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1 Peter 2:18-25
1. There are several sub-themes in the passage this morning but they all support the major theme about which Peter is writing the church: the rules of our relationships with people in our lives. This first verse and the final verse serve as book-ends in a way. The term “submit” carries a good deal of baggage and it is oftentimes used to mean “cringe in fear” or be like a broken horse. It is not that at all. It is a military term that means we have a place in our unit where we play a role. Playing that role and accepting the rightful authority of the officer in charge…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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The Wheat and the Weeds
In the last year I have been wondering how so much great art literature business success music ” charity and church growth have been accomplished by such distorted -and oftentimes tortured – personalities. If you read a few biographies” other than George Washington and a very few others ” you get a sense of how extraordinary talent is almost invariably carried by cracked souls and inflated egos. One of my favorite quotes is from “Amadeus” wherein Salieri pronounces his judgment on Mozart and God at the same time: “I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theater” conferring on all who sat there perfect absolution. God was singing through…
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I’ll Fly Away
Today I went to the funeral of a young 29-year-old man who killed himself after nine years of fighting schizophrenia. He had Christian music playing in his car and a book by his pastor on the seat next to him. Until he went away to college he was “normal” and showed absolutely no signs of mental illness. He was a kid. Just a kid. Schizophrenia is a disease that typically begins in early adulthood; between the ages of 15 and 25. Men tend to develop schizophrenia slightly earlier than women and whereas most males become ill between 16 and 25 years old, most females develop symptoms several years later. As…
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I'll Fly Away
Today I went to the funeral of a young 29-year-old man who killed himself after nine years of fighting schizophrenia. He had Christian music playing in his car and a book by his pastor on the seat next to him. Until he went away to college he was “normal” and showed absolutely no signs of mental illness. He was a kid. Just a kid. Schizophrenia is a disease that typically begins in early adulthood; between the ages of 15 and 25. Men tend to develop schizophrenia slightly earlier than women and whereas most males become ill between 16 and 25 years old, most females develop symptoms several years later. As…
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1 Peter 2:11-17
These are big themes this morning and they are about the tensions in the life of a Christian. In some ways they reflect the tension in the life of Peter himself – an impetuous firebrand when young and now an older and more moderate leader of the early church. They reflect the tension of the young believers working to figure out their identity. Are they Jewish or Gentile? Should they fight for their freedom as a right or some remain slaves? What is their purpose as a church and believers? When will the Lord return and what should they do between now and then? What is their relationship to corrupt…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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The Beginning at the End
My father grew up in poverty in Nashville ” Tennessee. My grandfather was a pastor” who also happened to be an Irishman named Bunyan. He was somewhat forced to move from church to church because he would tell the truth about the departed at funerals. However ” my grandmother was determined that my Dad would get out of their poor neighborhood and – while making something of himself – he would make something of her life as well. She could not go but she could send him to be successful. As many of you know” men who become successful often discover the allure of expensive cars. My Dad discovered…
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Life Is Hard
A recent column by David Brooks 'The Life Reports' included this line:
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Introduction for Scott Harrison – The Gathering 2012
These are Scott Harrison’s word. “In 2004, I left the streets of New York City for the shores of West Africa. I’d made my living for years in the big Apple promoting top nightclubs and fashion events, for the most part living selfishly and arrogantly. Desperately unhappy, I needed to change. Faced with spiritual bankruptcy, I wanted desperately to revive a lost Christian faith with action and asked the question: What would the opposite of my life look like?” Scott and I have a lot in common. Few of you know I made my living promoting fashion events – but at calf roping contests in East Texas. I’m not going…
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Introduction for Todd Hendricks – The Gathering 2012
Max De Pree wisely says the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. That’s sage counsel but it almost assumes a steady course and fair winds. What is the role of the leader when the bottom falls out and the reputation of the company and your personal integrity are being called into question. Reporters are showing up at the door and employees are losing their jobs. Millions in assets are being washed away. What’s the first responsibility of the leader then? We talked a little Thursday night about those volcanic intrusions and upheavals in…
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Worry
I grew up with two competing perspectives on worry. The first was Mad magazine’s idiotic Alfred E.
