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Scripture:  John 1:29-42 John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, once famously said the world is my parish.  He went on to prove exactly what he meant by this.  In his day, the Anglican churches were empty far too often, so Wesley took the message to where the people were.   Following the lead of his … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 3:13-17 It was the summer of 2014, and I was fairly excited because I was going to get to perform a baptism in an actual river.  At that point, the only baptisms I had been a part of were sprinkling baptisms.  I looked up videos and read tips on the proper way to … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 2:1-12 Maybe it is because bad news tends to lead better, maybe it is because complaints are more likely to be voiced than things going fine, or maybe it is just a sign of the times.  I have noticed that over the past few years when we get to the point where one … [Read more…]

There is just something about the start of a new year that creates a new paragraph in our minds.   Fundamentally there is very little difference between December 30th of one year and January 2nd of the next, but for us it truly does feel like the turn of a new page.   For that reason we … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 1:18-25 I saw a social media post the other day that kind of stuck with me, because of its melancholy tone.  It was one of those post that is meant to be shared by people who agree with the sentiment, and it simply said “I miss the way Christmas felt when I was … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 3:1-12 Back in April I attended the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.  As someone who loves Star Wars, it was a wonderful experience.  The big highlight, not just for me, but the main feature of the show was the Episode IX panel.   This is the event that everyone wanted to attend, and I … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Romans 13:11-14 What happens when you mix the happiest place on earth with the most wonderful time of the year?  You get Mickey’s Merry Christmas Party which is Christmas magic on Disney steroids.   The festivities start early as this special event at the Magic Kingdom happens twenty three times between November 8th and December 22nd.  … [Read more…]

We are part of the more than 10 million people who jumped onto the bandwagon and subscribed to Disney+.    This is a streaming video service like Netflix, except it is all focused on Disney owned content.   Like many others, we have been enjoying it so far.   On social media, I have noticed a trend … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 7:24-28 A lot of the stories that Jesus told were parables.  This means they were by design, fictional stories that were told to communicate a greater point.   This morning’s scripture is an absolute great example of a parable.   For the first century listener this parable really helped communicate that taking Jesus’ teaching seriously … [Read more…]

Scripture:  2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay has made a reputation for himself as being a talented cook with a fiery personality.   He became a household name from the cooking competition show Hell’s Kitchen.   When the competitors messed up in the kitchen the way that he verbally berated them was colorful to say the … [Read more…]