In this series, we are considering what it means to love God, our neighbors and ourselves. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount will guide the series. You can use the mini sermon player or click on the sermon title to hear each file. Sermon 1: Blessed to Bless Sermon 2: A Super Kind of Faith Sermon 3: A Get-and-Give Life Sermon 4: Neighborly Ways Sermon 5: Last But Not Least, Y...

It's been a while since my last ministry Super Bowl party. The two I can recall were pretty fun with the multiple televisions, food, video games etc. It's funny, though, how a game can have so much attention. Don't get me wrong; I love football. My Sunday afternoons are spent watching games, and I'm a sucker for a good highlight. Oh, and I think the Steelers are going to win. I can't stand to see any other NFC team playing other than mine, and there's...

One thing I wish I could learn to do is sing.  I don't have to be the next Grammy-award winning vocalist.  To be able to lead a song in church that is somewhat bearable for others would be more than enough.  Is that too much to ask for? Since I can't sing , and consequently won't sing, I always appreciate when people are able to do amazing things with their voices.  Case in point. Likewise, this next guy is pretty good.  You can...

...

Technically, this is the second newsletter of the year.  However, last month's edition never made it to the copy machine.  With everything else I was doing then to put a few hours into the newsletter would have been the tipping point for me.  No worries.  We are back on track. I threw the idea out (in the newsletter) about transitioning to a purely digital copy of the newsletter.  The idea is not that we would be unwilling to print...

Sure, I have a Tim Hawkins bias.  I think he's hilarious.  However, you won't regret watching the entire six minutes and thirty seconds of this video. Stay blessed...john +l...

Have you ever heard of broken English? Have you ever heard someone recount an experience with someone else who made use of broken English? What kinds of feelings or attitudes were involved? My experiences have included mostly negative connotations about broken English. Have you ever heard someone you know share their Mexican adventures? Maybe it was a short trip across the border, a honeymoon in their Spanish paradise or just a visit to their favorite...

Do not be so quick to throw away that calendar. You can use it again in a few short years—you Justin Beiber fans will be sorry. In fact, find out exactly when your old calendar will be perfectly fitted to lead you through the year by clicking here:When Can I Reuse This Calendar? People recall events; they remember being a part of the event either by being there, listening or hearing the news. They can tell you how exciting it was to witness the Memorial...

Most of you know how scatter-brained I am. But don't try to pull one over me. At this point in my life: I remember what I forget, and I don’t forget what I remember. How long will that last? Stay blessed...j...

For the sermon yesterday I used this scene from Emo Philips: The sermon was about Christian unity--what it is and what it isn't. It was appropriate for a number of reasons: This was the week of Prayer for Christian Unity; our church is planning our year's work together this week; and Christians need to get on the ball with the whole all-of-them-may-be-one-Father-just-as-you-are-in-me-and-I-am-in-you thing. By the way, what did you think of the video? ...

Music Mondays are good for me; how about you? I like sharing music, especially songs you might have missed. Quite often, music speaks to our experiences as living creatures. Those experiences involve other people, people we love, hate, want to know, people who have wronged us, blessed us or forsaken us. Of course, our music often speaks of our relationship to our Creator as well. But don’t take my word for it. And, don’t let me be the only one who...

There's a common phrase preachers use: That'll preach. Typically, someone shares a story, illustration or saying. Maybe it's a story from the headlines or just some observation. Since preachers are always looking for ways to connect their sermons together, these stories become valuable. Maybe the preacher hasn't decided if she/he would use the illustration; maybe the preacher doesn't know how she/he would use the story. What is sure, though, is that it...

Okay, I'm giving you unlimited access here.  This is probably a place many of you have never gone before--behind the pulpit!  That's right, uncut.  I didn't take time to tidy the place up.  There she is full of pens, dated bulletins and candy wrappers all for the world to see.  And is that really a bottle of hand sanitizer when standing up people will see because it's too tall? So, what's behind your pulpit?  Take a peek and...

Isn’t that just like us? When we come across something we don’t like, the easy thing to do is to try to get rid of it. One guy—probably others as well—isn’t quite happy with The United Methodist Church. So, the easiest thing to do is DREAM it away. Read about it here: Tea partier’s dream: ‘No more United Methodist Church. What bothers you about The UMC (or your church)? Is it worth dreaming it away? Stay blessed…jo...

There was no Christmas holiday festivities or no visiting family. You might say it was another Sunday. Could it be things are back to normal? Here is yesterday's sermon entitled Next Day Delivery. Remember: God provides for today and prepares for the next. ...

Today is the observance of Martin Luther King's birthday.  Most of you know what I think of his work and ministry.  His courage and faithfulness are what I hope I can have when I need them. So, in that light, today's Music Monday features MLK.  Let me tell you a little bit about this.  Last semester I took a class entitled Evil, Suffering and Death in the New Testament.  It was a great class.  In lieu of a final exam we had a...

This would so match another piece of our furniture.  Everyone is always impressed by how devoted our family is to reading when they see our book end table.  It's 5-6 thick books piled on top of each other.  Of course, the top one has a drawer in it and all the others are hollow. This lamp would go perfect with it.  Stay blessed...john +l...

I got this picture from Hyatt's blog.  Is that bad? Michael Hyatt is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishers.  I subscribe to his blog and have benefited from a lot of what he has had to say from time to time. Wednesday he posted the top 100 best-selling Christian books of 2010.  The number one was Jesus Calling.  I haven't read that one, but was surprised to see I have read 15 of the selections. ...

This past Sunday was a blessing for me.  It was the first Sunday Gloria's parents visited my church.  There are a few other mentor types I would be blessed to have join us, but her parents were the ones who started all this preaching business.  So, blame them! As you listen, you can tell it started snowing during the first minute of the sermon.  It was a surprise, and something nice to look at for a little while--besides me :) The title...

We've all known people who have had to say good-bye to a loved one too early, or have to endure some great hardship. What about the spouse who is, with almost no hope otherwise, doing everything to save a failing marriage?  Who do we know with life-altering medical conditions?  How do we respond to those situations? I wonder if most of us are not ready to. The Two No-Nos Somehow we've been trained, insufficiently trained, to respond in two ways...

My kids read better than I do. I’ve done my job! I read a few choose-your-own-ending stories as a kid. The demise of the Autobots was all my fault! How could I handle all that pressure? Consequently, I didn’t start reading regularly until about 8 years ago. Now, it’s something I don’t see how I could do without.  Gloria has a house rule: Keep your books at the office.  Some time ago, I read my first audio book. That was okay. Being able...

So, how has your United Methodist church participated in the Imagine No Malaria campaign?  You do realize the emphasis we are putting on it, right? Our church's UMW and UMM have given an offering to the Imagine No Malaria fund; during our VBS the children collected loose change as well.  We're considering other ways we can be a part of the ministry.  I cam across the following video.It's not from Imagine No Malaria, and it certainly lacks...

Ah, another Monday. I had a high school coach who used to tell us to stop whining about Mondays--be thankful you have one! Wise words? If you ask, "John, what does this Music Monday selection mean for you? How does it relate to who you are as a person, or to our faith as God's people?" My response would be, "I have no idea, but it's really cool to watch." I haven't a clue as to what this song is about. It's more about the dancing than the music....

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions many years ago. They had become rather pointless. Breaking bad habits and toning up sound nice, but you know how it is. Instead of waiting for the 1st of January, I started making New Day resolutions. Waiting for the beginning of the year made it harder to become the new creation I wanted to be. However, I never thought there was anything wrong with making resolutions. Apparently, though, some people do. Read...

Some of these looks familiar, but funny enough to post again. It's Friday; you need a laugh. This will do it. My favorite moment is at the 3-minute mark. Have a great weekend. There's a family wedding for us on Saturday. So, we'll be busy or something. Stay blessed...joh...

Children are a wonderful part of church. They are a blessing and a joy. The sound of feet stomping up and down the stairways is a sign of life we should be thankful for. I would love to say most people feel the same way, but I have heard too many complaints about children making noises during the worship service, scuff marks on the floor and crayons in the pews. That’s another post for another time. To those who are more willing to put up with noises...

In March our church will release a new songbook. It is called Worship & Song. I haven't seen it, but from what I gather it's a mix of old and new. I'm hoping to get a copy when it comes out. You can get a glimpse of what is to come by checking out the Worship & Song website. Would your church be willing to purchase this new resource? Why or why not? Stay blessed...j...

The twelve days of Christmas have come and gone.  Today is Epiphany, the ending of the Christmas season.  There is so much stress surrounding Wal-Mart's Christmas season.  I'm not picking on them; I worked there for five years.  Instead, I'm thinking about the whole commercial aspect of Christmas. The church's Christmas?  Since Christmas Eve we've been celebrating God's light into the world.  No stress.  Our true love gave...

This is an exciting story. Students at John R. Good, an Irving elementary school, have been working on something special since the beginning of the school year. Our church had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of that. Dallas Child shared this story: Higher Learning. What a blessing it was for the students to think about us! If you know Oak Haven, you know the church member mentioned and pictured with the group.  We were so pleased to be able...

So, another first item of the year to scratch off--the first sermon of 2011. I can also scratch this year's first game of Ultimate Frisbee. We played two rounds with our youth yesterday. I'm playing the third round today... Oh, my neck, my back, my neck and my back. Oh, I want $150,000, but we can settle out of court right now for twenty bucks. Bonus points for those of you who didn't have to Google that line to know which movie it came from. Yesterday's...

Happy 2011!  Well, you did it--you made it through 2010.  Maybe you had your doubts or worries at some point, but here you are.  Thanks be to God. Today's Music Monday is a reminder that music is great. It can be fun and uplifting.  It can help us express our worship to God.  It can help bring calmness and clarity.  So, I consider that a gift from the Creator. For all you whipper snappers reading, if you think this next video...