Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 501 to 525 of 4490 results
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
“Americans will never taste security and safety unless we feel security and safety in our land," said Osama bin Laden a few weeks ago in a video shown around the world. It is the purpose of terrorists to terrorize and it appears these criminals have succeeded in making Americans more fearful than ever before. Never again will we board a plane, open a letter, or enter a stadium with the kind of innocence we assumed before September 11th. How will we learn to live with this kind of fear? To fear or not to ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
‘Twas the night before Jesus when all through the earth Every creature was stirring for a savior's new birth. Christ was on earth, all things were like new. Now people could see what God wanted to do. When it's the night before Christmas From the ground to the sky God's glory is near, and Jesus comes by. It's Christmas eve. There's a song in the air. There's a star in the sky. Our bodies may be calling us to sleep, but our souls are shaking us awake. The clocks may reveal the hour, but our spirits are ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Well, here we are in 2003. The bells have tolled. The balls have dropped and the calendars have turned us toward new responsibilities. Before we get bogged down with the hopes and fears of a brand new year, let us take a few moments on our way to Holy Communion to ponder the deeper meanings of life. Who am I? What do I want? Where am I going? Are not these the essential questions of human existence? While we ask them for a lifetime, Jesus gave answers to them for all time. So let us hear today what Jesus ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
We called her Miss Anna. She was my first grade teacher in a tiny, four-room Kentucky school. Miss Anna taught us to stand at attention, to speak with reverence, and placing our hands over our hearts to pledge our allegiance to “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Life seemed much simpler back then. I guess it was. I didn't know anybody who didn't believe in God. Unlike Michael Newdow out in California who last year tried to get the “God-word" out of the pledge, parents ...
505. Where Is He?
Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
One thing is for sure about Christmas. When it’s over, it’s over. Down come the decorations. Away go the songs. Good cheer is bottled up for another year and goodwill is put back in the attic. It’s like all this festivity is good for a little while but we wouldn’t want to risk making it a way of life. But the Church says slow down, you move too fast. Today is the 10th day of Christmas. Epiphany Sunday is a day to celebrate the visit of the Wise Men proclaiming Jesus the Light of the world. This ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
At the tender age of 18, I preached my first sermon on marriage and family. It was entitled “When Home is Heaven.” A few months later I got married and reality struck. After a few courses in psychology and shortly before our first son was born, I preached a sermon on the “Twelve Essential Elements of Effective Parenting.” Our children were normal preacher’s kids so I stopped giving advice on raising children. Now that my sons are grown and my wife is out of town, I thought I would end this series of ...
507. Living on Full Alert
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17. 20-21
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
An evangelistic preacher in a small church announced his text for the day in a booming voice by saying “Behold, I am coming soon.” Unsatisfied with the attention of the congregation the preacher said it even more forcefully a second time. “Behold, I am coming soon.” Still not content with the response, the preacher took a couple of steps back and charging the pulpit said “Behold, I am coming soon.” This time he managed to shove the pulpit off the platform and trying to hang on for dear life, the preacher ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
A new seminary graduate on her way to her first appointment approached her professor and asked what she should preach about in her new church. Without hesitation the professor replied. “About God and about twenty minutes." Today I would like to preach about God and I will try to do it in about twenty minutes. We believe in God the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the Divine presence in our lives ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
While my farmer father only had a fourth grade education, he was a wonderful story teller. One of his favorite yarns was about a chicken and a pig who encountered a hungry man beside the road. Moved with compassion, the chicken said to the pig, “Why don’t you and I go together and give this man a great ham and eggs breakfast?” The pig pondered the proposition for a moment and then replied, “For you that would be a contribution; but for me that would mean total commitment.” On this Sunday when we are asked ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
One of the side effects of building renovation has been frequent false fire alarms. I can't tell you how many times in the last month that I've had appointments interrupted and meetings delayed while the Brentwood Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in our building. Fortunately none have occurred during worship. One fire fighter who is a member of this congregation said to me recently, “Look, Howard, if you are lonely at church during the week, just give us a phone call; we'll be glad to come visit ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. . . but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." — That's what I want us to think about today. Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, sailed the seas of the Western Mediterranean preaching the gospel and establishing churches. He debated the finest philosophers in Athens and wrote a good portion of the New Testament. But one of Paul's finest ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
When I announced this series of sermons on World Religions, I quickly realized that I knew little, if anything, about the great religions of the world. These Sunday deadlines have pushed me into extensive research. I've read books, listened to tapes, and interviewed anybody I could find who could enlighten me. One of my interviews was with Bob Waldschmidt, a member of this congregation who has studied comparative religions extensively in his own search for faith. Bob came to my office with a wealth of ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
His name was Amos. He was known as the troubler from Tekoa. He was a sheep herder and a fig picker that marched up to the capital and confronted the king. At a time of unprecedented prosperity and unlimited power in Israel, Amos came pleading for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. The message of Amos is relevant today. On the way to Holy Communion, I want to pose it in two questions? I. WHAT IS LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL? I suppose most of us consider liberty ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
The Lion King came roaring into Nashville a few weeks ago. This delightful Broadway musical about the circle of life tells the story of Simba, the shame-based, guilt-ridden, lion cub from Pride Rock who avoids becoming King of the Jungle because he doesn't think he's good enough. When I mention the word leader, what images dance in your head — a military officer barking orders, a politician seeking votes, the head of a company telling others what to do? How does ‘leader' strike you? A stranger called a ...
515. Work
1 Corinthians 3:9-15
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who left their mother to build homes of their own. The first little pig built his house of straw. The second little pig built his house of sticks. The third little pig built his house of brick. Soon the Big Bad Wolf came to visit the three little pigs. When the little pig in the straw house would not let him in, the Big Bad Wolf huffed and he puffed until he blew his house in. When the little pig in the house of sticks would not let the wolf in, the Big Bad ...
516. Pray
Matthew 6:5-13
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Did you hear about the five-year-old boy who announced to his parents that he never wanted to pray again? When his mother probed the kid's unbelief, she got this simple explanation. “I prayed and prayed, and prayed for a new puppy dog, and all I got was a new baby brother." Well, prayer does have its problems. We ask for guidance and all we hear is silence. We get what we want and wind up not wanting what we get. Unlike Garth Brooks, we don't always find it easy to thank God for unanswered prayers. Prayer ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
When God made you and God made me, he made us male and female for each other. In our quest for Christian Values, I want to land today on the question of sexual ethics for the 21st century. Now for parents of young children, let me assure you, this sermon is rated G. Its intent is not to sizzle but to stimulate sound thinking. To stand in a pulpit and speak of God and sex in the same sentence for some, may seem like an oxymoron; an incongruent, contradictory connection of words like awfully pretty, barely ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
There was a big spring festival in Jerusalem that day. It may have been similar to Dogwood Days in Atlanta, the Strawberry Festival in Dayton, or Mule Day in Columbia, Tennessee. This agricultural festival was called the “Feast of Weeks" and it took place every spring on Pentecost, 50 days after the Jewish Passover. Jews scattered throughout the world returned to Jerusalem for the celebration designed to emphasize the goodness of God. As people do at community festivals, everyone was having a good time — ...
519. Living in Gratitude
Philippians 4:4-8
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Have you heard the old story about the young man who enthusiastically joined the monastery? Wanting the highest and the best, the young monk immediately took the vow of silence. The solemn vow meant the monk could only speak two words a year and those were reserved for his annual evaluation with the Abbott. The first year passed and the Abbot asked the monk how he was doing. Without hesitation the monk replied, “Food Bad." Another year passed and the Abbott again asked the monk how he was doing. The monk ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Christian artist, Twila Paris, does a song entitled, "How Beautiful is the Body of Christ." Some of the lyrics go like this: How beautiful when humble hearts give The fruit of pure lives so others may live. How beautiful the hands that serve The wine and the bread to the sons of earth. How beautiful is the body of Christ. The Church is the body of Christ. The world calls the Church an institution. Not all of us feel a need for an institution. Others call the Church a great society. Not all of us are into ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why doesn't somebody come to help us? How could this happen in the U.S.A.? Where is God when it hurts? It's been another unbelievable week of questions in the light of human tragedy. While our inquiring minds want concrete answers, we gather for worship knowing full well that we must live the questions. So on our way to Holy Communion, let me ask two questions that seem to be on everybody's mind. I. WHY DO PEOPLE SUFFER? I picked the Scripture for today long before ...
522. The Holy Grail
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46
Illustration
J. Howard Olds
In Tennyson's tale of the Holy Grail, a knight searches high and low for that which lasts for eternity and gives ultimate meaning. He comes upon a singing brook, with deep meadows and wonderful fruit trees. But even as he ate the fruit, it turned to dust, for no feeding of the flesh could still his deepest hunger. Riding on, he saw a home, its opened door a promised welcome and in the door there was a beautiful woman, her eyes innocent and kind. Surely the love of a woman and the sweet shelter of home are ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
The Prophet's Sermons: Warning of Disaster (2:1–10:25): The prophet’s opening sermon, dated prior to Josiah’s reform in 621, is direct, even abrupt. The first scene (2:1–3) shows God with his people, who are like a new bride on a honeymoon. But almost at once there is trouble. The last scene (3:1–5) puts divorce talk squarely at the center. It is a case of a ruined marriage. God does not want a divorce. Through these verses rings the pathos of a hurt marriage partner. The strong feelings that accompany the ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
This is another of the Songs of Zion (see the Introduction and the comments on Ps. 46), which celebrate Yahweh’s dramatic protection of the temple and its sacred mountain from foreign invasion. Yahweh’s deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyrian invasion in 701 B.C. may be a case in point (Isa. 36–37). 76:1–3 The psalm begins with Judah’s special knowledge of Yahweh. His name, or self-revelation, is great in Israel. The terms chosen to designate Yahweh’s dwelling in Zion point to the antiquity of the tradition ...
525. Tassels on Garments
Numbers 15:37-41
Understanding Series
W.H. Bellinger, Jr.
15:37–41 These final verses exhort the people to keep divine instruction like that given in this chapter. The command is to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. The tassels with blue cord would stand out on the fringes of garments, as the law is to stand out for people of faith. The tassels, a visual reminder of the law, constitute encouragement in living as God’s people, in contrast to going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. The chapter then concludes ( ...
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