Sermon and Worship Resources

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Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... s signature makes the letter valuable, but the story behind it is much more significant. Baines was the man who had led Sam Houston to Christ. Houston was a changed man, no longer coarse and belligerent, but peaceful and content. The day came for Sam Houston to be baptized, an absolutely incredible event in the eyes of those who knew his previous lifestyle and attitude. After his baptism Houston stated he would like to pay half the local minister's salary. When someone asked him why, his simple response was ...

2. Who's The Boss?

Psalm 50:1-23

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... literally put their money where their mouth is. I read recently that on the wall of Lyndon Johnson's White House office hung a framed letter written more than 100 years earlier by General Sam Houston to Johnson's great-grandfather Baines. Sam Houston's signature makes the letter valuable, but the story behind it is much more significant. You see, Mr. Baines is the man who led Sam Houston to Christ. The General was a changed man, no longer coarse and belligerent, but peaceful and content. The day came for ...

3. All That From A Little Bit Of Water?

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... OF BAPTISM IS TO SYMBOLIZE THE TAKING AWAY OF OUR SINS. This wasn't necessary for Jesus, but it certainly is for us. There is a humorous story about Sam Houston, the hero of the Texas fight for independence in the 19th century. Houston had been an up-and-coming young politician in Tennessee. He was governor of Tennessee when his wife left him. Houston left his office in disgrace and lived with the Indians for many years. The Indians called him the "Big Drunk." But he finally made a new life in Texas ...

4. The Benefits Of Trusting Christ

Romans 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... people assumed that his handicap would prevent him from participating in a sport like football. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Trey decided to prove the experts wrong. Not only did he learn to play football, he received an athletic scholarship to Sam Houston State University. He went beyond expectations and earned a starting position as a defensive back. One of his responsibilities was to knock down passes when the football was thrown in his area. Another one-armed young man named Dawuan Miller also ...

5. Put Me In Coach!

1 Peter 4:10

Sermon

James Merritt

... one-talent" people will not put that talent to work. Trey Wood was born with only one arm, but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to learn to play football. He not only learned to play football, he received an athletic scholarship to Sam Houston State University. He not only went on scholarship, but he earned a starting position as a defensive back. Another one armed young man named Dawuan Miller, also had a dream to play football. In spite of his disability, he earned a scholarship and became ...

6. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... was the first president of the Republic of Texas. It’s said he was a rather nasty fellow with a checkered past. Later in life Houston made a commitment to Christ and was baptized in a river. The preacher said to him, “Sam, your sins are washed away.” Houston replied, “God help the fish.” It’s fortunate that you and I were not baptized as adults in a river. Somebody would probably be saying, “God help the fish.” A man named Ray says that at one point in his life he considered joining the ...

7. God Help the Fish

Mark 1:4-11

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas. It's said he was a rather nasty fellow with a checkered past. Later in life Houston made a commitment to Christ and was baptized in a river. The preacher said to him, "Sam, your sins are washed away." Houston replied, "God help the fish." Although most of us were not baptized as adults in a river, we can probably relate to this reply.

8. Victory at Sea

Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... ." Water is a wonderful symbol of cleansing, especially by immersion. Immersion means you go all the way in. It symbolizes that you are starting your life over again. You have washed away the past, and you are now a new person. I imagine that any of us, like Sam Houston, at age sixty would like to do that. At least to relive some parts of our lives, to be forgiven of those things that we have done, or have not done, those things that have hurt other people, that we wish we could take back, those things that ...

9. See What Love . . .

1 John 3:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... a light saber for a Jedi Knight fighting the dark forces of the Imperial Army, trying to rescue the princess and her home planet. It could be a rifle used to defend the fort from Indians, or used to free the colonies from the British, or help Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Jim Bowie defend the Alamo. Or it could be a horse ridden by a pony express rider carrying an urgent message to the president. Or a horse ridden by a jockey in the Kentucky Derby or even one ridden by a drover on a cattle drive from Ft ...

10. A Dove Descended

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... from the black robes began to make the water look dirty, and she heard two little boys sitting behind her discussing the matter. “How come the water is getting so dirty?” The first boy asked. “That’s their sins being washed away,” replied the second. Well, he may be right. Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas. It’s said he was a rather nasty fellow with a checkered past. Later in life he made a commitment to Christ and was baptized in a river. The preacher said ...

11. One Came Back

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... know what I'm going through. There is no way I could give thanks right now." Give thanks anyway. You can't know whether some of your burdens may someday be blessings. CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, in his book I Remember, tells about his football tryouts at Sam Houston State Teachers College. Rather had a love for football so he tried out for the team hoping to receive a scholarship. The coach, T. F. "Puny" Wilson, was six feet seven inches and a former All-American. Rather writes: "The day was at hand when I ...

12. Christmas Gifts That Always Fit

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... group hug.” So, I smiled back at them and extended my arms, waiting for their hug. But then, all of a sudden… they just ran right past me on either side! I turned around to see two of our college guys behind me! Jack Matthews and Sam Houston had come home for the holidays… and the girls were rushing to hug them, not me… and who could blame them for that? It was a “reality check” for me and also a valuable life-lesson. That experience reminded me that… Sometimes we mis-read things. Sometimes ...

13. Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... Our heroes are those individuals that inspire us and help us to strive to be our very best. There is a cute story about a Texan who was trying to impress on a Bostonian, the valor of the heroes of the Alamo. After finishing his story about Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and countless others, he says "I'll bet you never had anyone so brave around Boston." "Did you ever hear of Paul Revere?" asked the Bostonian. "Paul Revere?" said the Texan. "Isn't he the guy who ran away looking for help?" Heroes are important ...

14. Where a Cross Should Be Worn

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... tie. No, to make sure that Christ was at the core of his identity, Jesus gave him a big, cumbersome, inconvenient cross to carry. “Reluctantly Sam did. Sam the businessman carried it to work, and it changed the way he went about his business. ‘Ever since you got that cross,’ his boss told ... Ministries, 2005), p. 78. 4. John M. Buchanan, http://www.fourthchurch.org/%202005/032005sermon.html. 5. Houston Chronicle, April 10, 1998, p. 1B, http://www.chron.com/. Cited in WITandWISDOM(tm). 6. http://www.first ...

15. Getting Rid of Grudges

Luke 23:34

Sermon

James Merritt

... sin." If the perfect Savior did not hold a grudge, how much less should an imperfect sinner hold one. The great Methodist preacher, Sam Jones, said: "I haven't anything in this world to forgive. I will never get mad nor stay mad with any man unless ... with), and he thought nothing about it. The man was a good friend of his. One day he got a call from a bank outside of Houston, and the banker said, "Are you Joe Reynolds?" He said, "Yes." The man said, "Are you partners with this man, and have you cosigned a note ...

16. The Road To The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... used to say, "Give the best you have to the highest you know." I wonder if you are willing to do that? Have you made that kind of commitment? Dr. William H. Henson, pastor at Houston First United Methodist Church, wrote a book several years ago called Solid Living In A Shattered World. In that book he told a story about Sam Jones, the great Methodist evangelist. One night he closed a service by asking, "If we could compare the kingdom of God to a locomotive, what part would you like to be?" One person said ...

17. Old and New

Mk 2:22 · 2 Cor 5:17 · Is 43:19

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... as the new becomes stronger. Remember back to those not so long ago years when trips into space were rather frequent? The people in Houston did a good job of showing us diagrams of how a given space trip would proceed. I remember particularly how one part of the ... for me newness, refreshment, re-creation and delightful departure. Newness is really the work of God upon the human heart. I think Sam Keen put it in a dandy way: Every man has Bethlehem where new possibilities and hopes are born, where his history ...

18. Easter: Seeing Is Believing

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of the group. His loss was devastating and disheartening. In the second movie, The Two Towers, we find the group split. Frodo and Sam have slipped off on their own to destroy the ring of power. Merry and Pippin have been captured by orcs. And Aragorn, Legolas ... did make a new start. And today, many years later, he is the pastor of a 9,000 member church: St. Luke's UMC in Houston. The young boy in the story? James W. Moore, the author of over 30 books on Christian living. (4) That's Easter. The Risen Christ came ...

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