Here's the video of my sermon entitled, "Living for the Glory of God." It was preached at Mountainview on October 29-30, 2016.
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You are probably familiar with the concept of the bell curve. A bell curve is quite simple. Take people who play golf over the course of any given year. Those on the right side of the curve will be really good. Those on the left side will be dangerously bad. But the majority of people are neither really good or really bad. They are just in the middle. Take Michael Jordan. When it comes to dunking a basketball, he would be on the far right side of basketball bell curve. Then there's nerdy guys like me -- on the far left of the bell curve. Millions of Michael Jordan wannabees would be in the middle. But here’s the problem: every day we are bombarded with the best of the best – it's either the greatest, the funniest, or the biggest. But where do I live most of the time? In the middle. Unfortunately, we’ve become…
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OK, I'll admit to being a life-long Chicago Cubs fan. Not always rabid or a statistic nerd, but a fan nonetheless. When you are born and raised in Peoria, IL (the home of Joe Girardi and Pete Vonachen), it's hard to not be a Cubs fan -- unless you prefer winning and become a Cardinals fan. I've met Harry Carey, been to Wrigley Field, and have an autographed picture of Ernie Banks. There's a reason Cubs fans are often referred to as "die hards." There has always been a soft spot for the Cubs, no matter where we've lived. So ... since one of my heroes during high school was Ryne Sandberg, I thought I would pass along part of his Hall of Fame induction speech. It's about much more than just baseball. (You can watch the entire speech below). "I played it right because that’s what you’re supposed to do, play…
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In doing research for this weekend’s message, I came across this letter from one friend to another and thought I’d share it with you. Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble. The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet, her soft words are oh so smooth. But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth, a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart. She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death; she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her. She hasn’t a clue about Real Life, about who she is or where she’s going. So, my friend, listen closely; don’t treat my words casually. Keep your distance from such a woman; absolutely stay out…
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Imagine a giant 15,000-piece jigsaw puzzle in a big cardboard box. Now imagine a married couple locked up in a room together where the only way out is to solve this jigsaw puzzle without the box top. Without the box top, they won’t know what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like. Does it sound stressful, even impossible? I imagine it could possibly lead to murder! Unfortunately, many marriages are just like that – not murder, but the jigsaw puzzle. When Tonya and I got married, we each brought a variety of puzzle pieces into our marriage – ideas about how marriage works, who would do what, how to do holidays. Although we came from a similar background and upbringing, we still had work to do. Making it even more difficult is that we live in a culture that no longer agrees what the finished puzzle should look like. If…
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