Something strange happened this past Sunday.  Our service lasted an hour and twenty minutes.  As of yet, I don't know that the bishop has been contacted.  I'm just saying; this kind of stuff doesn't happen everyday.

Last Sunday was Communion Sunday, and we began a sermon series on the book of Job.  I'm never going to short change Communion.  Usually, that means I'll prepare a shorter sermon.  But since this was the first sermon in our new series and was about stuff I know really matters to a lot of people, I went with a typical sermon time.  Of course, I had fun.  I can only pray everyone else was blessed, too.  Tell the truth, you pay attention to what time you get out of church.  Are you a "I could've stay another hour" person or a "One Lord; one faith; one baptism; one hour" person?


The first sermon in our series is entitled "Ashes to Ashes, We All Fall Down."  I had in mind Job sitting "among the ashes" (Job 2:8) as I wrote that title.  We've all been there.  Maybe we weren't throwing fern plants over to break the pots to use as a back scratcher, but we've all had times of loss and pain.  One of the take-away lines from the sermon is: You can do everything right and still have everything go wrong.  Boy, ain't that the truth!

I hope you'll join us for the rest of our series, and begin by listening to the first sermon below.  I can't promise you instant healing or anything, but, hey, there's no charge to listen.  Let me know what you think.

++If you're reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++

Now, go ring around the rosie, or rosy, whichever. Stay blessed...john

I wanted to quickly tell you about our upcoming sermon series.  It is based on the book of Job, and is creatively entitled "Lessons from Job."

It is a 4-week series.  We begin Sunday, October 7, 2012.  If you are in the Shiner area, please stop by and join us for worship.  If not, then boo on you!  Kidding.  If not, then be sure to check back here to listen to the series.



Stay blessed...john

Oh, those disciples.  They were often confused, hard-headed and scared.  If Jesus was the living water, they were the water in the tires after a rain that the weather man says we should dump.  Perhaps that is a little harsh.  Jesus was convinced they were the right people he needed.  They eventually handled the gospel-to-the-world thing pretty well.  Still, some of the things they did and said should really make us glad we're not at all like them.

Mark 9:38-50 is a great ecumenical text.  I am sure there are other great texts to read when you get a bunch of people together who come from different faith backgrounds.  The disciples didn't care too much about some guy they ran across who was using Jesus' name.  This guy didn't run with the disciples.  He probably listened to praise music, or still only used the KJV.  At the very least, this man wasn't one of the disciples.  So, they had to stop him from "casting out demons" in Jesus' name.  But Jesus told them, "Do not stop them."


I promise to write a post soon to tag along with this sermon.  It will based on this sentence I took out of this sermon: Your favorite TV/radio preacher probably gets on my nerves.  The sermon time doesn't provide ample space to fully explain that statement.

Just know that I know God uses all kinds of people to build the Kingdom, and I'm okay with that--most times.  What about you?

This sermon is about recognizing that God does indeed use us all.  God wants to use us all.  Are we willing to let others work for God's glory?  Are we ready to work?  Are we a stumbling block to them or ourselves?

Have a listen and let me know what you think.

++If you are reading by email or news reader, click here to listen to the sermon.++



Stay blessed...john