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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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Connecting through Courage: a sermon preached at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando on July 26, 2020.
Fear dehumanizes people. It turns people into monsters to be avoided, instead of people with whom meaningful connections can be made.
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“Connecting Through Acceptance”: a sermon preached on July 19, 2020, at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, part of a sermon-series called “Connectability.”
Different is just different – not wrong, not immoral. Difference doesn’t have to divide or threaten us. In fact, connecting with people who are different might actual make us better humans, and better Christians. It might make us more like Jesus.
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God Isn’t Colorblind
When someone claims to be colorblind, they’re devaluing the full humanity of the other, which is essentially a racist stance.
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It is what it is: complaining, coping, or becoming through hardship
I don’t believe God caused Covid-19, so I also can’t say “God has a purpose for Covid-19.” But, I DO believe God will uniquely work in EVERY situation if God finds willing and able partners in us. If we’re willing to patiently endure this difficult season, submitting it to God,…
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“Connecting with the Mind” (A sermon preached on June 28, 2020 for the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, Part II of a series called, “ConnectAbility”)
Loving God with our minds is actively seeking the mind of Christ. Loving God with our minds is actively, purposefully seeking God’s wisdom and knowledge. Loving God with our minds is submitting our thoughts and ideas to God, and asking God to reveal God’s thoughts and ideas.
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Discovering and Overcoming Unconscious Bias
Though I’ve never been overtly racist (to the best of my knowledge), I’m ashamed to say it’s taken most of my life to overcome conscious and unconscious biases, stereotypes, prejudices, and even fears.
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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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A Prayer for Pentecost 2020
On this day, we celebrate your Holy Spirit, poured out upon all flesh: reminding us of your individual love and care for every single person; each made, uniquely, in your own image and likeness.
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