Murphy’s Law Inverted
Pastor Doug Dent
A showing and a glowing church is a church which prays, a church which studies, a church which worships, a church which remembers the sacraments, a church which offers praise and thanksgiving. A showing church is ready for whatever comes. A glowing church lights the way for others. With such a church, Murphy doesn’t stand […]
Life’s Two Pockets
Pastor Doug Dent
Elzéard Bouffier was neither saint nor sinner: he was both. Though he intended to cut himself off from his fellow human beings, he succeeded in shepherding a reborn creation into existence, and brought new possibility for life to his neighbors. Bouffier chose to take his hand out of life’s left pocket, out of the ashes […]
Excel at Giving
Pastor Doug Dent
What does it mean to give beyond our ability? It means pushing our giving past the point where the figures add up. It means giving when the bottom line says we can’t. It means believing in the God of abundance who provides beyond our needs. It means being people who take, bless, break, and give. […]
Please, Don’t Drop In!
Pastor Doug Dent
Although we often say we are willing to help, like good Christians should, we rarely drop by and do anything. Although we often see the need, far too often we don’t make the effort to get off our donkeys, lift up fallen persons, and escort them to safety. The victims of our world — and […]
Unhappy Servants
Pastor Doug Dent
This parable forces us to ask: What if we saw our jobs not as something to be endured, but as part of our vocation as followers of Jesus? What if we spent every day, not comparing ourselves to others, but doing all in our power to lift others up? Jesus calls us to be part […]
The Four Soils
Pastor Doug Dent
When we proclaim the Gospel or teach the Word of God to our neighbors, the results will vary according to the condition of the hearts of our hearers; but success or failure does not hinge on our skill as sowers or the quality of the seed. Some of the seed we scatter will fall on […]
Jesus Loves a Good Deal
Pastor Doug Dent
Sometimes the ordinary turns out to be extraordinary! Jesus knows there’s great treasure in you, too. In fact, he died to prove it to you. Jesus loves a good deal. Jesus believes you are worth everything he had to give up, including his life, because he wants you to have the treasures of God’s Kingdom. […]
One Ominous Day In Galilee
Pastor Doug Dent
This encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees is essential to understanding Jesus and his Gospel: love and care for people always surpasses strict obedience to the law. This story confronts us with God’s truth and dares us to believe it. This story challenges us to put aside what we think we know, and to listen […]
Celebrating Our Critical Mass
Pastor Doug Dent
The church is the place where “see-to-it-personally” people come together to “see to it together.” Will you be part of the two-or-three this morning? Will you join the critical mass forming in this church for a new day, for a new year, for a new future? The start of a new church year is a […]
Can A Christian Be Lazy?
Pastor Doug Dent
Christians are not lazy people. Christians are hard workers. And you get this, not by hacking into your brains, but by hacking into your hearts where the Word of God lives in you, and the love of Christ grows in you, and the Holy Spirit encourages you to reach out to share the hope that […]
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