Category: Sermons
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The Generous Life
226 years ago, in the year 1799, a twelve-year-old boy named Conrad Reed, skipped Sunday School to go fishing. He found a place to fish along Little Meadow Creek on his family’s farm in North Carolina. While standing by the creek, young Conrad saw what he thought was a “yellow rock shining in the water.”…
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Rooted in Love
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom you belong. Amen. A friend of mine up in the Twin Cities once told me about his attempt to join a local pickleball league. (Anybody here ever play Pickleball?). He had seen the game, thought it…
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To Be Trinity
I recently read a story about a family that left their church one Sunday, and as they got into the car, the critiques started rolling in like they were filling out a review on Yelp: The list of pros and cons just kept coming. Finally, their eight-year-old piped up from the back seat and said, “Well, what…
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Free to Love
Have you ever noticed that there are rules in life that seem like they were designed just to drive you crazy? Maybe it’s a traffic law…maybe some policy at your work…or perhaps it’s a social expectation. There are rules and laws that don’t make a lot of sense to us. For instance: Rules and laws. Some of…
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Pick it Up
Welcome to “Campfire Stories,” our summer sermon series. I want to think together about the power…and the importance…of stories for just a moment. Stories are central to who we are. Stories teach us important lessons…the stories we remember…the stories we tell…they say something about who we are as a people…they say something about our hearts. I have always…
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Turn Your Face
A farmer was teaching his young son how to plow. As his son sat in the tractor seat, his dad pointed to the far end of the field. “Now, son,” he said, “What you have to do is keep you eyes on one point at the far end of the field. Just focus on that one thing and…
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Erase the Lines
Have you ever had one of those days when you didn’t feel like you belong? Maybe you’re somewhere new…somewhere different…and you’re not confident you’re going to fit in? When I was a college student, there was a woman I dated during my junior year. (This was, of course, before I’d been swept off my feet by…
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Holy Disruption
Almost all of us have experienced a life changing event in our lives. It could be something full of joy…or it could be something tragic. But all of us at some point, have, or will experience something that suddenly, unexpectedly, causes everything to change. I’ve read interviews with people who worked at the World Trade Center on…
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Ants in your Pants
Have you ever wondered if it’s ok to have doubts about your faith? Have you ever questioned the beliefs you grew up with…or the things you’ve been taught? Have you ever wondered “is this really how it all works?” Occasionally, people come to see me who have doubts, or questions. That doesn’t surprise me. It’s a good thing. God gave…
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Say the Words
L: Christ is risen! C: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! There are some words that carry immense power…words that we hear and they brighten our day…or they bring joy…or they change who we are. Think about the power of words. Throughout history, we’ve seen how words can inspire, motivate, and even shape nations. Words have power. For the past…