Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Much of my life can be characterized by the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I’ve never really been the best at anything, but I am proud to say that I’m mediocre at a ton of things. Back in high school, I remember competing to be the best in a lot of areas. I competed to get the best grades, and I ended up graduating second in my class, not first. I competed in 5k races, and I never got the gold medal, or any medal for that matter. What are…continue reading →

When have you felt the most secure? The most safe? Is Christianity radical? Is following Jesus radical? Yes. The Bible says that God has come to make a home within you. Jesus said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” (Luke 13:20-21) God's plan is like this invisible ingredient that's meant to spread through everything, the entire world. But before He can do that, God has intended to claim every acre…continue reading →

One verse I want to focus on today is Hebrews 13:8. One verse. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) You've probably heard people say that the God in the Old Testament was kind of harsh and kind of judgmental. Maybe even you've read your Bible and you've even thought that. I know I've thought that. On the other hand, maybe you've thought that the God in the New Testament, He's all loving. Forgiving. He changes, it what it seems like. They call this the Duality of God. He's…continue reading →

Have you heard of television show, "The Walking Dead"? It's a really well done show, but the reason it's well done has nothing to do with zombies. The reason it's well done is because it begs the question, "What is a human being?" And, "What is the point of merely surviving? Is merely surviving what we're after?" Merle, of The Walking Dead, does some bad things and says some bad things. Merle gets questioned about, "Why do you do the things that you do?" And he says, "I'm a God-forsaken mystery to myself."…continue reading →

Who's prayed, "What is your will, God?" I prayed it the most in my teens and twenties. All this freedom is given to you, and you wonder, "What is the will of God?" Romans 12:1-2. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what…continue reading →

We believe something quite extraordinary. God wants to speak to us. One of my favorite things to do is to spot gospel themes in books, movies, stories, quotes. I love finding God in the stories we tell each other. Today, though, we're just looking at a quote. Here's the quote: Oh my soul, be prepared for the coming of the Stranger. Be prepared for him who knows how to ask questions. There is one who remembers the way to your door: Life you may evade, but Death you shall not. You shall not…continue reading →

You may have heard this story about two hunters. They were out in the woods hunting when one of them collapsed. He didn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes were glazed over. The other hunter quickly whipped out his phone and called emergency services. He gasped, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator replied, "Remain calm. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There’s a silence; then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the hunter says, "OK, now what?" Of course, that’s just an absurd…continue reading →

I want to give out some candy this morning. Who wants some candy? What will you give me for this piece of candy? Sounds like a good trade. Here you go. Who else wants some? What can you do for it? Sounds good. Here you go. Anyone else? Here you go, you can have one. Here you go, you can have two. Here, I’ll give you five. Some of you may be thinking right now, “That’s not fair! He got more than me! And I had to work for mine! He didn’t have…continue reading →

We're in Matthew 22 looking at the two great commandments that Jesus gave us. An expert in the law asked Jesus this question, "Teacher, which commandment in the law in the greatest?" And He said to them, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All of the law and the prophets depend on these two commands." (Matthew 22:36-40) Jesus uses the word "love." The…continue reading →

I read a story about a severely overweight man with a gym membership. He got a membership at his local fitness center because he knew he needed to get some exercise, but he never ever actually went to the gym because he knew it would be a lot of work. And yet month after month, year after year, he renewed his membership out of wishful thinking. He saw the benefits of diet and exercise, but didn’t see them as valuable enough to actually change his lifestyle. That all changed when he fell in…continue reading →