A Time To Say Goodbye

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon points out that there are cycles or seasons, not only in nature, but also in our lives. One of the implications of cycles and seasons is that there is an appropriate time and place for every activity. If we take action outside the appropriate time, we cannot expect good results. To illustrate his point Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV)

His Indescribable Gift

(Given Christmas Eve)

Many of us approach this time of year with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we enjoy getting together with friends and family. We enjoy having a break from school or work. We enjoy the lights, the decorated trees and singing Christmas carols. We especially enjoy the feasts and the special snacks which seem to only come out this time of year.

Resolutely

(Prepared for a sermon from Acts 16:6-11 on changes in plans.)

Have you ever planned a trip, only to have everything go wrong? You start out to go to a specific destination but, you take a wrong turn and end up somewhere you had no intention of going. Or perhaps you missed a plane connection and were forced to change your route. Or you got sick and couldn’t complete your journey. Or you found out after you started traveling that the reason for your trip no longer existed, so you decided to do something else.

Count The Cost

We have a saying that “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”. What we mean by it is that whether we have to personally pay for something or not, there is always a cost associated with it.

No Way Out

The last couple of weeks the news has been dominated by hurricane Harvey. I’m sure we’ve all seen pictures of boats full of children being towed through the flooded streets of Houston. We’ve been inspired by stories of strangers cooperating together to help those more unfortunate than themselves. As divisive and cantankerous as our culture and public discourse has become, seeing all the volunteers, contributions and how people have come together in the face of disaster shows us that there still is hope for our society.

The Good Confession

(Prepared for a sermon based on Acts 8:1-8)

You don’t have to follow the news very closely to realize that persecution against Christians is on the rise. We used to think that persecution was something which happened only in distant lands. However, we’re seeing a rise of opposition to Christianity and Christians right here in our own country. Some of the things said on the Internet and on social media are vicious and cruel. People can even lose their jobs for not condoning socially accepted evils.

What’s A Father For?

(Given on Father’s Day)

Today is a day our culture sets aside to honor fathers. All across this nation families will gather and do something special with or for Dad. This is right and good for Scriptures tells us that we ought to honor our parents.

Since this is a day to honor fathers perhaps it would be good to take a few moments and ask ourselves what the role of a father is. What are fathers supposed be? How are they supposed to interact with their children?

Transformed

(Written to go along with a sermon on Philippians 3:17-21)

Have you ever had the experience of not recognizing someone you know very well because you saw him in a place you didn’t expect to see him, or she had her hair styled differently or was dressed differently than normal? It can be embarrassing when you act toward someone as if he were a stranger only to discover that he’s a friend.

Paid In Full

(To go along with the concept Paul expresses in Philippians 4:17-18)

Without debt, society as we know it wouldn’t exist. For many of us debt is such a common part of our lives that we really don’t give it much thought. Almost all of us carry credit cards. In fact, many of us rarely use cash any more. Every time we use a credit card – we incur a debt. Very few of us paid cash for our houses. Our mortgages are simply another form of debt. Many have other forms of debt, also – such as car payments or student loans. 

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