Preacher of Habit

May 26-May 27          Style Points! 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, 13      1 Samuel 17: 32-40             Today we continue our journey into the spiritual gifts, discovering the talent God has given to us. And I hope you’ve been learning a lot and enjoying this series. We began a few weeks ago with a sermon on rediscovering our God-given purpose, then last week we looked at 4 important pieces of advice when operating out of our gifts. Today we add another layer to this topic with a conversation about style, because God not only cares deeply about what we do, but also deeply about what we do.             Last Saturday, much of the world was smitten with the most recent royal wedding. Many people were glued to their tv’s or devices as they watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say their “I do’s....

May 19 and 20, 2018           You’ve Got Skills!       Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-14 Today we continue to explore the topic of spiritual gifts, one of the many ways God equips us to continue the holy work started by Jesus. Last week we looked at purpose and were reminded that we’ve been created to reflect the character of God. Today we explore the ways God intends to make that happen. I invite you to read with me… I don’t know about your early church experience, but growing up in my small church, we did a lot of singing, especially in Sunday school. You can ask any of my Wildfire youth and young adults- that love for singing has carried over into my ministry, and the sillier the song, the more likely we are to sing it! We sang a lot of growing up because my church seemed to subscribe to the idea that theology is better caught than taught. And I learned a lot that way. But I was re...

No Auditions Necessary         May 12 and 13 Scripture: Ephesians 2 and 4 Today we’re beginning a new sermon series on spiritual gifts. There are over 20 spiritual gifts listed in the Bible, and today you’ll find an activity that will begin to teach you about those gifts. We thought it might be a fun way to help you learn. But teaching on spiritual gifts must always be framed as part of our larger purpose and calling. So that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Let’s read. A well-known blog editor had an idea: She would try out for the hit show “America’s Got Talent.” Like many of us, she’s watched the dreams-coming-true performances from people who just want to make it in the world and wondered if she could be one of them. So she set out on her journey. It was a long day. She waited in line for hours, with young and old hope-filled contestants, each awkwardly practicing their unique talent until their name was call...