In 1983, a band called Naked Eyes had a #1 song with these lyrics: You made me promises, promises   Knowing I’d believe Promises, promises   You knew you’d never keep. Have you ever been a victim of a broken promise? It hurts, doesn’t it, when someone says, “I will…” and then they don’t. It hurts. Someone will say of a contract, “It’s not worth the paper it’s written on.” And too many times, that’s true. We hear someone say, “My word is my bond.” We find out later that their word carries no weight–their word is empty. We justRead More

Welcome to 2017! There is a sense of “newness” at Southern Hills. The church has added four new shepherds. What impact will that have on our congregation in 2017? There are many new members from a variety of different “walks” and cultures. How will that affect us in the coming year? Change is scary for me. I like routine and familiarity. Keep surprises to a minimum. And yet, it is true that those who do not embrace change will ultimately be left behind. The VCR in my parents’ living room on top of their 1980 console television set bears testament to this. The goodRead More

Text is John 21:15-25. Recording follows…

Scripture contains a number of seemingly paradoxical statements. Many of them came from the mouth of Jesus. “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” “He who finds his life shall lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” We find another from Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul is suffering in some way. He calls it his “thorn in the flesh.” He prays three times that this constant irritation wouldRead More

Sermon recording for the evening of December 11, 2016. Text is John 21:1-14.