Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

I read a story about two little mischievous boys, ages 8 and 10. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, it was probably one of her sons. So, not knowing where to turn, their mother turned to her pastor. She asked him to come and talk with them, and maybe remind them that God is everywhere and see what they do. So the pastor came to her home and sat down with the younger boy and their mother, and asked the boy,…continue reading →

I watched a movie with my family this past week that I highly recommend, called Church People. [Picture of Church People] The movie is all about how ridiculous churches can be when it comes to trying to be hip and relevant, when the most important thing is simply to get the gospel right, because the gospel is the good news of great joy that shall be for all people, and it’s the gospel itself that’s the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. I want to show one scene from this…continue reading →

Not including my brother, I remember being in two fights with other kids growing up, and in each of the fights, it was because I was standing up to a bully. I remember the first time, I was in like the third grade, and there was a bully on the playground who pushed me to the ground, and I jumped up and started swinging at him. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that approach, but it was probably pretty funny because the guy was like three times my size. The second fight I remember being…continue reading →

You’ve probably noticed this, but we often say and do a lot of things that just don’t make a lot of sense. Like, have you ever said the phrase, “It’s always in the last place that you look?” Well, of course it’s always in the last place that you look! Because you wouldn’t continue to look for it once you found it, would you? And have you ever said, “Knock, knock” while entering a house? Why do we do that? We’re already in the house! My son Cory sent me this picture this…continue reading →

You’ve probably seen this illustration before. In the illustration, there are six blind men all touching various parts of an elephant. One touches the trunk and thinks that the elephant is like a snake. Another touches a tusk and thinks that the elephant is like a spear. Another tries to reach his arms around a massive leg and thinks that the elephant is like a large tree, and so on. The illustration of the blind men and the elephant is most often used to say that religious people tend to argue with each…continue reading →

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We’re going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 5, so go ahead and turn there. While you do, I want to start by asking you a quick question. What’s your goal for today? What do you want to do? Take just a few seconds to leave it in the chat, and as you read other responses, encourage one another. I’ll give you just a minute to do that. What’s your goal for today? [pause to discuss] So my goal for today is just to get a little rest and enjoy spending time with…continue reading →

We’re going to talk this morning about unity. [Unity Movie Montage] The cool thing about the church is that even when we’re apart, we can and should have unity. Having church in this format always allows us to do things just a little different, so I like to take advantage of that. So, to start out, I want to do something that I can only do via video, and not in person, and that’s this. [snaps fingers, clothes instantly change] [NEW LOOK] I love doing that. Here, let’s do it again. [snaps fingers]…continue reading →

In his book What’s So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey wrote about a girl who grew up in a loving family, yet always misunderstood their loving guidance as them being overly judgmental and controlling. So as a teenager, she ran away, and eventually found herself living as a homeless prostitute, until she remembered how good she had it back at home. “God, why did I leave,” she said to herself. “My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She’s sobbing, and more than anything else in the world she wants to…continue reading →

My sermon today is about prayer, so I want to begin by reading some prayers that I found online that were written by children. Dear God, please send a new baby for Mommy. The baby you sent last week cries too much. Debbie, age 7 Has anyone ever felt that way about a new baby in your home? Dear God, who did you make smarter? Boys or girls? My sister and I want to know. Jimmy, age 6 It’s a legitimate question. I kind of want to know the answer, too. Dear God,…continue reading →