AM Sermon
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Steps are interesting things. Often, the process of how things work in our lives are divided into steps, steps we have to follow in order to succeed. All of us have stories of past experiences that demonstrate to us that missing a step, even a small one, can ruin a project. Maybe we didn't follow the step of stirring our paint thoroughly before applying it to our walls, and therefore the color didn't spread evenly. Perhaps missing a step while building our Ikea bookcase eventually caused those shelves to collapse and books to fall to the floor. In building a…
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One of my favorites among the Psalms is Psalm 139. In it, David wrote: “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thought from far away. You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, Lord, You know it all. You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139: 1-5). To some, this might seem…
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AM Sermon
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AM Sermon
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Jesus' disciples were on the sea, being tossed about by a violent storm, and Jesus rebukes them for being afraid, saying "O you of little faith." The disciples find themselves unable to cast out a demon, and Jesus attributes their ineffectiveness to their "little" faith. The disciples fail to understand Jesus' teachings and again he says "O you of little faith." Even though these disciples were often criticized for their little faith, it's hard to see men like Peter, James, and John in that light. Didn't they leave everything behind to follow Jesus? Didn't…
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My wife and I are not coffee drinkers, so we don’t get into Starbucks very often. But one visit a couple of years ago made a distinct impression on me. Our first granddaughter had just been born, and on our way to the hospital we stopped at Starbucks to grab some coffee for our son.
The thing that struck me was what we saw when we first got out of the car. Parked in front of the store were a bicycle and push cart that belonged to a pair of homeless people.…
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AM Sermon
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Today is San Jacinto Day! If you are a transplant to Texas, that may not mean much to you. But to my fellow natives, it is the commemoration of a battle fought 188 years ago today, not far from where you are reading these words. The San Jacinto Monument marks the spot of a conflict that lasted just 18 minutes but secured the independence of Texas from Mexico.
The Bible also speaks about freedom. The Israelites were freed from Egyptian bondage, the exiles returned after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, and people in the First Century were set free from…
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I suppose we can all think of times when an innocent young child has said something that struck us as being rather profound. Let me tell you about one that I will always cherish. A grandfather was playing a game with one of his grandchildren. It would have been easy for the old man to completely dominate the game, but he carefully arranged for it to end in a tie. “Well,” he said to the youngster, “looks like we just tied.”
“No, Pepa, we both won !” …
