As a child it was fun to step on shadows. I thought stepping on someone’s shadow was the same as stepping on them. I would kick shadows and step on them as a way of getting back at someone who hurt me or tease someone who needed a little gentle prodding. But we all know that stepping on shadows isn’t really effective!
Continue readingCategory: Messages (Page 14 of 41)
For millennia there has been a constant in the world. It’s the same yesterday, today and will be honestly forever. The problem however is that we tend to not live like we already know the answer. We try to add a little here or change a little there. We make a tweak or a twist and try to put our own little spin on things. But the reality of the matter is in our lives there really and truly is one answer to the struggles, pains, loneliness and other issues we face. There’s only one real place to go where we can find meaning and peace and comfort and connection beyond our ability to grasp.
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Have you ever read something that just stuck with you? Maybe it’s a book or an article or a website or a bible verse, but there was something about it that just made it stick. This week we camped out on a part of the bible that did just that. It stuck with me. I’ve read it before but there was something different about this time. This time my heart was in the right place to hear it and my soul was just dry enough that this was the water it needed. I pray it meets you where you are as well. Here’s a quick summary of the message from Sunday.
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As we wrap up a terrific week of Vacation Bible School we pause for a moment to consider the one truth God was weaving into our lives through the entire week. We faced giants like lions and a fiery furnace, a dessert and even a giant of a warrior named Goliath. But in all of them God’s people were victorious. They always overcame. Why is that?
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Have you ever been looking for something only to find it right next to you? I do this all too often with my sunglasses. I put them on top of my head and then look all over trying to find them. I look in the drawer and on the counter. Then I’ll likely blame someone for taking them! When we can’t find what’s right in front of us, it’s all too easy to make it someone else’s problem.
Continue readingThere’s a lot of ink that’s been spilled about believing and having faith. The Bible is even filled with talk on this subject. Believing is important for certain! We’re called to believe and be baptized. We’re told that faith without works is dead. Jesus wants us to have faith even like the size of a mustard seed and we can move mountains. But is there more to this Christian life than mere faith? Are we called to do more than just believe?
Continue readingThis year for Good Friday we looked at stories from the Bible that are familiar and yet we saw them in a little different light. As we saw the pain that Jesus endured on the cross we were tempted, like his disciples to sit in despair for a minute or two We were tempted to let his death bring devastation to our day. But we know that’s just not how this works. Even though we know that it’s Friday and Sunday is coming, we often have a little fear or depression that sets in on Good Friday.
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Have you ever loved someone who didn’t love you back the same way? Maybe it was that cute girl in High School or that guy you just got all starry eyed about. You loved them but didn’t know how to show or even say it. So you kept it inside waiting for them to make the first move. But it never happened. You loved but felt like you were invisible or worse yet rejected. Not much consolation but you’re not alone in this feeling!
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This week we continued our journey through the book of Exodus with a brief stop in Exodus 32. This is the story of the Israelites rebelling against God by doing their own thing. They take matters into their own hands. They grew impatient and made their own idol to worship. But it’s not just the Israelites who have this problem. It’s not just this group of God-followers who are stiff necked and self-centered. We are exactly the same!
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I’m not a huge rule breaker but sometimes laws are just a pain! Some days the speed limit is more of a hindrance than a help. Those double yellow lines in the middle of the road are often positioned at just the wrong places! Some laws however are there for good reasons and serve very helpful purposes! But what is the real reason for the law? No not the speed limits or the driving laws. Not the ones that say it’s illegal to steal from the local convenience store. But what’s the purpose of the laws we find in the bible? Why did God give them to us anyway?
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