Sermons

Nobody likes to be tricked. It is frustrating to receive another email from a “prince” in a foreign country wanting to leave you his fortune. Even more, it is infuriating and painful to be deceived by religion. Spiritual abuse in the name of the Lord ignites indignation in the heart of God. Jesus does not…

What would it feel like to miss your best friend’s wedding? Or your child’s birthday party? Or your spouse’s award ceremony? You don’t mean to, but something happens…a flat tire, a delayed flight, or a traffic jam. Now, what if you were being crowned as the next king or queen and you have everything planned…

Jesus consistently called us to “follow” him.  He never asked for admirers, defenders, or supporters.  Do you know the difference?  A follower strives to be what he admires.  An admirer keeps himself unconnected.  He fails to see that what he admires has a claim on him and then fails to be what he admires. Are you an admirer of Jesus…

Do you want to be great…first…ahead of the pack in the Kingdom? Or is it wrong to desire these things? We are often taught that it is improper to ‘jump the queue’ and when it is self-serving, that is right. So it can be confusing to see Jesus ahead of the pack and teaching how…

ABIDING in Christ produces more than admirers. It bears fruitful followers. Admirers give respect and warm approval from a distance. They are personally detached. Followers are striving to be what they admire. They are vitally connected to Christ and His Church. Which are you? Are you a detached, looking-on-from-a-distance ‘admirer’ or a vitally connected, actively…

Our stated mission is to glorify God in everything we do. It’s our driving force, top goal, and the thing we sell out to every single time. But how do we achieve this in 2020? We don’t have to make something up or be paralyzed by a lack of knowledge because God tells us! He…

The Gospel has power to change everything for us in Jesus Christ, and to prepare us for the kingdom of God. As we begin a new year in 2020, I want to encourage us with this power we have - as described by Jesus, Peter and Paul; to show what this power is meant to…

What was your 2019 like? It’s that time of year when it is helpful to review the past year and recall all the ways God kept his promises so that as we look ahead into 2020, we are propelled to be faith-filled followers of our promise-keeping God. It’s time to put up some stone of…

Who your family is defines you in many ways. We try hard to ‘doctor’ the image of our family. We manipulate the image because we don’t want to show the true, messy picture. But Jesus’ messy family is not hidden, but shown for who they are. He offers a whole new identity defined by grace,…

1, 2, 3, 3A, 5, 6, 7… It’s such an off-limits topic, that my elevator doesn’t have a floor (3A???) that is pronounced like the word “death” in Chinese. But death can’t be ignored at Christmas. It was part of the Mess of Christmas…boys in Bethlehem died as part of the story and Rachel’s tears…