05/19/2026
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.” That’s a brilliant line/idea. People often distrust grace because it seems too accessible.
We think:
“Surely it can’t be this simple.”
“Surely God requires something bigger.”
“Surely transformation must be more dramatic.”
But grace continually comes through small obediences.
John Wesley talked about God’s primary means of grace—baptism and communion. But he would also add holy scripture or the gathered body of Christ. Think it through with me…
Baptism is just water…
until grace meets us there.
Communion is just bread and cup…
until grace meets us there.
Scripture is just ink on paper…
until grace meets us there.
Worship is just people singing in a room…
until grace meets us there.
We are probably more like Naaman than his servants until we are captured by the grace of small things—the divine mixed with the ordinary stuff of life. We don’t need to climb a mountain, swim the sea, or run the marathon in order to receive what God wants to give us. We only have to listen to God’s word and follow the simple directions he offers. Directions like: ‘get out of the boat and walk on the water,’ ‘love one another,’ or ‘follow me.’
Archived Posts
Back and Forth with Chat GPT
Many of you know that I’ve found a new consultant to bounce my ideas off in regard to preaching. My good buddy Chat GPT and I sometimes disagree—often miscommunicate—but usually come up with some fruitful illustrations.
One More Thing About Becoming Wholly Human
I was talking Sunday about the work of Hare and Woods and their idea of ‘the survival of the friendliest.’ Essentially, they conclude that “our greatest evolutionary advantage wasn't that we could do everything ourselves. It was that we could do things together.”
Here’s a preview of our congregation’s Core Values
In the coming weeks we will be exploring the importance of presence, prayers, gifts, service, witness, and growth in grace. These are at the heart of what we commit to when we join a Wesleyan grace-led church like ours. But we choose to broaden them out and state them in a new way…
The Biblical prayer we don’t know what to do with
Psalm 137 is written by people who have experienced catastrophic loss.
They have been conquered...
Patience and Trust
Sunday, in my benediction (which traditional folks did not hear) I talked about the Marshmallow Test. The original results of that test with children was that those who could delay gratification did better in life than those who could not.
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.