The Love Expression

Introduction

(Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5)

God is the source of love, Jesus is the proof of love, and believers must be the agents of love in this world.

On the Defense

Introduction

All of us have been in the cross-hairs of criticism. It may have come from a spouse, a parent, an adult child, or another family—all ...

Complaining to God

Introduction

Americans complain a lot. The Pilgrims and Puritans came over here because they were complaining about religious authority. We fought for ...

A Tale of Two Women

Introduction

In the days when the judges ruled over the land of Judah there came a famine to the land. So a man from Bethlehem together with his wife and ...

Drafting Buddies

Introduction

Sam and Frodo find themselves on the final leg of their journey on the slopes of Mordor, but Frodo is losing heart. He's just about out of ...

Testing the Limits

Introduction

For the past couple of weeks we've been talking about friendship. And what we're learning is that our friendships play an important role in ...

Beyond Friends

Introduction

Where are you on your spiritual journey? And what would help you take the next step?

A couple of years ago we joined hundreds of churches across ...

True Friends

Introduction

Last week I tossed out a question and invited you to respond: is it possible to be spiritual friends with a non-believer? For the past six ...

The Deep Truth

Introduction

Back in 1899, four reporters from four different Denver newspapers didn't have a story for the morning paper. They decided to make up a story—to ...

The Scarlet Letter

Introduction

Today we're continuing to look at the Ten Commandments. We've seen that this isn't easy material. These commands are anything but sugarcoated. ...

Yes, Yes and No, No

Introduction

I read a story about a woman of wealth and social prominence. She wanted to have a book written about her genealogy, her history. She got ...

The Journey to Integrity

Introduction

If I had just one gift to give you, I think it would be the gift of integrity—such a gift that when you come to the last chapter of ...

Who Can We Trust?

From the editor:

Here is another sermon from one of our featured preachers, David Anderson. Anderson uses the story of Samson and Delilah to explore issues ...

Growing Up

Introduction

When I was in kindergarten, we used to play a game based on a hit TV show called Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. My teacher, Mrs. Floaten, ...

Torn by Pain

Introduction

In 1997 Sara McLachlan wrote a song entitled "Dear God." It's a searing complaint against God—raw, brutally honest, and irreverent. ...

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Introduction

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear." That is how C. S. Lewis begins his book A Grief Observed, a compelling account of ...

Rebuilding the Walls

Introduction

In the countryside near Leicester, England, there stands an ancient church whose walls are inscribed with an eloquent memorial. The inscription ...

John the Baptist's Story

From the editor

Very early in his sermon, Kevin Miller says, "I have the hard job of telling you a hard truth." Indeed he does. The hard truth is that ...

Comfort for the Troubled Heart

Introduction

The Allies had planned Operation Overlord for years, amassing vast armies, an incredible navy, and enough arms to release Europe from the ...

You Can't Fool the Lord

Introduction

One of the ministers at this church the television show 24 because of the things that Jack Bauer never has to do: eat, charge his cell phone, ...

When Life Crowds You Out

Introduction

On the wall of a subway in New York City was an advertising poster that depicted a dignified older gentleman recommending a particular product. ...

Choosing What Is Best

Introduction

There were about 20 of us: the engaged couple, their parents, the bridesmaids and groomsmen who were going to be in the wedding the next day, ...

Releasing Resentment

Text: John 21:15–22; 1 Corinthians 13:5
Topic: How we forgive those who hurt us

Introduction

It may have been King David's lowest moment: His son Absalom ...

Where Are You?

Introduction

When I was a kid growing up in Minnesota, my family had a summer tradition. Every Sunday night, all seven kids and my parents would cram into ...

Take an Inside Look

Introduction

I have had the opportunity to speak to hundreds of people over the past twenty years. I think I've come to one major conclusion about people's ...

The Journey of Integrity

Text: Psalm 26
Topic: What is required for a life of integrity

Introduction

If I had just one gift to give you, I think it would be the gift of integrity—such ...

The Right Way to Handle Church Conflict

Introduction

I am by nature an idealist. I start almost everything in life by thinking about the best-case scenario. As a young man, I had a best-case ...

Don't You Believe It: There's No Such Thing as a Little White Lie

One Sunday, a minister said to his congregation, “Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. In preparation for that message, I’m asking all of ...

The Imitation of Christ

Introduction:

Over six hundred years ago, a boy by the name of Thomas Hammerlein was born in the Prussian town of Kempen on the Rhine, some forty miles ...

Treat Your Mate to a Better Marriage

Genesis 2:18-24

Gloria Steinem, the well-known feminist activist and publisher of Ms. Magazine, made a statement a few years ago that has been quoted ...

Form Vs. Content

One year on my Little League team there was a player named Ricky, who looked absolutely incredible at the plate. I'm not referring to his hitting; I'm ...

Being a Promise Keeper

I was watching a football game one day and the camera zoomed in on a guy wearing a T-Shirt that said, "My wife thinks I'm at Promise Keepers."

If you've ...

Living a Life of Integrity

Some years ago I was invited to a home in our community to talk with a father about his son, who was into drugs. As I sat in his living room that evening, ...