Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1001 to 1025 of 2404 results

1001. Marriages That Last

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

... making love" is a serious notion. When two families agree that a son and a daughter would suit one another, it is expected that over time the man and woman will work at becoming compatible partners in the same spirit one might work at achieving competence in a life's vocation. This is making love. Time and experience ” mistakes and difficulties ” are all part of the equation whose sum is a lasting relationship. Love is not something you fall into, Papaderos explained. Love and marriage are "made." Thus ...

1002. The Problem With Giving Up Chocolates

Mark 8:34-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... approved the amendment for women's suffrage. Then, all the states had to vote on ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment. On August 26, 1920, the state of Tennessee ratified the Nineteenth Amendment. Women in the United States now had the right to vote. She had achieved her goal, and just in time to honor Susan B. Anthony. Carrie Chapman Catt spent the last years of her life educating women about the political process and working for world peace. (3) Now you may be an old chauvinist and the story of Carrie ...

1003. In Search Of A Reason For Being

Hebrews 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... Fuller "one of the greatest philosopher-scientists of our time." By asking, "What would Bucky say?" this man was trying to find guidance for his own decisions. By asking, "What would Bucky say?" he was setting a higher standard for his life than he would have achieved on his own. In order to be an effective leader, he was willing to follow. In this case he was following the example of Buckminster Fuller. You and I have the potential to be leaders in our homes, in our workplaces, in our community. Before we ...

1004. A Distant Light

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... star the wise men followed on that holy night. It is perhaps a parable of our times that we are rarely without some form of light. We have Thomas Edison to thank for that I suppose. It is said that after thousands of experiments, when he finally achieved this monumental breakthrough that would affect all of human history, he heard the shrill voice of his wife call out, "Tom, for goodness sake, would you turn off the light and come to bed!" Even on the darkest night in most communities in our land there is ...

1005. A Better Than Perfect Christmas

Philippians 4:4

Sermon

King Duncan

... a poem in the first place because they know it could never be as perfect as they would want it to be. Perfectionists are people who strain compulsively toward impossible goals and measure their self-worth entirely in terms of their achievements. As a result, according to Dr. David Burns, they are terrified by the prospect of failure. They feel driven and, at the same time, unrewarded by their accomplishments. They are most unhappy people. Sadly, many people confuse such compulsiveness with Christianity ...

1006. Unwrapping Christmas

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ACCEPTING Granted, it came in unexpected and exciting ways, wrapped and packaged differently than anyone would have thought possible. But still, it's a gift. God freely gives the gift of grace, the gift of love to each of us. There aren't any conditions. We don't have to achieve a thing or act any certain way. All we have to do is receive and accept this gift. It's a gift of grace that takes a lifetime to unwrap. That's what the poem on the little package is all about. Christ's birth and Christmas are gifts ...

1007. The Gift Has Arrived

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... or better intentioned than Mr. Carter. Yet, regardless of your politics, you are forced to admit that Mr. Reagan inspired confidence in the American people. He walked and talked like a president and he remains amazingly popular in spite of a mixed record of achievement. Jesus could never have made it as president of the United States or even as mayor of Nazareth. And that is disconcerting to a world that respects power. There was an article in Reader's Digest titled "The Mad, Mad Romania of Nicolae ...

1008. Watch!

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

King Duncan

... human beings can alter their lives by altering the attitude of mind . . . .If you only care enough for a result you will certainly obtain it. Yes, the mold of man's future, the shape of his life and destiny and the sum total of his accomplished achievements are in his own hands that hold the invisible brush that paints the pictures on the walls of his mind. "It is these pictures of the mind that are the key." Joseph Powell, a Loyola University professor, expressed it well in his excellent book, Fully Human ...

1009. Mary's Song

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

King Duncan

... and Daddy can't afford that." People who cope successfully with life are those who understand the importance of discipline and self-denial, who realize that life is a training school, that happiness is not a permanent state but an elusive quality best achieved in search of something higher. Life is hard. Consider the rash of suicides and drug-related deaths among the children of some of America's best known celebrities. "But we gave him everything," distraught parents moan. That is it. When life is easy ...

1010. Congratulations, Joseph, It's A God!

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... we have. We are told that when Betty Crocker first marketed cake mixes that required adding only water they were a colossal failure. The company officials could not understand why the mix would not sell. After all, the mix only required adding water to achieve a creamy batter and a fine cake. They commissioned their research department to do a study to find out the answers to their dilemma. The resultit was found that the public felt uneasy about a mix that only required water. It was too easy! Consumers ...

1011. God Spoke

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... to take the concept of space travel for granted. Those early successes seemed so easy. “This is Apollo 8 coming to you from the moon . . .” reported Frank Borman in the first of six telecasts beamed from the rocket to earth. It was a stunning achievement for our space program. Something occurred on that first flight, however, that will always make it memorable to many of us. On Christmas Eve, as the Apollo rocket closed in on the moon and the television cameras gave us the sharpest details of the moon ...

1012. He Has Done All Things Well

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... would recognize immediately, spent his life teaching about faith and yet not long after his death his widow published a book about his life that showed another side to the man, a very regrettable and sordid side. Who shall I choose to follow? There is only one who achieved excellence in every area of life and that one was Jesus of Nazareth. He lived well, he taught well, he died well. Beyond that, he rose triumphantly and lives forever. He is our model. He is the one who calls us to set lofty goals, to seek ...

1013. The Path To Real Success

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... war. He wrote an essay in the early part of this century, entitled THE MORAL EQUIVALENT OF WAR. In it he suggested that the reason men go to war is the need to test their courage and their manhood. He suggested that people could achieve the same goal less destructively by voluntarily practicing self-denial, by getting into contests to see who could do without creature comforts, who could endure more hardship than their fellow man. Unfortunately his high ideas didn't get very far because, insane as we ...

1014. Losing Favor Or Losing Flavor?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... of Christian love in action. John Killinger, in a sermon entitled, THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF LITTLE DEEDS, concluded by saying, "It's an exciting thought that when we die and come into the presence of God and all its fullness, it will not be our major achievements that speak for us, `He was president of a bank. She was the first woman senator from her state. He was the author of 22 books,' but the small apparently inconsequential things that we long ago forgot. `He mowed my lawn when I was sick. She ...

1015. Lesson From A Blind Man

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus. Bartimaeus wasn't like the man beside the pool of Bethesda, who, when Jesus asked him if he really wanted to be healed, made excuses for his situation. Bartimaeus wanted to see with his eyes, and he was willing to pay any price to achieve this goal. He was determined. What a difference determination makes in life. Thank God for the Bartimaeuses of this world who will not be denied by their circumstances. The story is told of Emperor Tarmerlane, whose army was defeated and scattered in every direction ...

1016. Leadership Styles For A New Millennium

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... : "This man is depriving a village somewhere of its idiot." "This officer is really not so much of a hasbeen, but more of a definitely won'tbe." "This young lady has delusions of adequacy." "She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them." "This officer should go farand the sooner he starts, the better." "On my last report I said he had reached rock bottom. He has since begun to dig." Good leaders are hard to find. United Methodist Bishop Alsie Carleton (now retired) was in ...

1017. The Placebo Effect

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... FILLING OUR LIVES WITH PLACEBOS. THESE PLACEBOS HELP US COPE TEMPORARILY WITH LIFE, AND EVEN PROVIDE US WITH A MEASURE OF SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS, BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE ONLY PLACEBOS SUGAR PILLS AND COLORED WATER AND NOT THE REAL THING, THEY KEEP US FROM ACHIEVING THAT WHICH REALLY WILL MAKE LIFE WORK. Let's consider for a few moments some of these placebos. Twenty years ago there was a Greek tycoon whose name was a household word in this country. You have already guessed--Aristotle Onassis. Onassis once ...

1018. Behold The Lamb

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... . If we keep our gaze fixed upon our problems, our frustrations, our limitations, our poverty of either money or other resources, we will never make any headway in coping with life. It is a matter of focus. You and I have within ourselves the resources for achieving amazing things if we do not allow our problems to overwhelm us. You may know the story of a young Hungarian athlete in the 1952 Olympics who won a gold medal with his ability to shoot a pistol. His right hand and eye coordination were so perfect ...

1019. Belonging To The Right Family

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... ?" He laughed and replied, "Well, honey, at the studio I just have a good scriptwriter." That's what we all need in living together as a familya good script writer. Many of you know about the problems Laurin Chapinlittle Kathy on FATHER KNOWS BESThad in achieving adulthood. Last winter we were shocked to read about Rusty Hammer the loveable little fellow on MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY who purportedly took his own life. IT'S NOT EASY BEING A PARENT AND OBVIOUSLY, IT'S NOT EASY BEING A CHILD, EITHER. Our children ...

1020. Out Of Our Control

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... of a Spanish Inquisition. It may have also permitted the flowering of the Elizabethan Agethat golden era that gave us such notables as Shakespeare, John Donne, Francis Bacon, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and John Webster. Of course, the climaxing and culminating literary achievement in 1611 was the King James Version of the Bible. (3) There are areas of our life beyond our control and this is good. We simply cannot ever hope to have enough knowledge or enough wisdom to perfectly determine our lives. As ...

1021. Time To Walk On The Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... Inrig in his book, A CALL TO EXCELLENCE, cites the experience of Winston Churchill. Churchill was by far the most successful politician of his age in Britain. By his midthirties he was already a roaring success. The son of a notorious politician, he had achieved fame as a reporter and author. The principal subject matter of his writings was his own military adventures. "Elected to Parliament at the tender age of twentyfive, he entered the Cabinet at thirtyone, and at the outbreak of World War I, was Lord of ...

1022. One Word Changed Everything

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... something. Charles Lindbergh earned a permanent place in history as the first to make a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climb to the top of Mount Everest. The Guinness Book of Records thrives on publicizing people who achieved the first or the most. Others are remembered because they are connected with a great event. Abraham Lincoln's fame rests partly on the fact that he freed the slaves and led the nation during a great war. He would not likely have become as ...

1023. Started Toward A Great Tomorrow

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... of the lynch party. He even held Stephen's cloak as Stephen was pounded into unconsciousness and then death. But a change took place in the Apostle Paul's life. He became a dynamo for Christ. If anybody can give us advice on what we can do to achieve a new, vibrant, victorious life it is he. Listen to his words: "...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ ...

1024. Ready For The Game Warden

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... characteristic of character. The most important preparation we can make is for eternity. 1. Loyal Jones and Billy Edd Wheeler, LAUGHTER IN APPALACHIA, (New York: Ivy Books, 1987). 2. BITS AND PIECES 3. John R. Noe, PEAK PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLES FOR HIGH ACHIEVERS, (New York: Berkley Books, 1984). 4. TREASURY OF CHRISTIAN FAITH, Stuber and Clark, p. 659. 5. Jon Johnston, WALLS OR BRIDGES, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1988). 6. David W. Richardson, "The Christian Century", 12/3/86, p. 1092.

1025. You're A Good Kid!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Harriett Beecher Stowe was a most successful writer. She achieved her first triumph as an author at the age of twelve. She was a student at Litchfield Academy. With the other Litchfield students she was required to submit an essay at the end of the term. Her essay was awarded first prize by the unanimous vote of the judges and ...

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