Category: Faith
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“More” – a sermon preached at First Church Coral Springs on August 13, 2017
Possibilities… It was the last semester of my last year of college. I was facing the reality of impending adulthood; and, I wasn’t ready. I was about to graduate, but I had partied my way through college. My degree was unmarketable. My grades were pathetic. I didn’t have any real-world…
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The Unquenchable Thirst of Grief
I recently led a memorial service for a 23-year-old man, whose family attends my church. 23-years-old is obviously too young to die, so his death was unexpected, a terrible shock, and particularly tragic. After years of addiction, successful recovery, and then a recent relapse, he died of a drug overdose. …
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Q&A
I’m spending this week at the Warren W. Willis United Methodist Youth Camp, in Fruitland Park, Florida, as the Senior High pastor. I didn’t attend this camp as a camper. But, I’ve been coming to this camp as an adult volunteer (primarily as the Senior High pastor) for one week…
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Leap: The Second Sermon is a Series Called “The 40-Day Summer Stretch,” Preached at First Church Coral Springs on Sunday, June 25, 2017
Aquaphobia Many of us have one phobia or another. A phobia is an irrational fear, a kind of anxiety disorder in which the individual has a relentless dread of a situation, living creature, place, or thing. According to Phobialist.com, there are at least 350 known, documented, verifiable phobias. According to Medicalnewstoday.com, the 5 most common…
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Do this…
Today is Maundy Thursday – the day we annually remember Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. The word “maundy” simply means command. We “do this in remembrance” of Jesus – sharing bread and juice/wine with each other, representing his body and blood – because he commanded us to. Today is…
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Pre-Easter Pondering
I know it’s not Easter yet. Easter is still a few days away. Before Easter, we still have Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Holy Saturday. We can’t just skip to Easter, bypassing all that led to Easter. But, Easter is on my mind – probably because it’s the biggest…
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Refreshing
I had the privilege of teaching my church’s confirmation class about the Sacraments this morning. When I teach about Baptism, which is one of our two Sacraments in the United Methodist Church, I often ask, “What is water used for?” I’m looking for three answers, each that help us understand…
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The Wheel of Time Turns…
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.” Robert Jordan Last September, I started reading a 15-novel fantasy/fiction series called The Wheel of Time, by…
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The Sin of Being Passive
I can easily be accused of being passive. I don’t move quickly. I take my time making decisions. I tend to be quiet – taking in more than I express. I don’t get very excited very often. I prefer peace and calm. I don’t show much variation of facial expression. I…
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Thin Places
As I was reading this morning, I came across this statement in James K. A. Smith’s, You Are What You Love… “We might say the sacramental power of Christian worship “enchants” our everyday lives, reminding us that the world we inhabit is not flattened “nature” but rather a creation charged with…
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