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Why Can’t I Stay Home and Watch Joel Osteen?
I just spent a few moments today channel surfing. I wasn’t looking for any particular program; I was merely seeing what was on (in case you’re wondering, there wasn’t much on). As I hit a certain region of the station numbers I entered what is referred to as the “religious programming.” I slowly click from Continue reading
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The Church of the Least Common Denominator
When Jesus called people to follow Him, He pulled no punches. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) That’s a pretty intense calling and way out of synch with the way many people view church and following Jesus in our day. Continue reading
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Do You Cause People to Stumble over the Gospel?
Do our lives attract people to the Gospel or repel people from the Gospel? Peter wrote: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, Continue reading
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Cheapening Grace
God’s Word is clear. You and I do not earn our salvation. We cannot obey enough laws or do enough deeds to cleanse us from sin and restore a right relationship with a holy God. There is nothing that you and I can do to reconcile ourselves to God. That is the bad news; the Continue reading
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Grow Up!
The Apostle Paul confronted the believers in Corinth with these words: “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2) Evidently in Corinth there were a good number of believers who Continue reading
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Sometimes God Picks Skeptics
The story of Gideon is one of the more interesting ones in the Old Testament. Gideon himself was not very impressive. He admits that he was from the weakest part of the tribe of Manasseh and that he was the least in his own family (either meaning he was the youngest and/or the least physically Continue reading
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What Assumptions Might People Make of You?
A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman was furious and honked her Continue reading
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There Are Other Days …
There are times when my passion for Jesus and His purpose for my life burns brightly. I wake up in the mornings with a desire to get on with the day, to discover all that God has planned for me, and to walk with Christ through every challenge. His Presence is almost tangible. It is Continue reading
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Review of Man Alive by Patrick Morely
The author does a great job of capturing the interest of the reader from the very first page. Starting with the story of World Trade Center hero Welles Crowther who gave his life in order to save countless others on September 11, 2001, Morely taps into what he calls a “primal need” to make the Continue reading
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Getting Ready for the New Year
With the new year upon us it’s always a time for reflecting on the previous twelve months and making a few resolutions for the year ahead. When we look back we can do so with regret or resolve. We can wallow in our failures or we can learn from them. But most importantly we must Continue reading
beyond the sermon 