2024 April

Living as Wise in Ephesus

Living as Wise in Ephesus

This sermon is based on Ephesians 5:15-20. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: ____: If ___ ___ hear ____ ___ the ________, you're going to be ___ ___ ___ ____ . You ___ also ___ ___ feel ___ out. You ____ also ____ ____ aids. I said: “Listen: If you only hear half of the conversation, you’re going to be at a real disadvantage. You are also going to feel left out. You might also need hearing aids.” But that is what happens whenever we read the letters in the New Testament. We are only hearing half the conversation! And that is not good because you can then misread (mishear?) what the author is trying to communicate. Bottom line: Without knowing the background, you are going to be at a real disadvantage. You may even need reading aids! For instance, take the book of

The Top Ten Quotes in Life Together

The Top Ten Quotes in Life Together

Who doesn’t love a “Top Ten” List? There is even a website devoted to the listing of lists of top ten things. There you can find . . . The Top Ten Scariest Animals on Earth The Top Ten Countries with the Best Food The Top Ten Most Terrible Events in History The Top Ten Greatest People of All Time The Top Ten Most Common Geography Mistakes, and The Top Ten Things You Learned in School that Are Now Useless Now, I realize that I only listed six items of what you would find on the “top tens” website, but I will now make up for that. I am going to do the website two better. Here are, in my opinion, the top twelve quotes from Bonhoeffer’s book, Life Together. (Why? Because twelve is better than ten!). I figured this would be a great way for us to think through

Walking in Love in Ephesus

Walking in Love in Ephesus

This sermon is based on Ephesians 5:1-14. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: ____: If ___ ___ hear ____ ___ the ________, you're going to be ___ ___ ___ ____ . You ___ also ___ ___ feel ___ out. You ____ also ____ ____ aids. I said: “Listen: If you only hear half of the conversation, you’re going to be at a real disadvantage. You are also going to feel left out. You might also need hearing aids.” But that is what happens whenever we read the letters in the New Testament. We are only hearing half the conversation! And that is not good because you can then misread (mishear?) what the author is trying to communicate. Bottom line: Without knowing the background, you are going to be at a real disadvantage. You may even need reading aids! For instance, take the book of

The Weakness in Life Together

The Weakness in Life Together

When Jimmy was four, he was in a terrible accident. As a result, he lost his left arm almost from the shoulder down. Thankfully, his other injuries weren’t nearly as severe, but it is hard growing up with only one arm. Ten years later, Jimmy made a strange request to his parents. He wanted to learn kung fu. His parents thought it was a terrible idea, but they brought him to the dojo so the sensei could be the bearer of the bad news. But to the surprise of all, the sensei decided to take Jimmy in. And for the first three months things were great. Jimmy was working on this one move, and the sensei kept pressing him to master it. But while Jimmy was doing this one move over and over again, the other students were learning new kicks and blocks and holds and strikes every week. Each

Behaving in Ephesus

Behaving in Ephesus

This sermon is based on Ephesians 4:25-32. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: ____: If ___ ___ hear ____ ___ the ________, you're going to be ___ ___ ___ ____ . You ___ also ___ ___ feel ___ out. You ____ also ____ ____ aids. I said: “Listen: If you only hear half of the conversation, you’re going to be at a real disadvantage. You are also going to feel left out. You might also need hearing aids.” But that is what happens whenever we read the letters in the New Testament. We are only hearing half the conversation! And that is not good because you can then misread (mishear?) what the author is trying to communicate. Bottom line: Without knowing the background, you are going to be at a real disadvantage. You may even need reading aids! For instance, take the book of

Finding Certainty in Life Together

Finding Certainty in Life Together

As George Orwell thought about saying, “All breakthroughs are equally impressive (they are after all, breakthroughs), but some breakthroughs are more impressive than others.” I could not agree more. Consider these five great breakthroughs in history. The Wheel. Where would we be without the wheel? Answer: Right where we are now! Let’s face it, there is no way we would ever walk to get somewhere far away. But thanks to the invention of the wheel, we’ve been going places ever since. The Printing Press. Sure, without the printing press there would be no Renaissance, no Protestant Reformation, and no scientific revolution, but those are all small historical potatoes compared to the point: Would you want to live in a world where Calvin and Hobbes books were not readily available? Me neither. The Light Bulb. Many will argue that the light bulb was invented by one of the brightest inventors ever, but its true inventor

Off with the Old in Ephesus

Off with the Old in Ephesus

This sermon is based on Ephesians 4:17- 24. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: ____: If ___ ___ hear ____ ___ the ________, you're going to be ___ ___ ___ ____ . You ___ also ___ ___ feel ___ out. You ____ also ____ ____ aids. I said: “Listen: If you only hear half of the conversation, you’re going to be at a real disadvantage. You are also going to feel left out. You might also need hearing aids.” But that is what happens whenever we read the letters in the New Testament. We are only hearing half the conversation! And that is not good because you can then misread (mishear?) what the author is trying to communicate. Bottom line: Without knowing the background, you are going to be at a real disadvantage. You may even need reading aids! For instance, take the book

Something’s Missing in Life Together, Part 2

Something’s Missing in Life Together, Part 2

True confessions. Five of them. And I don’t like to admit any of them. One, when it comes to buying books, I have little impulse control (in fact, Jo says I have no impulse control). Two, I own my own slot machine. (How many pastors can say that?). Three, I have close to 100 rocks in my study. Most of these rocks I picked up along various trails/beaches or were given to me, but some I stole. That’s right, I am a rock thief. Four, I once lied to a doctor saying that I was too sick to hold a thermometer in my mouth. I was young and had no idea there was an alternative. I bet I was the butt of the hospital. Five, before I retire, I promised myself I would learn how to make great pizza. I even bought a wood-fired pizza oven. My pizza went up