The Good Samaritan

I want to start this post off with a question. What is one of the biggest lies that we’re told today? I know that’s a fairly wide category, but what do you think?

Jonah's Mystery

 

Have you ever been derailed from a good head of steam?  You know, those times when you are laying into someone because they’ve done something wrong, or your kids have done the thing that you told them not to, or someone at work has now caused you to fix a mistake that you shouldn’t have to be fixing?  Ever had one of those experiences?

Running Away

 

Oh Jonah

This is what I think of when I start to look at Jonah’s story.  

Oh Jonah.  

I look at him and what he does, and because I’m reading the story and know the things that are going on around him, I want to cringe on his behalf. Because he doesn’t seem to get it.

My Ebenezer

This is a message that I've wanted to preach for a long time, but I didn't have all of the pieces of it that I thought I needed, until now.  And all of this starts with one word that I first heard in a hymn.

The Almost Christian

The Almost Christian. This is one of John Wesley’s sermons, and I like to go back to his sermons every once in a while because there is such a fount of incredible wisdom found there.  But they come with their challenges.  Take for instance, how he starts this out.

I Love You 3,000

In this post you are going to get some nerdiness from me.  (I know, shocking right?) Every year on Father’s Day I try to do something that is related, and it can be fun to see what I can come up with.  This year, I had a moment of nerd when I was watching the most recent Avenger’s movie and thought that would make a great Father’s Day message.

Mercy and Peace

This message was originally given on Memorial Day weekend.  Since it was preached, I've been to Annual Conference and all that comes with working things out in the larger church right now.  What I've written below still holds, most especially in light of what we are working through as a church. Take a look at this message from Memorial Day in 2019.

Sanctification of the Spirit

Who wants to go back to being 12 years old? Anyone? Sometimes it can be a fun thought, but it’s not really a good solution for anything.  And really, I’m not sure that I’d want to go back through middle school again.

Justifying Redeemer

Do you remember just how weird you used to be back in the day?  Now, before you answer, I should probably put a restriction on how you answer. I don't want to have to hear confession after this.

Prevenient Creation

Every once in a while I’ll go down a rabbit hole on YouTube. I enjoy watching people make stuff out of wood. For some reason, I really enjoy watching them make bowls, kind of like the one in the video below.

Poured Out For You

I remember when I was a kid.  I knew exactly what my home church looked like.  I should. I spent enough time there that I knew just about every nook and cranny that a kid could get into.  I even knew how to jimmy the lock on the toy closet in the nursery so that we could get the toys out!

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

There are some things that have been around long enough that we don’t have to think about them anymore.  As we grow up, we just know what they mean, even though no one has maybe ever told us that.

He Was Recognized

In the last week, I’ve gotten to go out on a couple of trails to go hiking.  If there is something that I wish I could do more of, that’s it.  There’s something about being out on the trail that is peaceful, and open.