We’re a little past midway in our late-summer series called ‘Christian’ … where we’ve been talking about what that word means and what it doesn’t mean. We’ve discovered that ‘Christian’ is a word used by those outside the faith … to describe those inside—not a nice word either. But, Jesus’ followers didn’t call themselves ‘Christian’ and Jesus never called his followers that. He had a very specific, very technical word he used to describe those who followed him: disciple. And, folks, unlike the word ‘Christian’—mentioned only 3 times in the...
It’s been said that the greatest of all illusions … is the illusion of control. Yet, when we find ourselves in Plan B situations in life, this seems to be what we fall for right away! I’ll never forget the first time in my adult life that God woke me up to this painful reality… When Jane and I got married, I thought God wanted the perfect marriage—our life together—that Jane and I wanted, complete with very little problems. But, that just wasn’t to be the case. Our wedding went...
I shared today’s sermon title with you a couple of weeks ago, but if you weren’t here, let me explain the title of today’s message: Zig Ziglar, a motivation speaker and salesman extraordinaire, was once asked how as a Christian parent he could advise others in raising their kids. His response? He said, “It’s no real secret to raising your kids God’s way; simply spank them … and take them to church!” That was his formula for successful parenting… Now, that may seem a bit harsh, but I’m here...
