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Sermon
Wayne Brouwer
There's a little town up the Fraser Valley in British Columbia called Lillooett. There's a small-town newspaper published in Lillooett. And for many years the editor of that paper was a woman named "Ma" Murray. "Ma" Murray was kind of a tiger, in her own way. She was a social activist. And every issue of her paper rode concerns about labor and about human rights and about native issues. But here's...
2. Searching: MySpace
Hebrews 11:8-13
Sermon
John E. Harnish
I know I don't need to explain "MySpace" to graduates and Confirmands, but bear with me for the sake of the adults. "MySpace" is a website filled with over 70 million interactive, personal webpages and blogs. It's something like the old-fashioned personal pages in the newspaper (when news came on paper), but it's more like 70 million personal diaries, all hung out there for the world to read....
3. By Faith Living
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
To live "by faith" and not "by sight" means to live in the light of God's promises in the present. To step forward in faith is to live in the victorious peace of a war already won whether or not the particular battle you are fighting is being "won" or "lost." The pulse of postmodern life is created partly by our biological heartbeat and partly by the electronic circuitry of our technologi...
4. Marching Forward by Faith!
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Have you heard the story about a man who slipped and fell while trying to clean the limbs from his roof? He slid down the steep shingles, slipped over the eave, and barely managed to grab hold of the gutters. Dangling there three stories from the earth, the man looked to the heavens above and shouted “My God can any body help me?" Suddenly time stopped, the clouds parted and a voice from heaven sa...
Sermon
Clayton A. Lord
I want to talk about heroes today. We all have them. Our heroes are men and women that we look up to. 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...
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
In the movie, Cast Away, Tom Hanks' character, Chuck, is stranded on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean. To keep himself company, he finds a volleyball that has washed up from the wreckage of the plane he had been flying in before becoming stranded. Chuck paints a face on the volleyball with his own blood and names him "Wilson." Wilson becomes Chuck's only companion while he remains on the islan...
Sermon
King Duncan
A certain Eskimo man was taken on one of the expeditions to the North Pole a number of years ago. Later, as a reward for faithful service, he was brought to New York City for a short visit. He was amazed at what he saw. When he returned to his native village, he told stories of buildings that rose into the very face of the sky; of streetcars, which he described as houses that moved along the trail...
Sermon
King Duncan
It was a muggy evening in August 1934. The congregation of the Cullowhee Mountain Church of God was listening intently to a sermon delivered by their minister, Albert Teaster. A man walked in and placed a box in front of Teaster. It was not a gift; rather, it was a challenge. Two weeks earlier, Albert Teaster had preached on Mark 16: 15-18. This is the passage that says that believers are able to...
9. Where's the Magic?
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-12
Sermon
King Duncan
Billy Joe, a good old boy from the Deep South, stopped at a convenience store. There he ran into Ricardo, an old buddy from New York City.  Billy Joe was a mischievous sort. When no one was looking he stole 3 candy bars from a store shelf. Walking out of the store he turned to Ricardo and bragged, “Ha!  Did you see what this old Southern boy did? I stole three candy bars and got away with it. Man...
10. Real Heros
Hebrews 11:1-40
Sermon
King Duncan
Those who are into Xtreme sports know that there are cameras that will allow you to film your exploits. You have probably seen ads for these cameras. It is specially designed for bikers, surfers, snowboarders, scuba divers, dirt track drivers, skiers, auto racers or participants in any other action sport. The name for one of these cameras is the HD GoPro HERO camera. You can mount the HERO camera ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Somewhere I read some amazing information about an antelope known as the African impala. These residents of southern and eastern Africa are amazing leapers. They can jump to a height of over 10 feet. One leap can cover a distance greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent animals can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3‑foot high wall. You see, impalas will not jump if they cannot see wher...
Sermon
Eric Ritz
I have been overwhelmed with all the material and insights that one can find in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews. I want to examine the first seven verses of this magnificent book along with the passage that we read from the Gospel of Luke 17:1-6. Both of these passages deal with an ingredient that is fundamental to the understanding and practicing of what we call "Christian faith." Wo...
13. Lean on the Cloud
Hebrews 11:1-40
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Apple had to issue a warning recently. Customers who were using a GPS national park hiking trails “app” on their iPhones were warned about some serious “glitches.” In several national parks the identified trailhead, the mileages, and the directional guides . . . all were completely off. Several hikers got seriously lost because they trusted downloaded trail information that was fatally flawed. Tho...
14. Step Into The Vision
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-15
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
I remember reading once about a group of troops who were waiting for both reinforcements and supplies. Things weren't desperate but they were getting close. They'd radioed headquarters several times and were finally given these instructions. "Troops and supplies are currently being deployed. Suggest you procure a pair of binoculars, go out on the roof and keep your ears to the ground." I've loved...
15. Be Square
Hebrews 11:1-40
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Every generation has its own language of “cool” from “everything’s jake” to the “cat’s pajamas” to “bees knees” to “groovy,” “fat,” “sweet” and now “ridiculous.” But even though a flash-in-the-pan pop song proclaimed “It’s Hip to Be Square,” no one has ever really aspired to being rectangular with equal sides until Nickelodeon made it “ridiculous” (now synonymous with “cool”). SpongBob SquarePant...
16. LOST? Looking For Peace
Matthew 18:21-22, Colossians 3:8-15, Hebrews 11:1
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
There's an old story, and it's a groaner but I'm going tell it anyway. It's about three flies buzzing around a messy kitchen table where somebody had just made a bologna sandwich. The knife used to slice the bologna was covered with little particles of the meat and so was the cutting board. Two of the flies decided to work on the cutting board, while the third fly went to work on the knife. He sta...
17. Heroes of Faith
Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
A father was sitting on the floor with his three boys getting ready for bedtime prayers. The two older boys were having an argument about their action figures. The issue was whether Superman was better than He-Man. One boy said that Superman could fly, the other countered that He-Man had bigger muscles. And so it went, back and forth, while the youngest boy, Nicholas age four, just watched. Dad t...
18. On Being Faithful and Focused
Hebrews 11:1, 32 – 12:2
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
It was Henry David Thoreau who wrote: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. That is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." For the past few weeks, we have articulated a new vision for this congregation focused on “touching hearts and transforming lives." We have organized our church and deployed our staff to embrace a mission of inviting, worshiping, d...
19. Unlocking the Power of God
Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Sermon
Clayton A. Lord
What can faith do? It can part a raging sea and allow a nation to walk through. What can faith do? It can knock down the walls of a fortified city so that God can prove a point. What can faith do? It can single out a woman who follows God's lead and protect her from certain death. Today many people are into "reality" television shows where individuals are put to extreme tests. We watch them becaus...
20. Running with Perseverance
Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
United Methodist Bishop, Robert Schnase, tells of his hobby as a "serious runner." He reports that people often ask him how to get started on a running program. He recounts the usual practice of people trying to become serious about running. The typical start date is January 1, as part of a New Year's resolution. The resolution holds fast for the first week, with an early rise and an eager first f...
21. The Prize of the High Calling of God
Hebrews 11:1-40, Philippians 2:12-18
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
I am intrigued by bumper stickers. Someone was smart. Since modern Americans spend so much of their time in cars, why not turn the bumper into a kind of chrome or, alas with modern cars, plastic bulletin boards. Thousands would get the messages as they come near the car in front of them. It was a brilliant idea. Religious folks have not missed this communication opportunity. So you have the tradi...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
Faith. By faith, Noah built an Ark. By faith, Abraham fathered a son. By faith, John Wesley formed a movement called Methodists. By faith, Frances Asbury came to America. By faith, Green Hill built a home in Brentwood, Tennessee. By faith, Robert I. Moore led this church to this location. By faith, what are you and I going to do for the sake of those who come behind us? That’s the question I...
Sermon
James Merritt
One of the most exciting events in track and field is the relay races. It takes a combination of speed, timing, precision, and teamwork in order for a relay team to be victorious. Now the suspense is much greater than an individual race because in an individual race the fastest person always wins. In a relay race the fastest team can lose if one thing happens - they fail to pass the baton. Any tr...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
The beauty business is big business. Adorning ourselves, perfecting every perceived imperfection, curling what is straight, straightening what is curly, bleaching this/highlighting that, products that promise to make youngsters look older and oldsters look younger never lose their appeal. “Stuff” made out of low-tech squished fruit or high-tech spliced genes all promise to adorn and ultimately to ...
25. By Faith
Hebrews 11:1-40
Sermon
King Duncan
Once upon a time, there lived a humble man who accepted everything that happened in life as an act of God. If something good happened, God did it. If something bad happened, that also was an act of God. Unfortunately, he was about the unluckiest man alive. Makes you wonder about his theology, doesn’t it? But never once did he complain. He got married and his wife ran away with his best friend. Hi...
Showing 1 to 25 of 57 results