The Rest of the Story

          I mentioned Russell Conwell in Sunday’s message.  He was a famous preacher, educator, and lecturer.  His sermon/lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was turned into a book and sold rather well.  I used Conwell’s illustrations to talk about sharing the good news of Jesus with those closest to us first—family, friends, coworkers, and church family.  The wider world is our ultimate aim, but until you invest in the people God has already put in your life, you are unlikely to have much success. 

Leftovers Continued…

         It’s not just the fact that God is un-impressed by our leftovers, it actually goes deeper than that.  In a sense, Jesus is passionately and purposely opposed to anything leftover.  To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to work diligently to make sure that in the end nothing at all is left over.

Archived Posts

What just missed the cut for Sunday’s Sermon

Naaman’s servants may actually become one of the hidden gems of the sermon. They say, essentially: “If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it.” 

One of the Longest Benedictions I Ran Out of Time to Share

          Maybe you know the story of how Joseph and Mary accidentally left Jesus at the gas station on their way home from Jerusalem.  Well, not the gas station bathroom in Jesus’ case.  Joe and Mary are far down the road before they realize Jesus isn’t with them...

So many quips and quotes...

So little time to preach

I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:

*  Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs

*  Mary = the single window that matters

*  Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”

Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week

“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more 

There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God. 

         Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world.  On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.