Sermon Series

Weariness is the theme I’m hearing and the vibe I’m feeling from a lot of people these days. When COVID-19 first hit and the world went into lock-down, churches scrambled to get their services online and find creative ways to care for their people. Back then, when someone asked me how I was doing, I

Last week I talked about our responsibility as image-bearers to show the world what God is like–to reflect his image like a mirror. That’s our privilege. That’s our responsibility. And we can’t do it alone. God’s instruction to Adam and Eve was not only to exercise dominion over the whole earth,

Your mind has incredible potential. It can protect you or assault you; free you to engage the world or imprison you behind bars of worry and concern. It’s a weapon, really. And like any weapon, how you use it matters

An old Comedy Central skit features Bob Newhart as a therapist. He meets a new client who suffers from the fear of being buried alive in a box. Newhart drops some forceful, two-word therapy on her: “Stop it!” As you can imagine, the session ends as poorly as it started. Newhart warns his client, “St

What truth matters most when you hit bottom? What reality informs your response when life unravels? Trace the breadcrumbs and you’ll find something powerful. I called my father from the county jail when I was twenty-one. I was drunk. It was three in the morning. I’d just been issued a citation for

I can’t remember the first time I read C.S. Lewis’ mud pies in the slum analogy, but I will never forget the imagery: It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offere

There’s a scene in The Fellowship of the Ring where Strider asked Frodo, “Are you frightened?” Frodo answers, “Yes,” and Strider says, “Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.” That seems to be the word to Americans from countries on lockdown, “You have no idea what’s coming.” Of cour

I’ll bet you’ve never seen a wild sheep. Think about it. We see wild dogs, wild cats, wild pigs (especially here in central FL). You probably see wild horses if you live out west. On their own, they’re fine. They’ll find a way to survive. But sheep? Not a chance. A horse without a rancher will dan

The French philosopher René Descartes summed up the Enlightenment when he said, “I doubt, therefore I think.” You know the rest of his statement. “I think, therefore I am.” In other words, doubting is part of being human. It’s at the core of our existence. Because of life’s relentless disappointm

When I was about eight years old, some boys on the elementary basketball team played a cruel prank on me. They shoved me in an old, abandoned locker room and held the door closed. That was the longest five minutes of my childhood. To say that locker room was dark would be an understatement. Positi