Keep the Main Thing

Pastor Lee asks a convicting question: “Whatever possessed you this past week?” Drawing from Mark 1:4-11 and Jesus’ baptism, he reminds us that we “go public” every day with whatever is inside us—whether it’s anger, fear, or the Holy Spirit. In a vulnerable and personal testimony, Pastor Lee shares his own journey of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and how it transformed his life. He challenges us not to be like the theatre usher who spent his whole career at the entrance but never experienced what was happening inside—urging us instead to fully embrace the power and boldness the Holy Spirit offers.

Pastor Lee’s final sermon in 1990.  Pastor Lee outlines what he calls a “spiritual survival guide.” for avoiding a spiritual recession in the face of whatever trials we face. If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you’ve noticed how uncannily similar the concerns of the mid-80s and 90s are to our own. The challenges they faced, the cultural struggles they wrestled with—they remarkably parallel to what we’re dealing with in the twenty-first century.  The perpetual predicaments of life remain the same, whether it’s 1976, 1990, or 2026. But so do the answers to life’s struggles and our hope for the future. It’s found in having a relationship and faith in Jesus Christ. 

It’s Sunday, December 9th, 1990, and we find Pastor Lee and the congregation right in the midst of the Advent season. The title of Pastor Lee’s sermon is “The Turning Point,” and he bases his message on the Old Testament lesson from that Sunday, found in Isaiah 40:1-11. Pastor Lee opens with a story about a recent trip to the dentist, and he uses it to create a surprisingly effective analogy for repentance. Pastor Lee masterfully connects unattended viruses and cavities in our mouths to unrepentant sin in our lives. 

 It’s November 4, 1990 and it is All Saints Sunday. The title of Pastor Leland Evenson’s sermon is, “Putting Faith, Love, and Hope to Work.” Pastor Lee emphasizes that the Apostle Paul continually reminded the early Christians of the fundamentals of their new faith: faith, love, and hope. Pastor Lee reminds us that in many areas of our lives, there are certain fundamentals that must be incorporated and practice. So, it is with the Christian faith. And those fundamentals are faith, love, and hope.

It’s Sunday, October 14th, 1990, at Vision of Glory Lutheran Church. Pastor Lee’s message titled “Qualified to Give.” Is a short but powerful message that opens with a rather startling announcement: Maybe we’re not qualified to be givers. Pastor Lee explains to us that God doesn’t always care what people give, but rather how people give. 

Pastor Lee opens his message with a fascinating and bizarre story—the story of a house built entirely out of spite. A man, consumed by anger toward his neighbors, constructed a ridiculous, impractical house for one reason only: revenge. It became known as “the spite house.” Pastor Lee suggests that we all visit—or even live in—our own “house of spite” from time to time. Pastor Lee also tells us that the worst hangover in life is the hangover of unforgiveness. You’ll have to listen to see how we move out of the “spite house”, and get rid of those nasty hangovers.

September 16th, 1990, and it’s titled “Gift Exchange.” This is a wonderful sermon about one of God’s greatest gifts to us—the Holy Spirit—and how that gift flows through us to others. Pastor Lee is preaching from Romans chapter 12. Pastor Lee reminds us that through God’s grace, we’re not only brought back to God—we’re also brought back together as Christians, developing what he calls a “healthy interdependence.” Christians need each other—each bringing unique gifts that strengthen the entire body of Christ. It’s the way God designed us in what Pastor Lee calls “the great gift exchange.”

We’ve all been there—that frantic search for our keys. That moment of frustration and helplessness when we can’t find them. Pastor Lee uses that simple, relatable experience as the launching pad for this message titled “Did You Find Your Keys?” September 9, 1990.

Pastor Lee’s sermon is titled “Treasure Hunt.” He reminds us that we don’t always recognize the true value of things. This blind spot can cause us to miss out on much of life because we invest our time and resources in the wrong places. Pastor Lee tells us that in our culture, we’ve changed the price tags on things—assigning high value to what ultimately holds very little, and overlooking what matters most. Pastor Lee encourages us by reminding us that this 100% investment in God’s Kingdom will yield returns even today—but more importantly, it’s a long-term investment with amazing value throughout eternity.

This sermon from July 15, 1990 is titled “Dealing with the Side Effects”. Pastor Lee makes an observation, that in life, there are side effects—and most of them we’d rather avoid. He draws a clever parallel to those moments when a doctor prescribes medication and then warns us about potential side effects. We weigh the risks against the benefits and decide if it’s worth it. But Pastor Lee takes this everyday experience and applies it to something far more significant: what happens when we become Christians? What are the side effects of following Jesus?