Preacher of Habit

How to Invest Your Life          Nov. 17, 2018 Matthew 25: 14-30             Today we’re continuing our sermon series called “In God We Trust: Biblical Perspectives on Money.” We’ll be considering how God invites each of us to invest our lives in His Kingdom. Would you read with me?             There aren’t too many things that surprise me anymore, but there is something from this passage that I find fascinating. I find it absolutely fascinating that God trusts us. Shocking might be a better word. In the world of faith we usually talk about trusting in God, but this is quite the reversal. God places trust in us! I don’t know what’s going through your mind right now, but I can think of a million different reasons why this isn’t a good idea. I mean, has God taken a good look at us lately? We can’t figure out...

Our Best and All John 6: 1-13 We’re headed into week 2 of our stewardship sermon series called In God We Trust, and today we’re going to talk about giving our best and all. There’s a great story from the Bible that illustrates how one little boy helps us understand what it means to give God our very best. And my hope is that this little boy’s story will inspire us to take our next right step of faith. Would you read with me? I’ve never met anyone in the church who didn’t think helping out here and there was a good idea. Outside the church is another story. But we’re not talking about conversations that go on outside the church; we’re talking about people who have chosen to follow Jesus and are now his disciples. And to my knowledge, I’ve never met a disciple who didn’t contribute financially to the work of God and his kingdom. How much one should give, however, has always been up for debate. If you want to put the brakes on a really good conversation, s...

In God We Trust: For All God Has Given Psalm 116: 1-14, James 1: 16-18 There’s a story that plays out almost every week in our family (and I’m guessing it happens in your family, too), but it’s at least once a week in the Dinger household. Someone will leave a plate of leftovers in the fridge, or a half-finished bottle of root beer, or two lonely little chicken nuggets from the night before…and someone will catch me trying to finish them off. And as they slap my hand away, one of my girls will begin to sternly announce an all-too familiar refrain, “Daaaadddy! Those are MINE!” Most of those moments are funny and playful, but every so often they annoy me. I catch myself thinking, “These girls don’t know how much I’ve done for them. They’ve forgotten that I was the one to buy those chicken nuggets. And besides, I wasn’t asking for the whole box, just for one! And that’s about the time when a conviction stirs in my spirit and I hear a still small voice whisper: ...