Morning Worship, 6/16/13: "Lessons from the Bootleg Preacher"

A great man died last week: Rev. Will Campbell, the self-described “bootleg preacher.”  If you have never heard of him, you’re not alone.  Most folks haven’t.  He liked it that way.  But I want to tell you his story and his theology, for it speaks to the core of the Christian faith.



May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 6/9/13: "Regrets of the Dying"

A hospice nurse recently compiled the most common regrets of her dying patients, and I'd like to share those with you today.  I would say that you don’t have to be on your deathbed to consider such thoughts.  But to some degree, we all are on our deathbeds.  We all have regrets.  Some small, some large.  They reside deep within us, like caverns in the ocean, shading every choice we make, holding us back from being the very best version of ourselves.  

May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 6/2/13: "The Centurion's Favor"

            Last weekend, Kerry asked me to help her carry a chair outside.  This was not an unusual request.  People ask me why I have a truck, and I quickly tell them it’s because my wife loves chairs.  The particular chair we were moving was upstairs, so I waited beside it for a few minutes.  Kerry didn’t come, so my stubborn impatience led me to pick it up and bring it downstairs by myself.  Bad idea.  I got it down, but by the hardest.  And I asked myself, “What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I ask for help and be willing to wait and receive it?” 

            With that in mind, I sought counsel from the Scriptures.  I remembered this story of the centurion, so I spent the week studying it.   Why did the centurion reach out to Jesus for help?  How long did he wait to receive it?  Why didn’t he just take the slave to Jesus?  

May the Lord be with you! 

Morning Worship, 5/26/13: "The Holy Family"

What is the practical significance of the Trinity?  Today, we explore that important question.



May the Lord be with you!

Morning Worship, 5/19/13: "To A Deeply Divided World"

The world is deeply divided.  None of us can deny that, and it certainly dampens our excitement about the future.  We’re divided between conservative and liberal, rich and poor, rural and urban, young and old, black and white, us and them, this religion and that religion. You could probably add to that list.  It’s true in our families, our communities, our nation, and our world.  The good news is that we always have been.  From the beginning of time, we’ve fought and argued with those who are different from us, and we’re still here.  The even better news is that God sent the Spirit to a deeply divided world, and it too is still here.



Enjoy!

Morning Worship, 5/5/13: "Sabbath--Downward Mobility"

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, Sundays were simple.  You went to church, relaxed with friends and family, and broke bread together.  That was before cell phones, traveling teams, and increased work hours, all of which have combined to make Sundays anything but simple.  How, in today’s fast-paced world, can we reclaim the Sabbath as a vital part of our faith life?  How can we honor the Sabbath and keep it holy?  

Grace & peace! 

Morning Worship, 4/28/13: "Coloring Outside the Lines"

Our world is full of lines drawn by others which we are expected to stay within--political lines, racial lines, economic lines, cultural lines.  It looks less like a picture drawn by a kindergarten student than it does a high school cafeteria--with athletes here, farmers there, serious students in the corner, party people in the center, and those who don’t quite fit in the lines confined to the periphery.  God proclaims a radically different message, and we see it clearly in Peter’s vision from today’s Scripture.



Grace and peace!