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My sermon last Sunday focused on Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane (“olive press”) found in Mark 14.32-42. In the midst of the agony Jesus was feeling, he was also greatly concerned for Peter, James, and John, who were supposed to “keep watch” with Jesus. I love the question Jesus asked his friends when … Read more
On Super Bowl Sunday at Centre Grove, I focused on the theme, “Finish Strong,” wearing the Saints’ Finish Strong t-shirt from Finish Strong. “Finish Strong” was the motivating theme for the New Orleans Saints this season. But it’s also an important theme for followers of Jesus! Here’s a sampling of sports references from Scripture … … Read more
I used the title of the 2006 movie, The Nativity Story, as the title of my Advent/Christmas sermon series (it’s a good movie, by the way). This series focused on the responses of some of the major characters in the biblical story of Jesus’ birth, namely, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and Simeon and Anna. … Read more
A couple months ago, I (Randy) did a 3-week sermon series called, Who’s in Charge? Sermon 1.0 made the point, We grow when we face our storms with faith in God! The reality is, we all face things that cause us fear. When we face them head on, in spite of our deepest fears, it … Read more
Two-part sermon series by Randy on the mission of the Church. On Pentecost Sunday (05.27.2007), I began a 2-part series called “The Mission.” We talked about the power God gives for the mission (that’s what Pentecost is all about). We also talked about our need to have passion for God’s mission. 1. Power for the … Read more
Randy’s sermon series on 1 Corinthians 13. I recently did a 4-week series on 1 Corinthians 13. Each week we read the chapter in a different translation: NKJV, NASB, NLT, and The Message. Interestingly, the end of 1 Corinthians 12 says this: “But now let me show you a way of life that is best … Read more
A great life requires great character! Earlier this year (during the season of Lent), I preached a 6-week sermon series was on “Building Blocks,” the building blocks of great character. In this series I talked about humility, trustability, courage, obedience, endurance, and passion. Here’s a brief synopsis of the series’ main points … Humility: Your … Read more
God turns setbacks into comebacks! I started a sermon series on Easter Sunday called “A Resilient Life.” God turns setbacks into comebacks. T greatest example of that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! I began the series with a message called, “Bouncebackability,” a word I read in a book by Dr. Robert H. Schuller called, … Read more
I wrote a "breaking news" report for 12th Street’s Easter Sunrise service. If there would have been a cable news network 2,000 years ago, the morning Jesus rose from the dead might have looked a little like this … [News Anchor]: We interrupt your regular Sunday morning routine to bring you some breaking news related … Read more
Today is Good Friday. And this morning I participated in my first Good Friday service in Huntingdon. From 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, we rotated from church to church meeting in seven historic downtown churches. We spent about 20 minutes in each church, then walked to the next church. The host pastor of each church … Read more