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Tag: sermon series (Page 2 of 4)

To Whom Do You Pledge Allegiance

February 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

It’s probably no secret that I’m a patriot. I value and defend the principles of the place where I choose to set up residence. But while my allegiance to a degree is very much in the defense of the country in which I live, there’s something far greater and more widespread that has my allegiance completely.

This past week it was made known that a pastor was arrested in Canada in part for holding a worship gathering. He was taken before the judiciary and was told that if he recanted and promised not to do this again he could go free. I don’t know many other details of the account. But what comforts me is that he’s still in prison.

Don’t get me wrong! I want him released to be certain! But I’m comforted to know that he didn’t back down. He didn’t recant for preaching and proclaiming the truth of Jesus. I am glad that he realize that his allegiance was more to the King of kings than the head of the state.

As Americans I fear we’ve mixed up our allegiance to kings. I think some have pledged a greater allegiance to political parties that divide than to the King who unites. In the message below we unpack a pledge of sorts found in the bible. It’s an oath we take that declares God as sovereign, holy and powerful.

It’s not just politicians that vie for our allegiance but we willingly bow to the latest fads, newest ideas, things that benefit us and make us feel better. We take a knee before our pet project or medical experiment. All of it simply distracts us from what is real and true and absolutely life changing.

I pray you defend what’s important to you. I pray you put your all into the cause or thought about which you feel passionate. But I caution you to never give your full allegiance to anything other than Christ.

Joel, Jesus, Judgment

February 18, 2021 / / 0 Comments

On Ash Wednesday, we kicked off a new series titled One World, One King. The idea behind this series is that we’ve all at times bowed down to a king that we’ve made with our own hands. We bend our knee to our favorite political party, music artist or movie star. We worship finances, fame and even family. But the messages in this series are all about refocusing our worship on what really matters. The one true King of all is the only one deserving of our worship.

In the first message in this series we set the stage by looking into the book of Joel. This book is included in the Old Testament group of books known as the minor prophets. He wrote to the Northern Kingdom, known as Judah, about something he saw that was alarming to say the least.

An invasion of locusts was predicting an army that would soon obliterate the kingdom. But that wasn’t the end. The point of this whole book is the final moments of the world. The days we call the Day of the Lord.

Throughout this message we connect some dots to see how over every horizon of time there are gods we worship and divisions we form. But the goal and the obligation of every Christian is not to highlight the flaws in one another. Our call is to honestly, seriously and intentionally reflect on the gods we’ve formed with our own hands.

Character Attacks & More

February 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments

There is a method of arguing known by its latin name ad-hominem. I know it’s not a word we say all the time but we probably use this method of arguing and don’t even know it. The idea behind an ad-hominem is that you can’t win an argument on the basis of the content of the argument so you start slandering your opponent. You move from content discussion to character attacks.

When we are backed into a corner and realize our argument really doesn’t hold water, sometimes it’s tempting to stoop to attacking someone’s character instead. Character attacks are just not cool. Actually a character attack demonstrates how weak our argument really is.

The story of Stephen in the Bible is one that starts with an argument based on content, but it’s soon realized that Stephen’s content is rock solid. Then the attack moves to his character. They make up things about him just to make others think poorly of Stephen. But again he doesn’t budge. Finally, when nothing else works they resort to murderous threats and eventually killing him.

We may not go around stoning people, at least we better not! But we often find ourselves easily backing ourselves into a character attack scenario. When we don’t get our way, we lash out at our opposition. When we don’t hear what we want to hear, we attack the person instead of arguing the merits of our position. When our personal attacks fail to get through, all too often we just drop the person from our lives, delete them from social media, block their number on our phones, act as if they no longer exist.

There must be a better way. Check out last night’s message to see what that better way might be.

Be The Moon?

December 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Throughout my childhood I loved the stars and all things space. It’s probably no wonder why I enjoyed the original Star Wars trilogy growing up. Space was and still is truly fascinating! One thing about space that always has thrilled me was the concept that the moon has no light of its own to shine but merely reflects everything the sun gives it.

I’m no scientist or studier of the stars but if this really is true, then we need to be like the moon. The moon is held in orbit by the gravitational forces imposed on it and it only reflects the light that is shined on it. If we were like the moon, then we’d stay in proper orbit around the Son of God and we’d reflect His light into the world in which we live.

There you have it. We’ve been called sheep in the bible and numbered like the stars in the sky and grains of sand on the shore, but now we are also supposed to be like the moon! Reflect away my friends.

What Are You Thinking About?

December 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Can you believe that it’s almost Christmas? There’s something about this time of year that kind of lifts the spirits a little. I don’t really know exactly what it is. Maybe it’s the lights or the cool decorations? Maybe the tree with all the ornaments perfectly placed around? Whatever the reason, Christmas has a way of filling our minds with unique thoughts.

The famous holiday favorite, Twas The Night Before Christmas includes a line that talks about the things we let rattle around in our minds. The phrase goes while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. The idea is that when we get ready for Christmas many of us have a tendency to let the spirit of the season take over. Dancing sugar plums? I don’t even really know what a sugar plum is! But the idea of sugar and dancing during the Christmas season brings a little joy to many young faces that’s for sure!

As we near Christmas morning, our minds race to things like getting the perfect gift for that special someone, decorating the house with the lights and pretty colors, and having all of our favorite people over to our homes for those wonderful holiday parties.

What fills your mind this time of year? Not everyone is filled with smiles and happiness as we approach the end of December. Some are missing that loved one for the first time this Christmas. Others are wondering how they’re going to provide for their family since they were let go this year. Still others this year will be either apprehensive, cautious, or even a bit afraid of getting sick with that nasty virus plaguing the world.

But where do you go to find the joy this season? That first Christmas wasn’t really all that joyful, well at least in the preparation stages! Mary was a virgin and she was pregnant. That was a massive NO NO! She wasn’t even married and Joseph was a tad beside himself with the news. The whole situation was just filled with anxiety inducing conditions.

Yet somehow Mary was able to see something pretty spectacular as she prepared for that day. She took all that was promised and she pondered those words. She let the promises of the angel fill her mind. It wasn’t sugar plums dancing but salvation coming to the world that drove her to find joy that first Christmas.

What do you fill your mind with this time of year? I pray this season of preparing for Christmas is full of hope and peace and love and joy.

The Final Four

November 17, 2020 / / 0 Comments
How To Stop Your Family Life Becoming A Battle Ground — NOT SO SMUG NOW

I’m pretty sure there are times in all of our lives when we get something so engrained into our minds that it’s hard to see it differently. Well this week I had a bit of an Aha moment. The lightbulb really went on for me when I was looking at some things I’ve seen a million times before. So why didn’t I get this one until now?

If you’ve ever heard of these things in the Bible called the 10 Commandments, then I would venture to guess that you’ve probably fallen into the same mindset when you think about them. But I’d like to stretch your mind a little, and help you see them from a little different angle.

Well, this week we were looking at the four remaining commandments in our series when it dawned on me. These all have a similar focus. Admittedly, their topics are not related at all but when you lay them side by side they really all deal with contentment.

Contentment is a tricky monster. It’s so easy to fall into the comparison game. But the danger of comparison is that we lose contentment. Take a few minutes and listen to this week’s message to where you fall on the contentment scale.

Not A Worldly Approach

November 5, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Power. Money. Prestige. These are all things that many people in the world today want. We’ll do what we have to do to gain any of these. As a matter of fact, in the world’s eyes, these are markers of success.

But there is a better way. Not that money or power or positional authority are all bad. There’s just a better way. It’s been said that the greatest enemy of great is good. We see the bigger and the better that can be found in a bigger bank account, a window office, a larger house and a host of other worldly accomplishments.

But these can and will all go away. One day we will lose our job, either by our choice or a choice that is forced upon us. One day we’ll realize that the money in our bank account didn’t buy us time with our children and it won’t go with us when we die. The things we value as the good and successful things on this earth will one day leave us wanting.

In the message below, and in the bible section to which it refers, we will see an alternative way of living. We’ll see how there are better things that will come, but often on the other side of challenging situations.

So in the meantime we need to be ok with mourning, sadness, pain, loss, and emptiness – because on the other side of these things we will find something truly amazing. We’ll find a blessing like we cannot imagine.

Lessons From The Vineyard

October 8, 2020 / / 0 Comments

There is a great deal of wisdom that can be found in the bible even for people who don’t value or even believe in the bible! Today’s lesson comes from the illustration of a vineyard and a corner stone. The idea is simple and direct.

For many of us who are believers in what the Bible teaches, we hold the bible to be the source of truth. But admittedly not everyone believes that way. While I truly believe that the bible is the sole absolute source of truth for all of mankind, not everyone sees it that way.

We all have an absolute truth. It’s either that the bible is the absolute truth for all humanity or that it is not. Those are both absolute statements. We can’t deny absolute truth at all. Just we define what it is differently.

Jesus talks about truth and what our role is when it comes to possessing truth. Check out the message and see what Jesus says about truth and how you can apply that in just about any context.

Just One

September 29, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Being a part of the church growing up was a great learning experience. I attended a Christian school and went to church nearly every Sunday. Growing up in the church we went through something called confirmation. This is when we learn the ins and outs of what we believe and actually claim it as our own. Up until this point, you’re learning but if I’m being honest it’s a lot of going through the motions. But in confirmation something clicks. we grow deeper and ask more questions and being to be able to apply what we know.

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Wrestle or Restful?

September 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

When I was younger I used to watch WWF wrestling. Now if you watch it you probably know it better by WWE wrestling but it’s all the same. The idea behind the whole thing was intriguing to me. Grown men and women running around in a boxing ring. Throwing stuff at each other. Trying to look like they were hurting each other without ever really doing any harm. It was pretty interesting to say the least.

But WWF isn’t the only kind of wrestling out there. We wrestle in a lot of other ways as well. We wrestle with our thoughts and our relationships. We wrestle with things don’t quite go our way. We wrestle with loved ones and even with friends. And honestly right now, we’re living in a world that’s wrestling with just about everything!

Politics is nothing more than a verbal WWF match anymore. We try to hurt one another and do as much harm as possible. It’s so disheartening to see where we’ve fallen as a society. We’d rather wrestle with one another and struggle than take the high road and love one another.

Hate is easy. Love is work. We’ve become so lazy we’d rather take the easy road and just hate one another.

This week we talked about a man in the Bible who wrestled with everyone he could only to realize that it wasn’t helping. Take a few minutes and listen as we unpack not only the damages of being a wrestler but also the way to change your behavior and make a positive impact.

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