The ancient Roman philosophers taught us to remember that we will all experience death. Christ offers us the hope that death is not the end.
Tag: sermon preparation
World Communion Sunday: A Recipe for Holy Living (His Encouragement)
When we bake bread, we follow a recipe. If we follow the recipe to the best of our ability, we will end up with something delicious and nourishing. In the same way, God gave us a recipe for Holy Living. In the Holy Bible, we can find instructions for how to experience live a good life that will bring us closer to God. When we follow these instructions, even if we expereience hard times in life, we The recipe that God gives us for a good life can be found in Exodus is known as the Ten Commandments.
The Parable of the Sower (His Encouragement)
Essentially, the sower goes outside, throws seeds everywhere—and instead of ending up with nothing, he ends up with bushels of tomatoes, tons of zucchini, and countless bouquets of flowers.
Happy Trinity Sunday! Fire Spinning and Perichoresis (His Encouragement)
The trinity is like a dance— the flames of the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer are perpetually in motion. In this dark world, we especially need flames of hope dancing in the darkness.
Devotion: Happy Pentecost! OR The time I lived through a small tornado (His Encouragement)
Experiencing the Holy Spirit is like experiencing a tornado. When the Holy Spirit blows through our lives, the experience changes us forever. It can change who are as human beings, it can change the church, and it can change the world.
Devotion: Journey to Emmaus (His Encouragement)
this same vision of Jesus’s appearance on the road to Emmaus speaks to our lives as well. It’s been a long journey to get to this Easter season. This past Lent was the longest Lent that I’ve ever experienced. However, now that Easter Sunday has come and gone, it appears that there is still a very long road ahead for all of us.
Devotion: Cats don’t need to repent— but we do! (His Encouragement)
Something about cats and Lent just seem together! My husband says he has never seen any cat who was every sorry for anything. Cats don't need to repent, but humans do! During Lent, we make time for repentance and lamentation.
Devotion: Happy New Year- Babies Change Lives (His Encouragement)
Have you or a family member ever known the joy of a holding a newborn baby in your arms? Babies change our lives. One of my friends can vividly remember the day her son was born. “It was a long and painful process,” she said. “I had labor pains for three long, grueling days and the contractions were so brutal that I thought that I was going to die. I had never known such pain in all my life. But then, when they laid that my new son in my arms, my entire life changed. Up until that point, I had loved my son and anxiously awaited his arrival. But that moment, when I held him, I knew what true love was. Becoming a parent changes your life forever, and it has never been the same.”
Devotion: We Are Wabi Sabi Teacups (His Encouragement #32)
Humans have a lot in common with wabi sabi teacups. Even though we all have cracks and imperfections, we are all beautiful works of art.
Devotion: Straighten Up & Fly Right (His Encouragement #31)
All of us need to straighten up sometimes- all of us are tempted to judge others. Furthermore, all of us are bound by something. We are all in need of healing, whether it be spiritual, physical, or emotional. When Christ shows up on the scene, everything changes. “
