Sermons, Lectures, & Teachings
Honoring the past context for God’s word.
Understanding the current relevance for God’s word.
Living in the future hope of God’s word.
The Secret to Contentment | Philippians 4:11-13
It’s easy to slip into discontentment under the guise of being goal-driven or in the name of achievement. It feels unfair when we have to live in the choices and circumstances that others have made for us, so we feel justified in the discontent of our life. And when the way things used to be aren’t the way things are anymore, we become frustrated and discontent, longing for previous days and years.
Begin with Prayer | Luke 6:12-16
The Gospel - the Good news of Jesus Christ - is that not only did he come to earth, defeat death, and rise up again so that I may have new life, that I may know the love of the Father. That’s only half of it! Not only is this good news for me, but the second half is that God came to earth for others too. So my job as a Christian is not just to grow closer each day with the Father through Jesus, but then also to be sharing this same Good News with others.
Prayer: Being With God | Luke 10:38-42
It’s no secret that we become what we contemplate on, think on, focus on. So, if we want to become like Jesus, then we must look at Jesus. Contemplative prayer is central to spiritual formation-becoming people of love in Christ.
Prayer: Talking With God | Luke 11:4-13
We are so used to performing our life with other people. We edit our thoughts to present a more polished image of ourselves to the world in order to be loved and not rejected, to succeed and not fail. It’s like we can’t help but carry that way of being over into our relationship with God. But this isn’t what God designed.
What Jesus REALLY Says About Judging | Matthew 7:1-6
Today’s passage might be right up there with John 3:16 and Psalm 23 as recognized and quoted scriptures, even by those who would not claim Christianity as their own. But as we know with Scripture, we cannot take only one isolated verse or section of verses and dismiss the rest of the context.
Secret of Fasting | Matthew 6:16-18
I have been of a Protestant tradition of one kind or another for my whole life. What this means in terms of fasting is that I have not had any regularity or liturgical significance for this. But that does not excuse me from this vital spiritual discipline. Fasting is not optional.