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Dad,
To say I am beyond words is an understatement. I think it is actually unfair. Unfair that you have had to wait 40 years to receive the recognition you deserve. I think it is unfair that I received your blessing long before you received mine. I think it is unfair, with all that we have been through together, this little journey of faith we share, that you now can be called Rev just at the point when you are ready to move into retired ministry. Sermon #3 in our series on "The Way of the Heart" - 1 Samuel 8
Everyone likes a winner, am I right? Well. That’s all relative I guess in Minnesota. I was told this week if I want to know what a winner is, I have to become a Packer fan, which is not going to happen. Or I meet someone who loves the Yankees, only because they win. Not thinking their bench makes more money than the Twins payroll. Or God forbid if you are a Chelsea fan, a fan of Man United, Man City, or (Josiah plug your ears) a Liverpool fan. That’s real football for all you Americans out there. The teams I mention are the ones that win. Have prominent histories. They have huge fanbases because they do well and have become popular, Uniting people from all over the world around their squads. You can find fans of the Yankees in Asia, fans of Manchester United in South Africa, fans of the Packers…well…somewhere. 2nd sermon in the "The Way of the Heart" Series - 1 Samuel 3
When the Word of the Lord is rare, things get dangerous. When the Word of the Lord is rare, our hearts run wild and we can find ourselves on the wrong side of the sermon sometimes. On the wrong side of his Word. I think of the end of the book of Judges which precedes 1 Samuel and it says – Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. That’s dangerous. You and I left to our devices deciding what is right based on the whim of the day. Based on our personal opinion. Based on whether or not we like somebody. Whether they are likeable. Whether what we see serves our own desires or not. Without the Word of God, a God who speaks, who does not hide but tells you what he thinks of you, I worry that what I will do is allow whatever I feel to rule rather than to have God rule and work in me based on his work rather than my own. |
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March 2020
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