What is the primary purpose of praying? Most of us grow up thinking of prayer as asking God for what we want. We learn to pray by saying, “God, help me with this. God, give me this. God, bless me with this. God, protect me.” When we pray for others, we pray the same thing: “God, help them. God, protect them. God, bless them. God, keep them and be with them.” Some...

If you want to be a real follower of Jesus Christ, then you're going to have to humble yourself and learn how to think and act like a servant. You cannot allow Christ to live through you and not be a humble servant. Only through servanthood can you be a real follower of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 2:5-11 we learn what it means to respond to that call. First of all, it me...

I’ve been thinking about the importance of emotions in the Cristian life, and especially in worship. Some Christians have emphasized emotional experience to the point that almost no attention is given to right doctrine or right practice. Others, reacting against that trend, are suspicious of or embarrassed by any display of emotion in worship. However, God didn’t ju...

Well, I asked for it. Last week I invited you to submit suggestions for sermons on topics or passages that are of particular interest to you. Any topic or passage I consider myself to be somewhat competent to address, I will speak on. ...

If you've ever had to dial 911 before, you know what an emergency feels like. You need help and you need it fast! One day Moses found himself in the middle of a huge emergency. ...

On July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and its king. Next week we celebrate the 241st anniversary of the Declaration. Many of us will celebrate with cookouts and watermelon. Some of us will participate in the Red, Whi...

What do you do when you're in a bind and don't know what to do? If the situation is desperate enough, you might well resort to desperate measures. In 1990, a 26-year-old man by the name of Danny Simpson of Ottawa, Canada was in dire financial straits. He wasn't quite sure what to do, but since his situation was desperate, he decided he should take desperate action. Simpso...

By just about every standard of measurement, Don was an average man at best. The family he was born into was financially stressed and relationally dysfunctional. Don was not a highly educated man. He dropped out of school after only seven years of formal education, thus choosing a path of hard physical labor. But Don was undaunted by his circumstances. He dreamed of a bett...

This article introduces the upcoming sermon from Mark 14:43-52....

An introduction to our upcoming sermon from Mark 14:32-42...