How to Keep the Church Focused On Its Mission 2 John 7-13 In the video illustration, the people were playing the basketball game. The focus of the people was so much on the game that they never noticed the moonwalking bear. The announcer did a great mind trick on you by making you pay attention to what he wanted you to see first, then changing your perspective to see what you didn’t notice before. John warns about this in the… Read more
February 14, 2020
How to Grow a Balanced Christian Life
February 14, 2020 By Jim Erwin
How to Grow a Balanced Christian Life 2 John 1-6 Truth does not need updating. There is a story of a man who came to his old friend, a music teacher, and said to him, “What’s the good news today?” The old teacher was silent as he stood up and walked across the room, picked up a hammer, and struck a tuning fork. As the note sounded out through the room, he said, “That is A. It is today; it… Read more
January 27, 2020
Working Together to Accomplish the Mission of the Church
January 27, 2020 By Jim Erwin
Working Together to Accomplish the Mission of the Church Isaiah 42:1-9 This week, you might have heard that a logo for the United States Space Force was released. The mission of the Space Force is “a military service that organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.”1 Long before there was a Space Force, there was the Space Shuttle. I grew up in… Read more
January 18, 2020
Growing Closer to God Through the Storms of Life
January 18, 2020 By Jim Erwin
Growing Closer to God Through the Storms of Life Psalm 29:1-11 We encountered a storm this weekend. Storms are common here in the Ozarks. I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast. The kind of storms that you encounter there are not the same that you encounter here in the winter. The sounds of the storm late Friday night were very unique. This psalm describe the power of a storm. But more than the power of the storm, there is… Read more
January 11, 2020
How to Start Off on the Right Foot with God This Year
January 11, 2020 By Jim Erwin
Start Off On the Right Foot With God This Year 1 Kings 3:1-15 We start a new year, and many people take this time to make new starts. Some may go on after-Christmas diets. Others may make new resolutions or plans. Here, we see Solomon making a similar new start. Solomon has been coronated as the new king. One might think that Solomon has made some missteps. We see that he has married the daughter of the Pharaoh or king… Read more
December 30, 2019
God Is With Me at HOME for the Holidays
December 30, 2019 By Jim Erwin
God Is With Me at HOME for the Holidays Psalm 23:6 Here is a literal back-translation to English of Psalm 23 (“The Lord is My Shepherd”) as understood by the Khmus tribe of Laos:1 The Great Boss is the one who takes care of my sheep; I don’t want to own anything. The Great Boss wants me to lie down in the field. He wants me to go to the lake. He makes my good spirit come back. Even though… Read more
December 25, 2019
God Is With Me to Celebrate
December 25, 2019 By Jim Erwin
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God Is With Me to Celebrate Psalm 23:5 Leslie B. Flynn points out that the main part of hospitality is hospital. He writes, “Ancient travelers, whether pilgrims or businessmen, fared poorly when venturing beyond their own country. Thus, religious leaders established international guest houses in the fifth century. These havens were called “hospice” from hospes, Latin for “guests.” With the coming of the Crusades, the importance of the hospice increased greatly. Pilgrims, crusaders, and other travelers found hospices, by this… Read more
December 22, 2019
God Is With Me in the Valleys of Life
December 22, 2019 By Jim Erwin
God Is With Me in the Valleys of Life Psalm 23:4 The Government is my shepherd, Therefore, I need not work. It allows me to lie down on a good job; It leads me beside still factories. It destroys my initiative; It leads me in the path of a parasite for politics’ sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of laziness and deficit spending, I fear no evil; for the Government is with me. It preparest an economic utopia… Read more
December 19, 2019
Logos Christmas Sale
December 19, 2019 By Jim Erwin
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Logos Christmas Sale The Christmas Sale runs through 12/31 and features deals like: 20% off all Logos 8 base packages 40% off Advent for Everyone (3 vols.) – now $17.99 40% off Mobile Ed: TH241 Christology: The Doctrine of Christ (7 hour course) – now $149.99 Logos is the best Bible software in the market today. The parent company Faithlife provides a wide assortment of resources for the digital world. You can use Logos on a PC, Mac, smartphone, or… Read more
December 3, 2019
Embracing the Dignity of Work
December 3, 2019 By Jim Erwin
Embracing the Dignity of Work 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Have you ever known someone so caught up in his or her work that family, health, and everything meaningful was neglected? How about the opposite extreme? Have you known or seen someone who was downright lazy, who had no ambition, no drive to achieve, produce, or provide? Unfortunately, society is full of both extremes. On one hand, you have workaholics. On the other hand, you have bums avoiding work. Both of these… Read more
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