Doing God's work, one step at a time

How many people have ever been in a tornado? I have been in a couple myself. One time was when I was in 7th Grade. We were rehearsing for a play called “Phantom of the Junior High”…the art teacher and music director and theatre person got together and adapted the “Phantom of the Opera” for our school. We were about to head to the gym where the stage was when we heard the wind pick up like we’d never heard before. We all looked at each other wondering what was really going on. Sirens then went off and we all ran down the hall to take cover. I was at a position where I could see outside…like usual…and I will never forget the scene I saw. Trees literally bent over in half. Debris all over the place. I had a hard time grasping the reality of what the wind could really do up until I saw it that day. Nature is a very powerful thing. This week, we are going to look at Acts 2:1-21; which is the passage of Pentecost…where the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles like a “violent wind”. Kinda li...

I heard about a small country church that was holding a revival in a packed building. It was so crowded that they had to put up chairs everywhere, right up to the pulpit. The evangelist was preaching about the second coming of Christ and had really warmed up to the subject. He was one of those fire and brimstone kind of preachers that marched up and down the pulpit. At one point of his sermon he leaned over toward the audience and shouted out Jesus’ promise: “I am coming soon” He marched up and down the stage some more and then leaned out again over the edge of the stage and cried out, “I am coming soon” Several minutes went by and again he shouted out, “I am coming soon” But this time, he got tangled up in the microphone cord and lost his balance. Tumbling off the stage, he landed right on the lap of a couple sitting in the front row of chairs. The husband looked at his wife and said, “Well, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. He warned us three times” As Parents, we all raise our chil...

I am so tired of seeing non-believers attacking the Bible and it's authenticity whenever someone pops up saying they've found things such as The Shroud of Turin or today's news, the possibility being that they've found Noah's Ark. Keep in mind, I'm not saying what they've found is or isn't. Is it possible? Sure, yes, it is. However, it very well might not be either. In either case, my faith does not hang on the balance of whether or not this thing they found is or isn't. Romans 12:2 says: 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ro 12:2. I refuse to hang my faith on things found in the world that may or may not have been the actual thing: Biblical arks, the shroud of Jesus for example. I KNOW these ...

Today we are starting a 4-week series on Stewardship. Stewardship can be a very touchy subject sometimes, but we are going to look at it from a broad view. We are going to look at it from four different perspectives. Management, ownership, use of our possessions, and finally Christian values My dad worked for the State of Illinois for thirty-two years before retiring a few years ago. His title was Highway Maintainer. He is the one who is mowing grass in the summer and plowing snow in the winter and picking up garbage when there is nothing else to do. Oooooh the prizes he would bring home on the days he picked up trash. Nothing ceased to amaze me on what he would find. One time he brought home a basketball. Another time he even brought home a video tape of a recently released movie. Car seats, tools, even a bike one time. I remember a story one time where dad had said that they had to call the pound because someone dumped a stray out on the side of the road. The things people t...

This sermon was written for Old Stonington Baptist Church for March 21, 2010. When I say the word “renovate” what comes to mind? Expensive. Too much work. A pain. Wonderful once it is done. Refreshing maybe. Continuing from last week, the 5th Sunday in Lent is upon us, and we are looking to prepare for the sacrifice that Christ made on Resurrection Sunday. The theme today being naturally, renovation. As obvious as it may be, I wanted to see what Miriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary says. The definition reads; to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding); or to restore to life, vigor, or activity. Ok…restore. That is a word we are familiar with in the Body of Christ, usually after the end days where we everything will be restored. Let’s look at the definition for restore, just for curiosity sake. The definitions say: to give back or return, to put or bring back into existence or use, to bring back to or put back into a former or original state, and to...

I initially wrote this sermon for Homiletics class, but I have revamped it for Old Stonington Baptist Church. Preached on March 14, 2010. December 31, 1999. December 21, 2012. Horoscopes. Self-help books. Nostradamus. Buddhism. Fortune Tellers. Psychics. What do all of these things have in common? Well, let’s see, two of them are dates that the world will possibly end. Horoscopes, Fortune Tellers and Psychics are all mechanisms for attempting to see into the future. Buddhism is a religion. Self-help books are numerous, pushed by media, and tell us how to fix our problems. Finally, Nostradamus is probably one of the most famous people in History for his “world event predictions”. The one thread through them all is that they are manufactured by man, and therefore faulty. A friend of mine, who was raised in the Catholic Church, and a very spiritual person, went to this area psychic to have her future read. I thought this was a little corny, but thought, hey whatever floats your boat. She ...

My dad worked for the State of Illinois for thirty-two years before retiring a few years ago. His title was Highway Maintainer. He is the one who is mowing grass in the summer and plowing snow in the winter and picking up garbage when there is nothing else to do. Oooooh the prizes he would bring home on the days he picked up trash. Nothing ceased to amaze me on what he would find. One time he brought home a basketball. Another time he even brought home a video tape of a recently released movie. Car seats, tools, even a bike one time. I remember a story one time where dad had said that they had to call the pound because someone dumped a stray out on the side of the road. The things people throw out or lose while driving is staggering. It seemed to pile up in a big state truck rather quickly he said. Something else that piles up in a hurry is the plastic Wal-Mart bags. Holy cow do those things pile up quicker than I can use them. I try to be resourceful and use them in my small trashcan...