Terry Fator gained national fame as an impressionist and ventriloquist, when he won the “America’s Got Talent” competition.  Before this success earned him a lucrative entertainment deal, he recalls a performance at a fair where only one person showed up to hear him.  Instead of cancelling the show, he performed the very best that he could for that one patron.  This attitude of serving others with excellence has paid off. We need to remember that God is more interested in the quality of our effort than the stage or the audience where it is delivered.  The truth and passion of the sermon matter more than the number who hear it.  The Lord notices the heart of hospitality more than the number who actually eat the meal. John 4 records a day in the life of [...]

When Paul was searching for an illustration of why he had sacrificially served the Ephesians, he recalled the words of Jesus (Acts 20:35), “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  This great truth is played out every time that a loving heart has the opportunity to share a gift.  How did you feel when you gave your girlfriend a diamond?  Who really enjoys Christmas morning more — kids or parents? If giving brings joy, this congregation should be overflowing with happiness.  Recently you donated 122 coats for the Warm Coats from Warm Hearts project.  In addition you contributed a very large sack of Bibles to be passed out.  Your generosity has kept us $500 a week above budget for the year.  This surplus has allowed us to extend our local benevolence program thousands [...]

Several years ago, a noted author and his wife were leaving on a trip.  He convinced her that he had found a better route for their trip than the one the computer had generated.  It was 50 miles shorter and would save them over an hour of travel time.  The problem was that the highway came to a dead end at the Mississippi River.  Though it picked up on the other side, there was no bridge. There are no shortcuts to building a good marriage.  Both partners have to develop communication skills, practice patience and forgiveness, and persevere through the good and the bad times.  There are no shortcuts to a balanced budget–at home or in Washington.  There are no magic pills  to achieve weight loss or physical fitness. Likewise, there are no shortcuts to [...]

Beyond a doubt, fall has arrived!  The cool nights, the falling of colorful leaves, and the end of the baseball season all confirm such.  As further proof, this weekend we will move our clocks back an hour and start our evening worship services at 5:00. Which of the four seasons do you like the best?  Each one of them has something beautiful to offer.  Spring offers a period of rebirth, as green leaves and grass replace the dead brown of winter.  Summer is a season of gardens, flowers, patios, and vacations.  Fall brings colorful trees and football homecomings.  Even winter offers snow days from school and some of our favorite holidays. I would remind all of us that life is the same way.  Every “season” of our lives offers some unique blessing.  The early years [...]

As you look around Sunday, you will notice that we have some of the most precious children in all the world.  Their smiles are contagious and their hugs will melt your heart.  Jesus must have had a similar thought when he told his competitive disciples, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3-4). Jesus was highlighting childlike humility as essential to our obedience and our willingness to accept divine grace.  Children also forgive the hurts of others more easily than their parents. Paul highlights the innocence of children writing in I Cor. 14:20, “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil [...]

As John introduces the message of his first epistle (I John 1:5), he writes, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”  In a moral context, the Scriptures present light to be good and darkness to be evil.  This contrast is true at all times and in all circumstances. However, our society wants to live in the “gray areas.”  We often hear of choosing “the lesser of two evils” or living in “changing times.”  Right and wrong are interpreted situationally and individually. We may be limited in our own insight and judgment.  We may even be blinded by our own desires.  Yet, these personal deficiencies never alter right and wrong.  Profanity is always wrong, as is sexual immorality.  [...]

  Those of us who preach typically look forward to having a large audience present to hear us.  We would relish an opportunity to join Paul in preaching to the Stoics and Epicureans at the Areopagus in Athens.  We would love to have a television ministry where hundreds of thousands of people heard our well planned and powerfully delivered lessons. However, Romans 2:21-22 raises a different issue.  There Paul warns the Jews about an ever present danger with these words: “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?  You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” Before the Sunday morning sermon is delivered, it needs to have already been [...]

The first half of the book of Daniel is a powerful narrative about a young man who managed to stay faithful to God in a hard set of circumstances. But the second half of Daniel–his visions–is a lot weirder, and harder to comprehend. God reveals to Daniel much of what would be occurring on a grand scale; more than 1,000 years of human history, with one empire turning over another, and all of this leading to a “son of man” who was given dominion over the entire world (Daniel 7:13-14). After numerous visions, Daniel finally spoke up and asked a heavenly messenger, “What shall be the outcome of these things?” (Daniel 12:8) Instead of receiving an explanation, Daniel was told twice, “Go your way, Daniel.” (Daniel 12:9,13) As much as we might ponder the future [...]

  When Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33), He was certainly establishing a sense of priority.  Our financial budgets and time management skills should reflect that value system.  Nothing should come before the Lord! However, Jesus was also suggesting that our religion is a passion.  We seek the Lord’s rule in our lives with great interest and energy.  Jesus calls on His disciples to “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Mt. 5:6) and to “strive to enter through the narrow door” (Lk. 13:24).  Paul adds that he pressed on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14). John Piper, a noted preacher of today, was asked why he did not watch television.  He responded with two observations.  First, he desired to [...]

We have all been around people who brag a great deal about their skills and accomplishments.  Somehow, they put themselves at the center of every group accomplishment.  Chances are that you find these folks annoying and hard to work with.  Jim Collins, noted management guru, would agree. In studying America’s eleven most successful businesses over the past fifteen years, he discovered one of the trademarks for success was an humble CEO.  He notes, “When truly successful CEO’s do something right, they walk you over to a window and point to all the reasons (especially people) ‘out there’ contributing to their success.  When they do something wrong, they walk to a mirror and assume the blame themselves.” The Scriptures underscore the value of humility.  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor [...]