Tag: Love
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I choose love…
Here’s what I know. The more I love God, the closer I’m drawn to him. The closer I’m drawn to God, the more I see the work still left to be done in me. But, when I feel guilty or ashamed, I tend to hide from God, hiding my sin…
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To love and be loved…
If my first task is to love God, and be loved by God, and I am faithful to that task, won’t my heart gradually become more and more like God’s?
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Who is My Enemy?
You’re not my enemy if you disagree with me. Your’e not my enemy if you yell at me. You’re not my enemy if we vote for different candidates. You’re not my enemy if we have different theologies, or interpretations of Scripture. You’re not my enemy if you leave an angry…
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“Rights” vs. “Righteousness”
Inevitably… predictably… another mass shooting has inflamed the gun “rights” debate. Again, politicians and pundits are debating the “rights” of gun-owners, guaranteed by the U.S. constitution, versus the “rights” of the innocent victims of gun-violence.
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“Love Transforms” – the 5th and last sermon of a series called, “We Love First,” preached on May 28th, 2017 at First Church Coral Springs
Do we Really Believe This Stuff? During Lent our theme was “Restoration.” We talked each week about how God can restore what is broken. Throughout Lent, as I prepared for each sermon, I found myself asking, week-by-week, “Do I really believe this stuff?” Do I really believe God can fix…
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“Love Shares” – the 4th message in a 5-week sermon series called, “We Love First,” preached on May 21, 2017, at First Church Coral Springs
In 1999, my family was sent to Port St. Lucie, Florida to start a new United Methodist Church. I had dreamed of starting a new church, and had spent the previous year planning. Though I didn’t know a single person in Port St. Lucie,…
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Love Serves – Part III of a 5-week sermon series called, “We Love First,” preached on May 14, 2017, at First Church Coral Springs
Today, I’m talking about the intersection of love and service. Though this is not, technically, a Mother’s Day message, I can’t think of any better examples of love-motivated service than mothers. No offense intended toward the Dads! But, let’s be honest – Moms, for the most part, put…
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Love Grows – Part II of a 5 week sermon series called “We Love First,” delivered at First Church Coral Springs on Sunday, May 7, 2017
Either Growing, or… Now that the weather is warmer, and the rains have started, everything has started growing again – rapidly. I’m enjoying my bonsai trees – as they are sprouting new growth and blooming. But, I’m also daily weeding and trimming, just to keep everything under control. Growth…
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We Love First – Part 1 of a 5-week Sermon Series called “We Love First” – preached at First Church Coral Springs on April 30, 2017.
What’s the Vision? Almost as soon as I arrived last summer, as your new pastor, some of you were asking, “What’s your vision for First Church?” What’s my vision? Are you kidding? At that point I was still trying to find the grocery store, the movie theater, a new dentist! …
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30 years ago, tonight…
At 9:00 pm, 30 years ago, tonight, we were lowering the gate to the entrance of Champs Sporting Goods, at the Fashion Square Mall, in Orlando, where I worked (primarily selling athletic shoes – selling shoes has always been my back-up profession, in case ministry doesn’t work out). As I…
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