Scripture - Matthew 18:21-35

The song “Forgiveness” was written by Matthew West in response to a video he saw of a mother whose daughter had been killed by a drunk driver, Rene, & the young man who killed her, Eric, in which they discussed the power o...

Scripture - Matthew 18:15-20

One of the hazards of studying the Bible is that you sometimes discover things that erode some of your cherished, if naïve, beliefs.  Just before this passage from Matthew, we hear the parable of the lost sheep.  Compariso...

Scripture - Matthew 16:21-27

A man living in Africa out on the edge of the jungle heard a commotion in his back yard.  He investigated and discovered there was a very hostile gorilla up in his tree.  He immediately called 911, and it was not long unti...

Scripture - Matthew 16:13-20

Holy & living God, you promise that our minds, so easily molded in the ways of our world, can be transformed by your grace, & that our lives may be renewed in this transformation.  Open our minds, imaginations, hearts, & w...

Scripture -  15:21-28

Some people find this passage distressing, because it seems to present Jesus as responding in an uncompassionate way to the cry for help of a Gentile woman.  His initial response is simply to ignore her.  Yet when she persists &...

Scripture - Romans 8:31-39

Holy One, fill our hearts with your Spirit.  Open our ears to hear your word proclaimed.  Remind us that you are always with us, guiding us to be your faithful disciples.  Amen.

A woman from here in the south went t...

Scripture - Genesis 28:10-17

Here in the house of God, let us open our minds, as we listen for the word of God.

You all know that Sheryl & I moved in January.  The move was a good time to do a closet purge.  I do not wear suits like I used to, so I gav...

Scripture - Romans 8:1-11

This is the good news!  Our Scripture is sheer gospel.  So now – because of everything Paul has written in this letter, including what we looked at last week, how doing the ‘right thing’ was a struggle for Paul as much as it...

Scripture - Romans 7:15-25

Many of us can identify with little Johnny when he brought home his report card.  His mother looked at the report card & noticed he had a terrible grade in conduct.  When she

asked him about it, he said, “Mom, conduct is...

Scripture: Matthew 10:40-42

In June of 2005, U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell & SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah, a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan & the Hindu-Kush mountai...