Persecution is not something we think about too often here in the States. We generally get to live in peace and get to enjoy the liberties of our free society. We may not always like the direction of our nation, but our existence is not threatened and our lives are not at stake. But that has not always…

Pre-quals Every story has a back story. We may not always gain insight into the back story, but there are things impact characters and cultures. When George Lucas wrote the original Star Wars series, he had in his mind some of the events leading up to the movie that many of us were first introduced to…

Introduction There are organizations for people with any number of interests. Often, membership in these societies comes with an expectation for some advocacy or education, financial support, or simply awareness. Many organizations come with privileges - like newsletters, access to certain properties,…

The Second Best Day of My Life December 31, 1994 After 5 years of on and off dating, nearly 2 years of engagement Danielle and I got married. We assembled at her home church with close to 300 guests, 10 attendants, a few musicians, many family members, a Bible teacher, and a pastor We got dressed up…

Possible Intro: The pandemic and our nation’s value of rugged individualism have wreaked havoc in our lives - more than we realize. I was listening to a podcast this week that contained a conversation between Russel Moore and Sam Alberry. Both are believers and apologists. Both attend church in the Nashville.…

Introduction Series on biblical community in preparation for the launching of community groups next month we will look at a variety of passages, but most of our time together will be in the book of Ephesians Background Diversity there were cultural, ethnic, and religious divisions in the city - not unlike…

Sermon Title: Finding Joy in the Lord—(Show Slide 1) Sermon Text: Philippians 3:1-16 I was visiting with Sunita’s relatives from Canada a couple of weeks ago and was watching America’s Got Talent on TV. (Show Slide 2 cue) I was impressed with the performance of two brothers who managed to do a head balancing…

Pastoral Prayer: Graduation sentiments In May and June, countless schools around the world participated in commencement ceremonies - marking the end of one chapter of life or schooling and movement into the next. Over the years, there have been some famous and memorable commencement speeches. Winston…

I’ve heard it said that art is something that requires contemplation. Whether it’s the visual arts or musical arts or even the literary/poetic arts, there are things that are quickly available on the surface, but, when given time for reflection, concentration, and contemplation - more depth, color, sounds,…

Introduction: There is a phrase that has come up in news reports and advocacy over the last few years - “the right side of history.” The phrase pre-supposes that the views that one side of an issue is advocating will be vindicated and proved to be correct when historians give their assessments. But,…