Tag: God

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

Sunday Sermon: God is at Work

Those of us who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s enjoyed a bit of nostalgia this week. Some of the cast from “Saved by the Bell” reunited and performed their iconic roles on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”

It was a hilarious modern skit of a show that transformed Saturday morning entertainment and provided pre-teens and teens with a relevant and engaging show of their own. There was Zach, Slater, Kelly, and Jessie. Even Mr. Belding made an appearance as the group tossed out their classic lines and even sang about how they would always be “friends forever.” Continue reading “Sunday Sermon: God is at Work”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon, Sports

Sunday Sermon: A Prophetic Voice

There is a lot of noise in society today. There is a lot of talking in our world today. 

Just turn on the cable news networks and this becomes apparent. There is a lot of noise in our world today. Our news presentations feature a steady stream of people constantly talking at each other. This talking is presented to us as debates, when we know that it is far from it. 

What we are given is a form of loud talking that is often more about selling a point than entering into a discussion. Those who spend a lot of time talking on television often are simply wanting to defeat their opponent, give out a few talking points, and get retweeted or posted instantly. The process makes it hard to understand what is being discussed and difficult to discern the truth in the topic.  Continue reading “Sunday Sermon: A Prophetic Voice”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Devotion, Faith, Life, News, Sermon

Sunday’s Sermon: Resolution 2015 (Giving)

New Year’s Day has its varied traditions. Many of these traditions are cultural and regional in nature, such as eating black eyed peas or putting a coin in cabbage. Some of these traditions are centered on the idea of seeking good luck and fortune for the new year. Personally, I never understood how one could gain luck through eating cabbage or black eyed peas.

Among those traditions is one we are most familiar with and, perhaps, one we participated in a few days ago. That is the new year’s resolution. The idea that we will resolve to do something different in the new year that we did not do not as much in the previous.

Problem is that it seems we just recycle previous resolutions. Our resolutions often cycle around the common themes of losing weight, saving more money, and finding more ways to relax. Resolutions, though, that are appropriate coming out of a season of heavy eating, tons of purchases, and stressful calendars. For the record, my resolution for 2015 is to find more time to relax and not to stress about the little things in life. We’ll see how long that lasts. Continue reading “Sunday’s Sermon: Resolution 2015 (Giving)”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

Purposeful Waiting

funny-pictures-auto-421780A couple of days ago there was a photo that made its way around the Internet. In this particular photo was a picture of a turkey having an intense conversation with Santa Claus. The turkey wanted to remind Santa that November was his month and that Santa would have to wait until December. This turkey was not interested anyone else grabbing the spotlight.

It was a funny photo, but think about how appropriate it is for us. We are approaching a very busy stretch run that takes us through the end of the year that already seems to be underway. The Holiday Sprint from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day where our calendars are filled and we have a long list of things to do. They say this is the “most wonderful time of the year,” and it is, but we’re often too busy to really enjoy these two months. Continue reading “Purposeful Waiting”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

A Mission for the 22nd Century

This morning, I asked you all about what is it that you love about Claylick because it is important for us to claim what is special about this amazing church. I ask, as well, because I love hearing the stories about what makes Claylick special to each of you.

It has been four months since Abbi, Noah, and I moved here. Every day since we arrived we have been amazed by what God has been doing. A lot has happened in these four months. We have all laughed. We have all cried. We have all been challenged. We have all pondered about what it means for us to be the church God desires us to be here in our communities. It has been a busy four months.

Perhaps, then, it is appropriate for us to call a time out. To pause and reflect on where we have been and look ahead to where we are going. To get a sense of what God is doing in our midst as we discern what God might be asking of us as individuals and as a church. Continue reading “A Mission for the 22nd Century”