04/01/2024
From One Detective to Another
The actual quote, that I was alluding to in Sunday’s sermon is from Sherlock Holmes. It is: “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
It makes a lot of sense if you're the epitome of what was an obsessive Victorian faith in empiricism and scientific deduction. But I like Samuel Bar-Spade's version: “When you eliminate the improbable then whatever remains, no matter how impossible it may seem, must be true--or as we assert--must have behind it the power of the living God.”
Ours is not a blind faith. It is a faith based on the testimony of a variety of people who were willing to share their testimony with whoever was willing to listen--to offer that testimony in the face of those who wanted more than anything else to discredit and dismiss them. There is also evidence based on more than just eye-witnesses. There is the evidence of radically altered lives--the broken who have been healed, the lost who have been found, the self-centered who lay down their lives in love, the dead who have been brought back to rich, full, and satisfying life. It might seem absolutely impossible, let alone extremely improbable, but nevertheless all the evidence we have leads to one life-changing truth:
Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love our God has for us in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
May that truth warm your heart,
May that truth send you on your way,
and May that truth shine forth in all you do,
now and always.
Archived Posts
Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be. She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...
Key Takeaway from Sunday
If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this:
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.
No One Said It Would be Easy
To love Jesus first is to learn to love all the other people in our lives with greater intensity and less selfishness
What’s Saved Is Often Lost
Here’s the benediction we didn’t have time for yesterday (Sunday, November 3). It’s one of my favorite quotations (portions of a newspaper column). I hope you find it as inspiring as I have
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.
Less Stuff and Fewer Wants
Here’s a point I left off Sunday’s sermon due to time and length. In dealing with an Entitled mindset it is very helpful if you can Reduce Materialism and Consumerism.