Category: Calling
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“Joseph” – a sermon preached on September 13, 2020, at The First United Methodist Church of Orlando.
Hatred, jealousy, and family dysfunction led to Joseph becoming a slave. But, God was working too. Because God was with Joseph, even in slavery, even in Egypt, God used Joseph to save nations, including Israel.
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Sermon: “Connecting with Your True Self” – part of a sermon series called “ConnectAbility,” preached at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, on August 2, 2020
Our summer theme, “ConnectAbility” – based on the Great Commandment, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind” and to, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” – has had three major emphases… Connecting with God: emotionally, intellectually, and…
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When anger reaches the boiling point.
As Christians, our job is not to sit back, judge “those people,” and offer commentary on the world’s ills, many of which are currently on graphic display. Our job is to BE the Church: to roll up our sleeves, to serve, to speak, to sacrifice, to activate, to do whatever…
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“I press on” – a message to pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone else struggling with uncertainty and insecurity in the face of a global pandemic
Above all, the most pervasive feeling I’m wrestling with, these days, is uncertainty.
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I’ll be home for Christmas…
If you happen to attend a Christmas Eve service tonight – whether it be your first, or one of many – I hope it makes an impression on you! I hope you’re moved by the beauty of what you see and hear. I hope you’re touched by the pastor’s message. …
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What’s My Purpose?
What’s your purpose? What are your particular “roles,” and how does your sense of purpose align with your list of commitments, obligations, and duties? What is your identity? Who are you, when all of the external trappings are stripped away? What does it look like for you to “be,” and…
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“I am” or “I am not”
When I’m specifically asked about my association with Jesus – by friend or foe – I want my response to be consistently faith-affirming, truth-filled, love-laced, unwavering, and invitational!
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Anticipated Restoration
I find remarkable comfort and encouragement in these stories from Holy Week. If Jesus couldn’t find twelve better disciples than these, then maybe there’s hope for me and my ministry. If Jesus, knowing the disciples would fall short when he needed them, still planned to forgive and restore them afterward,…
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SuperSoul Question #4: “What do you believe is the purpose of life?” (Part four, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
We’re made to know and enjoy God. There’s joy in knowing, serving, and loving God. There’s joy in discovering our purpose.
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Spirituality, Calling, and Ministry
I’ve recently realized, more clearly, that my spirituality, my calling, and my ministry are three distinctly different things. Though they’re interrelated, and overlap, they’re not same. My spirituality is not dependent on my calling, or my ministry. My calling, though important, is only one aspect of my spirituality. And, my…
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