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Scripture:  Matthew 9:35-10:8 Often the word missionary brings up images of a faithful disciple who has traveled overseas to a foreign county in order to bring the good news of Jesus Christ and help make converts of the native peoples.  While there are missionaries that focus on medical and justice issues this more evangelistic model … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 28:16-20 In 1992 Francis Fukuyama published a book that has an odd distinction of being both incredibly influential and incredibly obscure.  The book entitled The End of History and the Last Man is obscure because there is a good chance that you have not heard of it.  It is an academic political philosophy … [Read more…]

This month I will spend a week helping to lead Jr. High church camp.  This year at camp we are going to be focusing on exploring the Christian faith through questions, and every day of camp will have a “BIG question.”   On Tuesday the big question to consider and discuss is “Who am I?”   That … [Read more…]

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 12:4-13 Since I grew up as a pastor’s kid, that meant we moved every few years and I started a new school while in high school.   I decided that I wanted to be involved with this school’s drama productions.  However, I quickly learned there was an unwritten rule.  Kind of like here, … [Read more…]

Scripture:  John 14:15-21 One of the most common tropes found in Super Hero movies and comic books is the idea of a secret identity.  The Super Hero’s non-heroic alter ego is often meant to be the last person that anyone would expect of being a crime fighter.   Most super heroes wear some sort of mask … [Read more…]

Scripture:  John 14:1-14 The bank of England is one of the most secure buildings in the world, and it was constructed with security in mind.  It was built in 1734 with walls that were eight feet thick.  It was built with an intricate and proprietary lock system, which has only been made stronger with technological … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Acts 2:42-47 In 1933 Radio Station WXYZ premiered a new show.  This show began with a fast tempo piece of classical music entitle March of the Swiss Soldiers the final piece from the William Tell Overture and then the listeners were invited to wild west adventure with the neighing of a horse and voice … [Read more…]

I recently attended a workshop where the Director of Faith Community Formation for the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church shared a surprising statement.  He said that in the United States, rural areas are the least evangelized areas.   That stuck out to me as a surprising statement, because my initial assumption is that rural … [Read more…]

Scripture: Acts 2:14, 36-41 Everyone is afraid of something, and when it comes to defining what we are afraid of English is oddly expressive.  No matter how obscure the fear there is probably a specific term to define it.  For instance there is someone out there who suffers from Xanthophobia, or fear of the color … [Read more…]

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11 Some people are better at it than others, but I think it is fair to say no one truly enjoys waiting.  We can find ways to make the best of it, but if we were given preference more often than not we would rather not wait.  Of course, not all waiting is … [Read more…]