Word of God. One Sunday, he petitioned his people to adhere to the Bible by warning them what God might say about their neglect of the Scriptures: […]

Alcohol and Liberty: What’s a Christian to Do?

While there has been a historical temptation to drink alcohol and too many have followed that desire too heartily (resulting in drunkenness and addiction), the prevalence of alcohol in Christian circles seems much stronger today than it has been in past years. I have heard multiple pastors and church leaders speak repeatedly about the virtues […]

Sermon: What Can We Eat? (Pt 5)

What Can We Eat? Answers About Liberty (Part 5) Romans 14:19-23 July 4, 2021 If one country wants to demonstrate its appreciation for and friendship with another country, they do what people do when they have friends: they give gifts. But what do you give a country that has everything? That was the question the […]

Sermon: What Can We Eat? (Pt 4)

What Can We Eat? Answers About Liberty (Part 4) Romans 14:13-18 June 27, 2021 Have you noticed how many times a day you are given warnings? Among my favorites On a cup of coffee — “Caution: Contents Hot” (yes, isn’t that the point?) On a Dremel rotary tool: “This product is not intended for use […]

Sermon: What Can We Eat? (Pt 3)

What Can We Eat? Answers About Liberty (Part 3) Romans 14:10-12 June 20, 2021 There are many things that can destroy the unity of the church. Among the most effective tools that Satan uses is the tool of hypocritical pride that takes the form of judgmentalism. Whenever we think we are superior to others in […]

It’s been a year

“It’s been a year…” How often did you hear that lament last year? And how much more often have you heard it this year? It’s not only been a remarkably unusual year — it’s been a remarkably unusual pair of years — politically, medically, socially, religiously, and for many of us — personally. But when […]

Sermon: What Can We Eat? (Pt 2)

What Can We Eat? Answers About Liberty (Part 2) Romans 14:1-9 June 13, 2021 Seventy-seven years ago, 76 POWs held at the German Stalag Luft III camp fled that camp through a tunnel they had dug under the camp to a location outside the fence of the camp. They had actually dug three tunnels — […]

The danger of affirmation

We all like and long for approval. We desire affirmation. We want to be liked. We want the thumbs up of approval and the back slap of affirmation. We want to hear “good job” after a presentation, an “I’m impressed” after a house project, and a “you’re a great parent” from our parents when they […]

Sermon: What Can We Eat?

What Can We Eat? Answers About LibertyRomans 14:1-4June 6, 2021 One of the great themes of Romans is the freedom the believer has in Christ: for he who has died is freed from sin (6:7) But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the […]

Setting Goals

While we often wait for the beginning of a new year to think about it, setting goals, evaluating goals, and refining goals is a worthy task for most any day. Many decades ago, Albert Einstein is reputed to have said, “The perfection of means and the confusion of goals is the hallmark of our time.” […]

Sermon: Loving Others, Bearing Burdens

Loving Others, Bearing Burdens Galatians 6:1-5 May 30, 2021 I’ve said it many times. Relationships are hard. It’s not that we don’t like people, but sometimes we just need a break. Sometimes it would just be nice to be a hermit and inaccessible to people (at least we thought that before COVID forced us into […]