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Scripture:  Matthew 18:10-14 One of my go-to hobbies is reading.   However, my hobby is reading a specific kind of book.  This will not be a surprise to many, but I specifically like to read Star Wars books.  There are a lot of them.  By the end of 2020 there will be seven new Star Wars … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 12:9-21 It was 2006 and the house we were living in had a small back porch.   As spring turned into summer we were able to buy a bench on sale to put back there.  It came from Wal-Mart, so it was a piece of flat box furniture, which means it comes in a … [Read more…]

For decades now doomsayers have been proclaiming “print is dead.”   First, it was an increase in TV channels and the rise of personal computers that would do away with printed materials.  The explosive use of the internet seemed to be proof of these cries.  Then it was a sure thing that e-readers like the kindle … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 12:1-8 Eddie Collins is a name that does not really stand out to most people.  In fact, only the most ardent baseball fans are probably familiar with him.   Collins never earned the star status of a player like Babe Ruth or the notoriety of a player like Shoeless Joe Jackson.   However, Collins was … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 15:10-20 Winston Churchill earned his place in history.  During the darkest days of World War II, he came to represent Britain’s fighting spirit.   While Churchill did have a military background, by the time he was prime minister is soldiering days were behind him.  Yet he still fought.   Churchill had exchanged the rifle for … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 10:5-15 My parents introduced my brother and me to Star Wars at a very young age.  Some of my absolute earliest memories are playing with Star Wars toys. I remember when my parents took my brother and I to see Return of the Jedi in the theaters when I was three years old.   I … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 9:1-5 One of the many incredible places I got to see when I visited the Holy Land in 2016 was Megiddo.   Megiddo is a hill at the edge of the Jezreel valley, the flattest and most fertile area in all of Israel.   Megiddo is also overlooking the outlet of a mountain pass, the … [Read more…]

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39 Conventional wisdom once stated that it was impossible to run a four minute mile.  It was not just conventional wisdom, medical experts believed that it was just not physically possible for the body to move that fast.   The evidence of the time seemed to support this as well.   We really did not … [Read more…]

  Members and friends of North Judson UMC, For the past year I have had the privilege of being appointed to be your pastor.   During that time one of the things that many of you have learned about me is that I love to play board games.   There are a lot of reasons why I … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 8:12-17 My mom loves to tell the story.   I do not know my exact age, but I was young, somewhere in early elementary school.   My family was visiting my grandparents.  At grandma and grandpa Johnson’s there was some cleaning going on, and my grandmother had found a picture of my dad from his … [Read more…]