Well, it’s Thanksgiving week, one of my favorite times of the year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because, well, it doesn’t really require much more than eating and watching football—two of my favorite activities. We do a lot of things around the table at Thanksgiving, and when I was a kid there were a lot …
With Christmas looming, many of us are already thinking about what we’ll buy for friends and family. And when you don’t know what to get Uncle Frank or the cousin you see every 10 years, one of the best options is the ubiquitous gift card. Drop one of those in a Christmas card, and you’re …
A long time ago there was a farmer who woke up one morning to find that his one and only horse had run away. His neighbors heard about it and came to console him. “How are you going to plow your fields with no horse? How terrible that your horse ran away!” The farmer only …
Cultivating Contentment – Philippians 4:8-13 Continue Reading »
We’re continuing our series “Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” today by examining another parable of Jesus about the use of money and possessions. Last week we dug into the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. This week, we’re looking at one of the most difficult parables of Jesus- the parable of …
What is the American Dream? In 1931, the phrase was coined by James Truslow Adams in his book, The Epic of America. Here’s how Adams describes it: "The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability …
When Dreams Become Nightmares – Luke 12:13-34 Continue Reading »
Well, we’ve come to the end of this series on “The Method in Methodism,” and I hope that you have found this look at our foundational theology and practice to be helpful. My goal has been to provide a basis for understanding our identity as a church in this community, and to offer a Wesleyan …
Matthew 10:40-42 A couple of years ago, I led the Park City congregation through a year-long journey of reading the Bible. It was an exciting opportunity (we’ll be starting that next fall), but it was not without its challenges. For example, I knew that the tough part would be getting people through the book of …
Living Biblically – John Wesley on Scripture Continue Reading »
John 1:14-18, 1 John 1:1-4 When I was at Asbury this summer I had a preaching course, which is something I haven’t had for awhile (can you tell?). There were 19 people in the class, which meant that we heard nineteen sermons in a row over two days. And you thought one a week was …
The Means of Grace: The Language of Faith Continue Reading »
We’ve been talking over the last couple of weeks about the Methodist emphasis on God’s grace. It’s grace that brings into a relationship with God and grace that motivates us to serve. To review, we have talked about how God created us in his image to have a relationship with God and with the vocation …
Christian Perfection: Holiness of Heart and Life Continue Reading »
When I was a teenager, I remember going to several youth camps and conferences where we heard testimonies of people who had been converted to Christianity out of some pretty amazing life experiences. We heard stories of people who were strung out on drugs or who were successful athletes or entertainers who reached the top …
A Chosen People Ephesians 1:3-14 A friend of mine recently sent me a link to a video featuring Jon Stewart of the Daily Show on Comedy Central, where in a piece about the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, who is a Methodist, Stewart said this: JON STEWART “Methodists are like the University of Phoenix of religions. …
A Chosen People: Methodists and Prevenient Grace Continue Reading »
Text: Philippians 3:7-17 One of my all-time favorite movies is “City Slickers” – starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. I always like movies that have memorable lines in them and this one has one of the best. If you’re not familiar with this flick, Billy Crystal plays a salesman who is approaching middle age and …
EDITOR'S CORNER: Too bland for our own good?Robin Russell, Sep 1, 2010 via www.umportal.org I think Robin's column is dead on here about the identity crisis in United Methodism. One of my convictions as a Methodist preacher is that our doctrines (and, yes, we have them!) provide a grace-filled, biblically sound, and transformationally-focused framework for …
The Method in Methodism – Why I Preach It… Continue Reading »
Ah, the first few days of a new school year. I don’t know about you but when I was a kid I used to look forward to the first day of school—new books, new teachers, new friends, new opportunities to learn. I just got back from a month of cramming in classes and writing on …
What My Teachers Taught Me – James 3:1-12 Continue Reading »
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9 It’s interesting that when you move you hear other people’s moving stories. It’s never what you’d call a “fun” experience, but people in this country are pretty used to moving. According to the census bureau, in 2000 the median time people in our country live in one residence is 5.2 years (which …
A Blessing Strategy – First Sunday Sermon at Tri-Lakes Continue Reading »