Shepherd's Garage

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6.  Question will you be a cat or dog?  It matters.

God plants and He prunes.  This sermon is based on the passage from John 15 where Jesus says that the way to grow is to abide in him and then the father will be sure to prune us in the ways that make us produce good fruit.

Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.  Yeo, true.  Is it really possible?

Paul in Romans 12:10 asks us to "Be devoted to ane another in brotherly love and to honor one another above oursleves."  How can we do this?  This morning the focus is on the honoring one another.  We do this several ways so let's explore.

Ecclesiastes 8:10-17 speaks the truth but it is an ugly truth.  Sometimes the wicked get what the righteous deserve and the righteous get what the wicked deserve.  How do we make sense of this and live with any sense of joy?

Romans 12:10 tells us to love each other as a family loves and to outdo each other in showing respect.  This is direction for the church, but wouldn't it make this world a better place as well?

James 1:2-18 reminds us that life is hard.  We know that.  So to work it out, we need wisdom from God.  We can ask for it but must then do it.  Part of the wisdom we seek is this.  What in my life do I need to stick with, even though it is tough, and what in my life do I need to quit trying to do because it is not worth it.  Let's explore.

School starts this week so it's time to talk about back to school.  Emphasis on the importance of character.

Patience is one of those things that no one thinks they have enough of.  Patience is needed for lots of things.  Doing good is one of those things we need patience for.  It is not easy doing the right thing and often causes you more problems, but we must be patient in doing good.

Ecclesiastes chapter 8 has some advice on how to make your face shine.  You do it by living wisely.  You will not see lots of wisdom lived out in the world, but that does not mean you have to join in.  Living wisely matters because it is making you into the person you really should be.