I want you to think about something I just recently read. It will make you tired just listening to it, but think about it. There are 365 days in the year, but you take weekends off, so you have to subtract 104 days. That leaves you with 261 working days, but you only work 8 hours a day; the other 16 you are either sleeping or tending to your own business, so you have to subtract 174 days. That leaves 87, but wait, we are not through subtracting yet. You eat lunch every day and although lunch hours vary, it ...
Sacrifice is not valued very highly by society. Those who give the most are often frowned upon as though something was wrong with them. Most people can only think about the bottom line and what is in it for them. The cost of any action, or anything for that matter, will depend upon the prize. With that in mind, I want to talk about our relationship with God and how we can make it better. Sandi Patti sings a song that captures a beautiful vision of God watching over us from our earliest days. The words go ...
There were two fellows who lived and breathed baseball. They were professional players with the Atlanta Braves and you would think that playing for a living would be enough. But not so – these guys breathed, ate, and slept baseball. More than teammates, they were very close friends. So, they talked with each other about that mattered most in their lives. One of their big concerns was whether there would be baseball in heaven. They loved baseball so much that they were not sure at all they wanted to spend ...
Years ago, when I first began the Christian journey, like most people, I understood faith as “belief”. I believe that there is a God, therefore I have faith. Very soon I came to understand that that is not enough. In fact, belief alone can be irrelevant. For example, I may believe that there is intelligent life somewhere out there in space. But, so what? That has nothing to do with how I live my life every day. It’s irrelevant. Just so, many people believe that there is a God, but that belief does not ...
I don't know about you but when I was growing up I always loved hearing the story of Cinderella. There was always something magical about it. It was more than Walter Mitty or Lee Iacocca — small-town boy made good. It was more than Prince Charles and Princess Diana in all their regal splendor long before Diana's untimely death. It was like the triumph of the poor and the oppressed over the powerful and the arrogant — the quintessential example of the first shall be last and the last shall be first. It was ...
Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4
Drama
Joe Barone
Narrator: We don't often talk about money in the church, but the scripture talks about it all the time. Now don't panic! This is not going to be a sermon about money. It's going to be about just what the sermon topic says -- "What's A Savior Worth?" If you listened to the scripture, you heard two different stories, one story of a young woman who poured a flask of expensive oil on Jesus' head, and another story about Judas who sought out the authorities and negotiated with them to betray Jesus for 30 pieces ...
Without question, I can tell you what my absolute, all time, favorite meal is. It is so special that I only get to eat it once a year. It is so special, and so good, and so tasty that it is worth the wait. It is not just what I get to eat that makes it the most special meal of the year, but who I get to eat it with. It is the time of year I get to eat it and it is the occasion that brings me to the table. Can you guess what meal this is? It is Thanksgiving. The reason why Thanksgiving is my favorite meal ...
I spent four years of my life in Deland, Florida about twenty miles west of Daytona Beach at StetsonUniversity. Not long after my freshman year started, I began attending StetsonBaptistChurch and attended there all four years. One of the reasons why I was attracted to the church was because of a pharmacist that worked with college students there named Dean West. Mr. West was (to say the least) a unique individual. He was very unconventional in his thinking on a lot of things, but he had a gift to really ...
A well-known businessman in this community was recently asked to do something for the United Methodist Church, something inconvenient and expensive. It would require him to make available for a period of several months some facilities which he used in his business. Frankly, when it was decided to ask this man's help no one was very optimistic about a favorable response. For one thing, the man is a leading Catholic layman. He would have nothing at all to gain by agreeing to the request. At the very least, ...
The miracle story of Jesus healing the man born blind is placed against the background of a puzzle that has plagued humankind ever since the first person stubbed his toe on a stone and cried out in pain. It is the question of why there is suffering in the world. Despite the many attempted solutions and suggested answers, people are still not satisfied - only more confused. The stubbed toe still hurts. Is the stone we stumble over placed there by chance or circumstance? Are we somehow engaged in a dangerous ...
One of the most single television presentations during this decade, I believe, was the television series based on Alex Haley’s best-selling book, Roots. Millions of people read the book, and millions more saw the television drama. It was a moving presentation of a two-century epic of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him. You will recall that Kunta Kinte was the great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Alex Haley, the author. If you did not read the book, you may have missed one of the ...
U. S. News and World Report did a poll recently of one thousand respondents, and they asked this question: "Who do you think is ‘very likely' or ‘somewhat likely' to go to heaven?" They asked this question about thirteen prominent figures. You will be fascinated by the results. Of all of the celebrities, the biggest vote-getter was Mother Teresa at 79%. Who came in second? Oprah Winfrey at 66%. Third place went to Michael Jordan at 65%. Fourth place went to Colin Powell at 61%. Princess Diana scored an ...
Mr. Jones had a job that gave him a comfortable income. He enjoyed fishing and motorhome camping. Every year or so he would buy a new combination fish and ski boat, not some little dinghy, but a really nice, fancy boat. Every couple of years Mr. Jones would buy a new motorhome camper. It was obvious that several other men in the neighborhood envied Mr. Jones and tried to keep up with his new toys. They too would buy and sell boats and campers. It was obvious that keeping up with Mr. Jones was a priority in ...
Have you ever had an inner emotional pain that would not go away? A depression that would come and go in waves? Sometimes it seemed like everything was completely normal and then it would come upon you totally unexpected. Perhaps it was related to something that happened in your childhood, something so awful that you couldn’t tell anyone, not even your spouse or your best friend because in reality you weren’t really sure you believed it yourself. Sometimes it would sneak into your dreams, dreams so bad ...
There was a young couple who had just purchased brand new appliances for their house, and they decided to give their old refrigerator to their parents. Since they lived many miles apart, they just shipped the refrigerator to their parents. A few days later the phone rang, her mother said, "Honey, we want to send you a check for the refrigerator." The daughter said, "No, Mom, it's a gift. We want you to have it." The mother said, "But you could have sold it and made money." The daughter said, "Look, Mom, ...
This morning I want to tell you how to get blessed by God. We all want God to bless us. This morning I am going to tell how to get that done. How many of you want to be blessed by God? Me too! Now when I say blessed I am not talking about the prosperity, name and claim it gospel that’s popular. I am not talking about saying a prayer and having a million dollars in cash show up in a briefcase at your doorstep. When I say bless I am talking about God showing up in your life in a way that transforms you. I am ...
Dusk; JAREL is sitting on the front steps of an old farmhouse, a building once almost elegant, now genteelly collapsing, its midwestern rococo gingerbread hanging in many places by a single, disinterested, rusty nail. The porch behind JAREL is small; its only piece of furniture is an ancient, unravelling wicker table, also seedy, with several wine bottles on it. JAREL is wearing funeral black - but she has not at all muted her makeup, and she wears plenteous beads and bracelets. JAREL (Calling into the ...
So much seems to press upon us in our daily living that "taking the long view" may not only be remote but considered impractical and therefore shelved. A thousand years equals one day and one day equals 1,000 years. It all sounds so mystical and unscientific! Do you mean we have to rethink being captains of our own ships? That is so basic to the American way and you are suggesting we give it up? After all, we can accomplish anything we set out to do — that is if we just try hard enough. Planning is done ...
Theme: The church has had turmoil from the start. It was as difficult then as it is now. The church can only survive if Jesus is the head. Summary: A mysterious visitor from church "headquarters" calls on the Rev. John Baxter, pastor of a modern day church that is having some major problems. The visitor proposes some startling answers for the church's dilemma and firmly implants the solution by a unique object lesson from history. Playing Time: 10 minutes Place: A church meeting room and then thirty years ...
Monday Week FourIsaiah 65:17-21John 4:43-54 God Restores Hope In 1935 Bill W. and Dr. Bob lived on the fringes of society. They were drunks spending their nights and many days drinking away the cares of life. Both men needed someone who could help them to regain their dignity and self-worth. They found that special person in each other. The story of the sobriety and recovery to productivity of these two men is the story of the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an international organization which ...
Comment: I spoke earlier of having someone in mind as I wrote a part. For the second sermon of a series on the Trinity, I decided to interview John the Baptist. In the congregation was a young man who weighed about 240 pounds, most of it muscle. He had a very large, full, nearly black beard. Although he is a gentleman in every respect, he is able to hold his own in a car repair shop and on an athletic field. He also happened to be in the church's drama group. I called him early in the week to see if he was ...
[Author's Note: I spoke earlier of having someone in mind as I wrote a part. For the second sermon of a series on the Trinity, I decided to interview John the Baptist. In the congregation was a young man who weighed about 240 pounds, most of it muscle. He had a very large, full, nearly black beard. Although he is a gentleman in every respect, he is able to hold his own in a car repair shop and on an athletic field. He also happened to be in the church's drama group. I called him early in the week to see if ...
A wealthy architect, whose self-designed rambling lake home was the envy of the entire city, was given to hosting lavish dinner parties. They were always the event of the social season, and the folks who were invited always knew they were on a special list. One year the architect changed tactics. Instead of mailing special invitations, he simply ran an advertisement in the personals column of the Sunday classifieds in the metropolitan newspaper. "Masquerade Party!" the heading read, in type no larger - and ...
You know how it was that Jesus of Nazareth began his career as a teacher and public figure in Galilee. You know how John came out of the wilderness and preached to the people who gathered around him on the banks of the Jordan. You know how for many long centuries the Jewish people had looked for the coming of their Messiah. When John appeared, their scholars speculated that perhaps this impassioned wilderness man might, actually be the Expected One. They sent their representatives to inquire of him ...
I am not much of a game show fan, but my all-time favorite is Jeopardy. If I ever became a teacher or a professor, Jeopardy would be the model that I would use to teach students. It makes learning fun. It is educational, challenging and makes you think. So, we are going to play the game, but we are going to skip all the way to final Jeopardy. The category is “Smarter Than A 5th Grader.” Remember – you have to put your answer in the form of a question. The answer is “By consensus the most brilliant person ...