Isaiah 6:1-13 Genuine Worship 1. Genuine worship begins as I get to know God. (Isaiah 6:1-4) My worship is affected by my experience. (6:1) FIVE FACTORS WHICH AFFECT MY WORSHIP There are five factors which affect my worship. These factors include: 1. My family Many people are raised in a family with some form of worship experience. Maybe they went to church once or twice a year. Many they went more often. The fact is that most people have been... Read more
1 Timothy 3:8-13 Godly Servants In these verses, we have the requirements for deacons. One can look at these verses and see three offices (elder, deacon, deaconess) or one can see that the wife requirement is related to the male deacon. In either case, the idea is that the elder serves by equipping the church, and the deacon serves by helping the church. The English word deacon is a transliteration of the Greek word diakonos, which simply means “servant.” It... Read more
The Esther Blessing by Deborah P. Brunt The Esther Blessing by Deborah P. Brunt is a study of the book of Esther. The book does not give a complete verse-by-verse study of the book. However, Brunt does a great job showing how grace flows through the book. She spends the first couple of chapters critiquing the traditional interpretations of the book. She shows how King Xerxes and Haman are really narcissists and that Esther is not in a Godly marriage. After... Read more
There are many people who have written about the passing of Leonard Nimoy. I have written before about the origins of his character Mr. Spock‘s Vulcan greeting and gesture. I have also referenced Mr. Spock in a sermon and have written a movie review for the first two Star Trek films, as well as thoughts about theology in the Star Trek films. Live Long and Prosper Numbers 6:22-27: How to Be a Blessing to Others Star Trek: The Motion... Read more
X2: X-Men United (2003) X2: X-Men United (2003) is a sequel to X-Men (2000). The film picks up right where they last film left off. Wolverine continues his search for clues to his past. In this film, the genocidal Colonel William Stryker tries to use the computer Cerebro to kill every mutant. The film addresses two themes: manipulation and faith. Manipulation Mystique, impersonates Senator Robert Kelley to get information which helps her free Magneto from prison. Stryker extracts... Read more
Listen, Obey, Serve February 25, 2015 Year B Matthew 4:1-11 The Devil, known as the Tempter, came to Jesus during a time of fasting. He tested Jesus in three different areas of devotion. He tested his hearing, his heart, and his hands. These are the same areas in which Satan will tempt me. He will tempt me to listen to him instead of God. Satan will tempt me to obey him instead of God. Satan will also tempt me to... Read more
Citizenfour (2014) Citizenfour (2014) is a documentary which takes the viewer inside the events of Edward Snowden and his whistleblower activities. The documentary gives us a day-by-day account of what happened, while it was happening, in the life of Edward Snowden in those fateful summer days in 2013. Edward Snowden leaked massive amounts of critical NSA (National Security Administration) documents and files. The documentary plays these events out like a great spy movie. Even James Bond would be impressed by... Read more
The Joy of Forgiveness February 21, 2015 Year B Psalm 32:1-5 The joy of forgiveness means that there is joy for the one who receives forgiveness for their sins. A man receives real joy because God does not charge him with sin. The psalm shares the fact that someone who receives forgiveness for sin has joy (Psalm 32:1-2). If I don’t ask for forgiveness, my life becomes bitter. I groan, and my strength is gone. Forgiveness for my sin brings... Read more
Song of Solomon 8:4-7 Enjoying Love Today, I will preaching from Song of Solomon, (also known as the Song of Songs – or to put it in another form: The Highest Song). The Song was written by Solomon, the king of Israel. Jewish tradition states that Solomon wrote the Song when he was young, Proverbs in his middle age, and Ecclesiastes when he was old. Song of Solomon is found in an area of the Old Testament called the... Read more
Fasting from Facebook for Lent 2015 I made a decision to fast from Facebook for Lent. The reason is because I was spending too much time reading other’s people’s posts and not spending enough time reading God’s posts. I also felt that since the church I pastor was going to be in revival in August (Sam Moore will be the evangelist and the Mackey Willis Family will be the musical guests), I wanted to pray for that as well as... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In