2022 September

Evangelism: Don’t Try to Do It Alone

Evangelism: Don’t Try to Do It Alone

Let’s play “pick a quote, any quote,” and today’s topic is: “The church.” "Most of us spend the first six days of each week sowing wild oats; then, we go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure." – Fred Allen “I believe in going to church every Sunday . . . unless there's a game on.” -- Steve Martin “I thought lacrosse was what you find in la church.” – Robin Williams "Most people have some sort of religion—at least they know which church they're staying away from." -- John Erskine “By the time we get to church, I need church cuz I've been yelled at by everyone in the family.” – Jeff Foxworthy "Too many church services start at eleven sharp and end at twelve dull." – Vance Havner Today, we want to discuss Brad Kallenberg’s book, Live to Tell: Evangelism for a Postmodern Age (2002

A Woman and a Disciple

A Woman and a Disciple

This sermon is based on Luke 10:38-42. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Usually, when we say that a person is an individual after our own heart, it is because we have seen similarities to things that we enjoy. A man who loves coffee is a man after my own heart. A woman who loves movies is a woman after my own heart. Anyone who loves big dogs is a person after my own heart. But is Jesus a man after my own heart? Or more to the point: Is he a man after your own heart? In all honesty, I am not so sure that Jesus and I have that much in common. Don’t get me wrong, I really, really like Jesus and I am so thankful for all that he has done for me; but if hard pressed, I am

Bet You Didn’t Know

Bet You Didn’t Know

My seven most favorite quotes on research (honestly, how many good quotes on research can there be?): "Without data, you're just another person with an opinion." (W. Edwards Deming) "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." (Wernher von Braun) “If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” (Albert Einstein) “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.” (Arthur Conan Doyle) "You'd be amazed how much research you can get done when you have no life whatsoever." (Ernest Cline) “Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.” (Albert Szent-Györgyi) Our book today is You Found Me by Rick Richardson (Inter-Varsity Press, 2019). As books go, it’s fine. It’s not To Kill

A Failed Disciple and a Gift of Grace

A Failed Disciple and a Gift of Grace

This sermon is based on John 21:15-19. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Usually, when we say that a person is an individual after our own heart, it is because we have seen similarities to things that we enjoy. A man who loves coffee is a man after my own heart. A woman who loves movies is a woman after my own heart. Anyone who loves big dogs is a person after my own heart. But is Jesus a man after my own heart? Or more to the point: Is he a man after your own heart? In all honesty, I am not so sure that Jesus and I have that much in common. Don’t get me wrong, I really, really like Jesus and I am so thankful for all that he has done for me; but if hard pressed, I am

Listen to That Great Question

Listen to That Great Question

Before reading this post, answer the following questions: (1) Your favorite movie, (2) your favorite classic book, (3) your favorite Netflix series, (4) your favorite historical figure you would like to meet, and (5) your favorite Christian discipline and book on that discipline. Okay, here are my answers: Favorite movie: Has to be Casablanca (you just can’t beat Bogie) Favorite Classic book: The Three Musketeers (Jo read it out loud as we driving back home after our honeymoon – I think Dumas had just finished writing it) Favorite Netflix series: The Last Kingdom (Someday, I’ll name a dog, Uhtred) Favorite historical figure: Søren “we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers” Kierkegaard Favorite Christian discipline: anything but evangelism! When I first became a church planter, I had great hopes that I would become a really great evangelist. It didn’t happen. Now, I feel I am really good at outreach when

A Sinful Woman with a Gift of Love

A Sinful Woman with a Gift of Love

This sermon introduces our new sermon series and is based on Luke 7:36-50. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Usually, when we say that a person is an individual after our own heart, it is because we have seen similarities to things that we enjoy. A man who loves coffee is a man after my own heart. A woman who loves movies is a woman after my own heart. Anyone who loves big dogs is a person after my own heart. But is Jesus a man after my own heart? Or more to the point: Is he a man after your own heart? In all honesty, I am not so sure that Jesus and I have that much in common. Don’t get me wrong, I really, really like Jesus and I am so thankful for all that he has done for me;

The Five Moments

The Five Moments

What’s the worst movie sequel title ever? Everyone agrees that these were some of the worst: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Speed Two: Cruise Control I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (and as if it couldn’t get worse. . . .) I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer Son of the Mask Air Bud: Seventh-Inning Fetch Knack 2: The Knacker All right, the last one is not a movie sequel. It is the name of this blog series. Thinking back on it, I’m not sure I could have chosen a worse name. In any case, here we are with, “The Knacker.” In case you missed it, this blog series is a sequel to our recent sermon series at River’s Edge, “Developing a Knack to Share.” In this blog series, I hope to add a more practical dimension to our previous conversations and provide some hands-on ideas

The Knack of Sharing the Gospel, Part 3

The Knack of Sharing the Gospel, Part 3

This sermon is based on 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: Let’s be honest: for most of us, the idea of sharing the good news of Jesus with our friends is really bad news. Talking about spiritual issues with those around us is a sure way to lose friends and annoy people. But again and again, we are called to be Jesus’ witnesses to those around us (I know, that’s more bad news). But what if we could develop a skill (what some may call a “knack”) that makes witnessing less of a chore and more of a relationship? What if evangelism wasn’t trying to get someone to sign on the dotted line, but rather, loving the people God puts in our path? And what if we could learn these skills so that we could have a knack