Understanding Depression: A Biblical, Personal, and Therapeutic Narrative

Introduction

I want to begin with an expression of deep sympathy to the parents of Evan Cheung, Andrew and Julia Cheung, and his sister Ashley. ...

The Woman Who Never Laughed

Introduction

I would like to tell you the story of a woman who never laughed. Okay, she chuckled when her husband told a stupid joke and she giggled at ...

Humble Leadership

Introduction

The goal for this series, "Four Pillars of a Healthy Community," is for us to look at the vision that Jesus was putting on display when he ...

The God of the Left-handed

Introduction

Simon Birch is a funny and sad movie about two 12-year-old boys, Simon Birch, who is a little-person, and his friend Joe. Rejected and ignored ...

A Journey of Hope

Introduction

Today I'd like to look at Psalm 84. Someone once called the book of Psalms "the soul's medicine chest," and I think that's a good description. ...

New Eyes for New Life

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 10:46-52, which we identify as the account of a young man who was blind named Bartimaeus. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem ...

Jesus Christ: His Human Nature

"The gospel of God … regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendent of David …" (Romans 1:3).

Paul says, "Jesus Christ is ...

When the Bottom Falls Out

I remember the events that led to her tears. My wife, Kathy, had come home from a weekly grocery trip with more than groceries to be concerned about. ...

Faith in the Furnace

How do you win the World Series? A few decades ago, when the New York Mets were the underdog darlings of the National League, two young pitchers told ...

It Doesn't Sting Anymore

Introduction

Tony Campolo, at the end of a sermon titled, "The Year of Jubilee," tells this story:

I went to my first black funeral when I was 16 years ...

Gentleness

Introduction

This is the seventh week we've been growing through our study of the fruit of the Spirit. This week we're going to look at gentleness. You ...

Freedom

Introduction

In the summer of my 11th year of life, I learned the power and joy of surrender. It happened in Minnesota at the Edina community swimming ...

Big God/Little God

Introduction

When our first child was quite small, we used to ask her, "Laura, how big are you?" She wasn't even a year old—couldn't even hardly ...

Desperate Hearts

Introduction

Some years ago I experienced something that just about every stressed-out, 40-something American male experiences - chest pains. You know, ...

The Strangest Gift

Introduction

In her book Tramp for the Lord, Corrie ten Boom tells the story of an old woman she met in Russia in the time of the Communist persecution ...

Comfort for the Troubled Heart

Introduction

The Allies had planned Operation Overlord for years, amassing vast armies, an incredible navy, and enough arms to release Europe from the ...

Redneck Christmas

Editor's note: The following monologue is delivered in character by a shepherd named Larry. There was a live nativity scene on stage for the Children's ...

The Shadow of Jesus

Introduction

Well over a hundred years ago, Robert Robinson wrote a hymn that resonates with many of us. One line reads like this: "Prone to wander, ...

A Strange Résumé

Introduction

It's the most dreaded question of the job interview, and when the time comes, you can't seem to push the words out of your mouth. "Tell me," ...

Beyond Comfort

Introduction

Where do you turn for comfort when you encounter loss, pain, or disappointment? Some people turn to food. For some reason, certain foods—like ...

Unbreakable?

Introduction

M. Night Shyamalan's film Unbreakable begins with a train wreck. Everyone on board is killed—over a hundred people—except for ...

The Christian Subculture: Righteous or Rubbish?

Introduction

As believers, we sometimes feel pressured to act in certain ways, fit in with certain norms, or participate in certain activities. The pressure ...

Battered into Submission

Introduction

Not long ago, someone said to me, "I've never heard a sermon about violence in the home. I've never heard the preacher pray about it. I've ...

Back to Reality

Introduction

Do you know what it is like to have a mountaintop experience and then come down hard when necessity forces you to get back to reality? Maybe ...

Changing What We Are Powerless to Change

This is the final week of our series called "This Year Will Be Different." We've been talking about principles for creating lasting change in your life. ...