Give Thanks Part 1 11-2-08 Genesis 13:1-18

Give Thanks, Part 1 Genesis 13:1-18 11-1-08

Intro
30 days has September, April, June and November
join me in 30 days of giving thanks

Series - Give Thanks - Part 5
For the past

All saints day
Memorial day for the church - time to give thanks for thoses who have made a difference in your life

We don't alwaysthink of our past as something to give thanks for
But there is much to give thanks for, if yu look closely

So I am drawn to the story of Abraham and Lot
Abraham was a partriarch. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Lot was Abraham's nephew

Lot is special...Abraham saw something good in him
He mentioned
His herds grow
He is allowed first choice of the land
Let there be no quarreling between us
He is saved
From being carried off in battle - Melchizadeck
From the destruction of Sodom - Abraham prays him through
Abraham saw something good in him

At some point Lot looked back on his life

Thankful for Abraham
Allowed him to be oung and foolish
Rescued him from an Army
Prayed him our of Sodom

Several places along the way Abraham built an alter and worshipped
What does Lot think about that?

I have to imagine, long after Abraham is gone, Lot is siting around ontemplating his lie. He is remembering all the ways that Abraham loved and cared for him in his life.
We don't know if he went to them, but Lot at lease knew where the alters were

So what? Think back into your past....application
who loved u in spite of your youthful indiscreations
who saw to the good in you?
Who rescued you when you were in trouble
Who taught you how to rescue yourself

Who prayed for you
Who were those people, saints of God who taught us the faith
Opened the doors
Gave us the info that when the time wa right, the spirit make it real

It is fitting that we pause to say thnks and praise God for every person who helped to shape us and cared for us
Who left behind alters for us to worship??

Let me say a work about some of thoses in my past
I am thankful for my college roommate Dallas Moore, Cncinnati Ohio, boy did we have fun times

I am thankful for my friend Bob Walls, who at a moment of pain, gave me some advice on how to manage life's junk. Would you like to hear it?

I am thankful for the grandman Brinman, Toopta, who visualized conversion
i am dying without dignity

I am thankful for Bob Tuttle - he taught me a different approach to spirituality
relevance

I am thankful for my Dad...

• do the right thing son,
• do you really need that
  how many pairs f shoes can you wear at once
  Seek first the kingdom of God
• Don't blow your won horn
  God resists the proud, gives grace to the humble

I am thnakful for my mom
There is or horatio that is dreamed of in your philosophies
Pride cometh before a fall

The voice of my mother calls from the grave
Love them Jeff. just love them, that is all that matters

And I am also thankful for the painful parts of my past
I am thankful for my mistakes
They knocked me off of my high horss
They caused me to look at others in a different way
They caused me to trust god instead of myself

Psalm94:19 - When anxiety was great within me, our consolation brought joy to my soul.

I am thankful for my past and for the alter that others have built as a place for me to give thanks.

When you look back into your past Who are you thanful for?

Who put up with you craziness
Who loved you just the way you are
Who built alters and them showed you were they were?

Let's praise God and give thanks for all of the good and dfficult things that have brought us to this place today.
At least we know where the alters are.

Thanksgiving Part 3 Outside Comfort Zome Mark 5:1-20 11-16-08

Sermon 11-16-08 Mark 5:1-20 Thanksgiving Part 3 Outside Comfort Zome

Thanksgiving series...Past, future, present...opps
Where this sermon came from

Do you see yourself in this story?
Who would you like to be?
Jesus, disciples, townsfold
Pigs? I think I am a Demoniac?

Why am I the demoniac? I think all Christians are. We were possessed by selfishness, pride, worry and arrogance. We were lost and Jesus delivered us.
We are not perfect, but we are on a new path

Some people are uset about losing their pigs
People look at the wrong thing.
The pigs were my livelihood [my stock market] now. We have lost money
Could have ben hanking God for a life that was changed

Demoniac wanted to go with Jesus
When we sign on with Jesus, things aren't always going to go the way we want.
Jesus I will follow you, just don't ask me to do anything hard.
He had some comfortable ideas in his head.
Don't let me be sick, and don't let my pigs die.
Jesus said, no. You go tell what has happened to you

I was readng something a few months ago.....
Jesus didn't ask fo volunteers

I am thankful that God asks us to live a life outside of myself

We too have some comfortable ideas about what the church should be like.
It should feel just the way I like to feel.
It should be like the church I grew up......

The church will never be the church we grew up in
We cannot wish our society back to God
We live today in a post Christian world, it will never be what we grew up with
We must be willing to accept and welcome everyone
More than that, we must learn to want everyone to be here
We must learn to give up our comfort and preference for the sake of the kingdom

The demoniac is asked to win people? Should we keep trying too?
I used to believe that we were growing fast enough.
I didn't want to have so many people here that we could not serve them
We have dome little or no advertising
I was sitting on the bench this summer waiting for church to start
Convicted of how wrong that is.
Can't be about your comfort, must be about thoses who are unreached.
[Sermon was on the AHA moments of life]

This church meeds to grow because there is something unique about this church
We have a special message
Kris Bartman and WCC

1. Broken eople are made at ease and nnot here solely to be heled, but here to be used in active ministry
2. The invitation to be a part of God's work here is not manipulated, or coerced but rather the offer is made to "taste and see" what God is doing
3. The truth of God is descovered when we actively pursue the grace of God and administer it to othersActive ministry is expected in the lives of our people - living out the faith is where the learning begins
4. Humility reigns - a servant's hert is at the root of our people

We hold out the message in a way that does not guilt people or scare them. I believer that we point past the church to a loving relationship with God.

I read an awsome story about a month ago

Ghosts and medals

A monther could not get her little son to come home from is games before dark. So she grightened him; she told him that the ath leading to their house was haunted by ghosts who cam out as soon as the sun went down. After that, she had not trouble making him come home before dark each evening. But when the boy grew up he was so afraid of the dark and the ghsts that he refused to go our of the house at nght. Occassionally she would need something from the store and want him to go get it. So she gave him a medal to wear and convinced him that as he wore his medal the ghosts would not not power to harm him. So now he vntures forth into the dark clutching his medal.

Bad religion gives us medals. Good religion helps up to see that there are not ghosts.

We need to invite others

How can we do this?
8:00 am service...challenge to invite others

you can talk to them, but if there is not room, whill they feel welcome?
Park further away
Sit up front, sit in the middle
Simple things that make a welcome

Looking for those what you don't know
Skip the coffee with thoses you know

Take their hands and look them in the eye
Jeff didn't shake my hand
Whoses hand are you shaking?
Say it with me - "whose hand and I shaking?"

Got in trouble with a sermon like this a year ago.
All you ever do is talk about winning people
When is it enough?
When every person in our community is in church, then it is enough
When no one is left out of God's grace, then it is enough
When no one is left out of God's grace, then it is enough

1010 in the gym
in a few months we plan to open overflow video streamed in
Clay, live music, sermon video streamed in
casual, bring your coffee and donut
come late on one will notice
push your chair back
let your kinds sit on the floor

Remember, when we prepare to launch this, I am going to be looking for 200 people to make a shift to the gym. Don't be upset that I am asking this.
Consider it a special effort that you can make room for others

God asks us to live outside our comfort zone

This is the time of the year to invite
Use this paper

Patch Adams
Doctor who was full of life
Lived life from the soul
He changed the people around him

Jesus invitd the demoniac to go
Not with a starchy "here is this paper" or come sit in the pew with me
Or even believe this or learn this

But with a warmth and a joy and relevance
Something has happened to me
Jesus changed my life

When was the last time you took stock of what Jesus has done for you?
Remember your story today.....
Get out of the pew, someone is waiting

I am thankful that God asks us to live outside of outselves

Give Thanks Part 2 11-11-2007

Give Thanks Part 2 Nov. 11, 2007

Jesus said, stop worrying. See the good. Focus on it. Find the kingdom. The rest will come. Stop worrying, stop complaining, find something to be thankful for.
Use your energy to focus on the good.

This was supposed to be a sermon on a process of how the power of gratitude can push the negative from our life. I am just stuck today on the grateful part....
Maybe that tells us something about the process...maybe there is no formula, just a matter of choosing what to focus on and it just happens from there.

Gratefulness is a very powerful thing
Staff meeting. What are you thankful for. No people. Can't repeat.
Have to hold the biscuit.
Then pick a name, two nice things about the person

I can't get my mind off of things that I am grateful for. So, I am going to talk about some of this for a moment.

I am thankful for good things that I see around here
Missed bell ringing yesterday.........came up to the church....
Upwards volunteers
Children in preschool
Secret sisters
Food collected and distributed to needy families

Bulletin insert....invite your friends.........

I am thankful for our men and women who serve
I am against war.

Raytown = 6500 acres
Feb - Mar. 1945 random Pacific island 5200 acres
population 1000
6821 US Marines killed
Battle of Iwo Jima
US flag raised over Mt. Suribachi

I thank God for the resolve of our soldiers
For their willingness to sacrifice For the sacrifice of their families
For their understanding of what greatness is and their willingness to sustain it.

From the movie, we were soldiers
Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: [Hal Moore speaks to his men before going into battle} Look around you. In the 7th cavalry, we've got a captain from the Ukraine; another from Puerto Rico. We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All American. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God. They say we're leaving home. We're going to what home was always supposed to be. Now let us understand the situation. We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy.

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.

Thankful for people. For friends, That love me thru and thru
I don't have any biological brothers. But the other day, I was thinking about some of you. I was thinking about how I feel like God has given you to me. That we are more than little b brothers. Somehow we are big B brothers. Can I adopt you, will you adopt me? Can we be blood brothers? What if from now on, we introduce each other as this is my brother......I would be good with that. That is how I feel about you.

Lyrics to the Jana Stanfield song - That's the Way I feel About You.

There are souls that you connect with so strong
A bond that is so rich and so true
There's a sense that the piece that was missing has finally come into view
That's the way, I feel about you

I believe in this world that happens by chance
There's a reason that at just this particular moment you came into my hands
Like a gift that you never expected by you'll treasure your whole life thru
That's the way I feel about you. --Jana Standield

Sets of cards....you can give them to 5-10 people in the next week.

Gratitude pushes the negative stuff out of our hearts

"lately I have been aware of a thankfulness beyond my own "stuff" and beyond what directly affects me. For example, I am thankful for the kind hearts and compassion of people that reach out to others in need on a daily basis as well as in times of major crisis (Len Bennett come to mind) and not just when something is making major news headlands, but for those that serve in the soup kitchens every week, those that serve without fanfare but with true joy from the heart. I'm thankful for the forgiving heart and forgiving nature of so many people - not just forgiving of me but forgiving of the failures of our society and world and the fact that they keep on giving and trying. I'm thankful for people who are really trying not to sit in judgement of others, people who try to see the good in everyone and everything. It is so easy to be negative. I rejoice in positive people!! Lately I've been telling myself and even saying aloud, "I will not let you steal my joy!!"

Jesus said, Hey stop worrying about everything. See the good. Seek first the kingdom

Majoring in the minors

Gratitude pushes out the negative

Signed up to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Wrote about it in the blog. No one shows up. No kettle. My time. My effort. I wanted to do something. Now part of me wants to be mad at the salvation army. Some of you came up to see me and I wasn't there. Are you mad? Don't be. that's not the point. See the good. Find something to be grateful for.

Gratitude pushes out the negative
Where is the kingdom? Where is the joy? Where is the good?

I am thankful for the touch of God

Seek ye first the kingdom

Revival
Just tell them what happened
People bow in the presence of God

There are moments when we meet God

Write prayers seeking God
It took me a long time to become a human being......
When I finally became comfortable with myself, I stopped playing games
God this is who I am, this is what I got, I know nothing without you.
Take me, use, me, fill me

The favor of God lands on us when we honor him
Set his priorities

Conclusion

Staff meeting. What are you thankful for, No people. Can't repeat.
Have to hold the biscuit.
Say two nice things about someone......Thankful for someone who always stops by, every time. Thankful for someone who saw my pain and loved me

Next Sunday night...... open mic Thanksgiving.....
What if 200 people showed up......
How long would you stay for......

What if you became so grateful that you started to weep. Had to pull your car over and praise God.

Traffic report........cars stopped on every highway in the KC metro today. Jonny Roland
I am just so thankful, so blessed.

Don't worry, don't complain, see the good. Find the kingdom.

Give Thanks Part 3 11-18-07

A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.

What is the soul

Where do we usually live

Noise/busy is the enemy of the soul

We cant expect to live in the world of souls or grow in the world of the spirit when we are so worried about things that don’t matter

You are not your job, your car, your home. You are a soul created by god. Your eternity will not be marked by your profession or your social status.

This image of self is a distraction from the real you, your soul.

There is a God-part within each person, which is the soul. It's magnificent; it's divine; it's perfect; it's aware. And the soul's natural state is joyful and loving and pure. When you experience joy and love, you are experiencing your true self, your soul

Many people have said that a human being has a soul - but it is closer to the reality to say that the soul has a human being body which it is temporarily housed in. The soul, being Spirit, is more enduring than the human consciousness.

The soul is the breath of life, the very essence which makes things alive. The soul give life and removes itself at the body's death; without the soul there is no life. The soul is life itself and animates all living organisms.

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7

For I will not contend for ever, nor will I always be angry; for from me proceeds the spirit, and I have made the breath of life.
Isaiah 57:16

And as her soul was departing (for she died), she called his name Benoni; but his father called his name Benjamin.
Genesis 35:18

(Elijah) cried to the LORD, 'O LORD my God, let this child's soul come into him again.' And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1 Kings 17:21-22
My soul doth magnify the lord

And do not be afraid of the one killing the body, not being able to kill the soul.
Matthew 10:28

Put a candle out on a chair, dress it up……………..

So what, so what is the difference.
How will I think differently?

Salvation is no longer something that is pie in the sky in the sweet by and bye
I am aware of the eternal nature o fmy core being and of its partnership with God

I see you totally differently.
I relax with those who are unhappy, they are doing what they know.
They have created a system of rules that makes sense in the world of egos…selfs
I see in you the image of God
I am more aware, more awake, more alive than I have ever been……

1. who are you? A soul.

2. therefore, I am not the following: tall shor fat thn, mu fan, ku fan

3. what doe sthat mean?

And man became a living soul

What if your life is a journey- a discovery of the soul

The ego, the fake self, the earthly man

Is how we interface with the world because it s all we know. The worry abou the earthly man causes us to rush around and try to fix or repair

Use every scripture on the soul

What matters:
Every person, every encounter

What doesn’t matter:
Church doctrinal fights, what kind of car you drive

Man I have dressed up this soul pretty well…..maybe too well.

Paul dodds story….we were brothers in heaven

Music and the soul

Memorial Day Leviticus 2:1-3 5-27-07

Sermon 5-27-07 Memorial Day
Leviticus 2:1-3 1 “ ‘When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it 2 and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.

Friday night wedding……army cavalry, swords, spurs
Grandpa brinkman’s spurs
Thank you to everyone who served……….

Memorial day, where did it come from?
Memorial Day, what we will do

Moment of silence

Memorial day a time for Christians to remember, to take stock

Ot offerings: what could possibly be here that is relevant to us?
Mandatory offerings- sin offerings, guilt offerings
Voluntary offerings – devotion, love, appreciation

The grain offering- voluntary--- includes a memorial offering
The purpose of offerings
· an honoring of God
· a sign of cleansing of sin
· a feeding of the priests
· a reminder to the person

The parts…….. that the priests ate
Preachers used to get paid with chickens……… that was burned up……a memory

Temptation is to cruise by and make the priests happy…..
· Very powerful
· Chosen ones
· Educated
· Religious leaders of jesus day used this preconceptions as power over the people

Are you ever tempted to just cruise by and make a token, and go on with your life? Just go thru the motions?

If I can just make the preacher happy, it will be enough

It is easy to get busy with life……….

A “Pontius’ Puddle” cartoon begins with “I wonder if God can really hearme.” The next frame shows Pontius praying: “Hey, God! What should I do with my life?” The third frame has a voice from heaven saying: “FEED THE HUNGRY.RIGHT INJUSTICE. WORK FOR PEACE!” ”Just testing!” Pontius replies. ”Same here,” God speaks back.

The memorial offering stops people from just making the priests happy
This is about God

There should be something that stops us, that catches us, that helps us to remember to honor god

Just pretending is no good
Going thru the motions of faith is not enough
Itis better to be transformed than to worship………
To obey is better than sacrifice
1 Sam 15: 22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

This point is made clear in 1 cor 13
if I can do all of these religious things, but have not love….

Do we settle for going thru the motions, or does God get a hold of you?
Does he? How?

Everyone has a shrine where they worship
Where do you go to worship?

How many altars are there in your life?

How many of them are about me?

How many of them are dedicated to the lord?

Remembered for Simple Things Proverbs 15:1-5 5-30-04

Proverbs 15:1-5 memorial day remembered for simple things

Intro—Robert Nicholas, new baby, forgot his name

Memory matters
Memory is important
Memory marks our ability to measure ourselves
· We want to quit something because we are not as good at it anymore
· We want to quit because we embarrassed our selves.
With out memory there is no measuring
To exercise the gift of memory is to open the door to deeper thought
To consider the past and apply it to the present

How will we be remembered
Walking the ground at Mt Washington
Sinners and saints
Gosh what a great person….the millionaire? Or the kind person
Its not the big things that count, it is the little things that matter

Scripture….expressing kindness
………………….
Grandma will be 95 years old on Mother’s Day. It shouldn’t surprise me that she didn’t know who I was when I saw her last weekend—but it did. She knew me at Christmas. Was the marked decline because they had moved her from assisted living to nursing care or had they moved her because of the decline? I guess it really doesn’t matter—she still didn’t remember me.As we sat talking about the insignificant stuff you talk about with people you don’t really know, I laid my hand on her back. She immediately leaned forward and as I started rubbing her back she began smiling and purring. When it was time to go, she asked me to come again soon.The next day when I arrived at her door, she looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Grandma,” I said. “Do you remember me today?” “Of course I do,” she replied indignantly. “You are the girl who rubs my back.” I guess sometimes what I do is more important than who I am.

Sad when power of memory is ignored
Some wish to forget, or ignore their behavior, excuse it away
How you behave is how you will be remembered
And so to the scripture, what is coming out of your mouth…..
Mean words, selfish words, kind words?
Looking into a glass then forgets who he is…James 1
Gentle answer turns away others wrath…..yours too!

Damage to relationships…….
There’s a story about a city dweller who was visiting relatives on a farm and the farmer gave a whistle and his dog herded the cattle into the corral, then latched the gate with her paw. "Wow, that’s some dog. What’s her name?" The forgetful farmer thought a minute, then asked, "What do you call that red flower that smells good and has thorns on the stem?" "A rose?" "That’s it!" The farmer turned to his wife. "Hey Rose, what do we call this dog?"

Kicker
· Did you come here hoping to get something today? Its memorial day weekend, you could have skipped…..many did…..
· I can relate to this, can you? I think so.
· Are you nice to people, does the way you carry yourself, and the things that you say reflect the love of Jesus Christ?
· Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting.
· No gift is so cherished no gift is so emblazoned into our memories as an act of kindness freely given
· Tomorrow is a new day, start afresh

Conclusion
It is testament to the overwhelming success of the World War II generation that we can barely imagine a conflict in which nearly 300 young servicemen and women died each day—

Heroes of WW2---Most of us never had the chance
Thank God, what a blessing, we never had the chance to face evil and give our lives to save the world from it.

Does this mean that our lives to not matter?--Of course not.
We will be remembered as heroes of peace time
Those who got the chance to live in the day that others fought to make such a day possible for us.

Lets remember them and give thanks for what they did
Lets remember the chances we have to leave positive memories on those around us










Joke
An Australian travel writer touring Canada was checking out of the Vancouver Hilton, and as he paid his bill said to the manager, “By the way, what’s with the Indian chief sitting in the lobby? He’s been there ever since I arrived.””Oh that’s ‘Big Chief Forget-Me-Not,’” said the manager. “The hotel is built on an Indian reservation, and part of the agreement is to allow the chief free use of the premises for the rest of his life. He is known as ‘Big Chief Forget-Me-Not’ because of his phenomenal memory. He is 92 and can remember the slightest details of his life.”The travel writer took this in, and as he was waiting for his cab decided to put the chief’s memory to the test.”G’dye, myte!” said the Aussie, receiving only a slight nod in return. “What did you have for breakfast on your 21st birthday?””Eggs,” was the chief’s instant reply, without even looking up, and indeed the Aussie was impressed.He went off on his travel writing itinerary, right across to the East coast and back, telling others of Big Chief Forget-Me-Not’s great memory. (One local noted to him that ‘How’ was a more appropriate greeting for an Indian chief than ‘G’dye myte.’)On his return to the Vancouver Hilton six months later, he was surprised to see ‘Big Chief Forget-Me Not’ still sitting in the lobby, fully occupied with whittling away on a stick.”How,” said the Aussie.”Scrambled,” said the Chief.

Scripture
Prov 15:1-5
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
5 A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
3 The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.


James 1
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Memorial Day 5-25-03

Sermon 5-25-03

Memorial day
Time to remember---time to despair

Pretending-- Carly simon

Psalmist…I know a place where worship is found
Where life’s issues are left behind

Problems
Let down
Ups and downs
Facing problems in life

Jacob
Running from Laban, fearing esau
Left alone….wrestled with the angel

Sometimes going to church is not enough
Bow down in worship….Pray til the only thing that matters is God
Let go of everything that ever held you back
Nothing left but a clean heart

Depths of problems…..

Can only hold onto one thing in life at a time
We tend to let go of problems….but we don’t let go
Take last finger tips off of problems
Cant let go until every part of you is grasping God
Carry too much that you can t hold it all


Conclusion
I know a place….where you can meet with God
Peace
Comfort

Thankful Even When... Philippians 4:11-13 11-17-02

Sermon 11-17-02 thankful even when…. Phil 4:11-13

Pony story

Paul to phillipians…..dirty, hungry, scared, hiding, fed to lions
I have learned in all things to be content

Paul had the life, wealth, prestige, power
Paul gave up the life….poor, rejected,

We can be thankful even when things aren’t going well because

1. it can always be worse
I had no shoes, he had no feet
Man who’s daughter died

2. we learn and grow in times of trial….James 1:2
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Rob Blair

3. because this is still good
thanksgiving Sunday in Mozambique

4. because in times of trial I rely on him more 2 Corinthians 12:10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Jeff Madden

Finally we can be thankful because we have Christ
I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me
Gina Kennedy

German pastor…now thank we all our God

Prayer
So not focus on circumstances, focus on God
Find your strength not in things, but in him
Then we will be content because we have found the Christ who strengthens us



I cried because I had no shoes Until I saw a man who had no feet.
I don't recall when I first heard the phrase. It seems that I've known it forever. Whenever I thought that my life was horrible, I would remember it and realize that many were much worse off than I. It helped to put my problems in perspective.
When Nicki died, I thought again of the old phrase. This time, though, I felt that I was "the man who had no feet." There was no one worse off than I.
I was able to count the ways that my loss was the worst. Eighteen, I was convinced, was the worst possible age for a child to be when they died. A sudden death was much worse than a long-term illness because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
I even thought it was worse to lose a daughter than a son because a daughter would be more like her mother and therefore more likely to be a friend in addition to being a child.
With the passage of more than five years, however, I have gained a little bit of perspective again. There are some worse off than I am. Since meeting some of you personally and others who I just know a little about, I can see how each loss has its own unique pain.
The loss of a little one means the loss of the joy of childhood and the dreams. The loss of an older child means losing the person you have come to know over years.
A sudden loss means there's no chance to finish things and to say goodbye. A long-term illness makes it necessary to think of finishing things and saying goodbye.
As for losing a son or a daughter, I realize now that the thought is a ridiculous one. The relationship may be different, but is no less loving and real.
I feel now that others who have lost children are closer to "having no feet" than I am. I hear your stories or see things on the news and I am grateful that I didn't have to go through those things.
But the ones who I feel are the worst off are the ones who never had anyone to love and to be loved by. They may have feet, but they have no hearts.

Father's Day Romans 8:12-17 6-19-02

Sermon 6-19-02 fathers day Romans 8:14-17
I am not a perfect father
Always something that your children could say in a bad light
Like to be know as one of the good ones
Like to thing that for every bad one there was 50 good stories

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes from above from the father
List gifts that fathers give

Do our fathers love us?
My dad loved me, showed it by a,b,c
Taught me about values
Shoes, not new, but shoes
Taught me to respect my mother
Heard it first when I was 38

Earthly parents usually provide intellectual or emotional
Rarely the spiritual and character guidance needed
1960 17% no biological father present
1990 38% no biological father present
some inner city neighborhoods 80% no biological father present

Someone must love our children……
Allen Walden’s letter
Like to tell my children how I feel about them today
• Everynight when I lock the doors before bed……
• Everynight when I go in to check on you….
• Every day that I leave lunch money on the table….
• Everytime I drive you somewhere……
• Everytime we share a joke…..
• Everytime I invite you to work around the house…..
• Everytime I am hugging you…. Everytime we have a talk….
• Every time that I tell you that I love you, I m telling you that I love you

Abba Father………….Daddy
We don’t get it

Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ
Except your inability to understand and appropriate it

Someone here in the pews that you like
Who is it
Stand up …they are excited about you.
God is more excited than that
This is how he feels about you…..happy fathers day
This love is the tie that binds

Hearts of the Fathers to the Children Malachi 4:1-6 6-17-01

Sermon 6-17-01 Fathers Day
Mal 4:1-6 Hearts of the fathers to the children

Men Jokes

No more serious subject than fatherhood
Christian….yes
Husband…yes
Fatherhood is one of the major arenas where our faith is played out

Malachi prophecies
John the Baptist
The work of Christ in restoring relationships

Hearts of the fathers to the children
Hearts need to be changed

• Submitted hearts
Moses…take off your shoes, you are on holy ground
Never trust anyone who isn’t someone elses sheep

• Working hearts
Bring in the bacon
Work around the house
Work with the family/work at the family

• Home is where the heart is
Hearts that know where home is
Hearts are pulled away
Bowling/hobbies/friends/others
Life can be frustrating
Go home
They need you

Erma bombeck story

Close…blest be the tie that binds

Valentines Day - 1Corinthians13 - Feb. 11, 2001

Sermon 2-11-01 1 cor 13 Valentines Day

Read scripture
Read from book of discipline
Being made perfect in love

Ive heard this all before

Ok, let’s talk about something else
Sin…..what is the root of sin?
Particular acts, a list of rules
Self centeredness
Story of 8 year old girl….Daddy doesn’t fuss about it

Ok, love is important
I want to give up, I have been hurt
Story of my mom, I gave up 30 years ago

Thank God, that God did not give up

Demello it is I/It is you
If you don’t understand this story, spend some time thinking
There is only room for one

We love because he first loved us 1 jn 4:19
God’s valentine is Jesus

Story of 2 soldiers
I knew you would come

Someone is waiting for you
Someone is waiting for you to give of yourself