Category Archives: Sermons
Nothing Will Separate Us
(Sermon I preached March 22, 2020 at Avenue United Methodist Church) On June 19, 2006, Andrea and I made our way to Kent General to prepare for the birth of our eldest daughter, Abigail. Abbie was already ten days late, … Continue reading
Centered on Gratitude
This past Sunday, I preached on Colossians 2:6-15. At the beginning of this section of scripture, Paul writes: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in … Continue reading
Living Generously
The story of the Rich Young Man (or the Rich Young Ruler) in Matthew 19:16-22 is always a difficult passage. People ask me if Jesus really meant for the young man to sell everything before following him. Honestly, I ask … Continue reading
Fight Club: The Battle to be Present
At Hope and Magnolia Churches, we’ve been in a series called Fight Club where we are looking at the battles that we all face. This past Sunday, we looked at the battle to be present in our relationships with one … Continue reading
Awkward Family Christmas: Rahab’s Faith
At Hope and Magnolia churches, we began a new series called “Awkward Family Christmas.” On the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas, we’ll be looking at some of the people in Jesus’ genealogy found in Matthew 1 and consider the “awkward” … Continue reading
Awkward Family Christmas: Pt. 1
Yesterday, at Hope and Magnolia churches, we began a new series called “Awkward Family Christmas.” On the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas, we’ll be looking at some of the people in Jesus’ genealogy found in Matthew 1 and consider the … Continue reading
The Power of Small Things
We are in week two of our series At The Movies at Hope Church and Magnolia United Methodist Church. Each week we are looking at a movie as a parable that can open up dialogue to teach us something about ourselves … Continue reading
Sentness: Safe Places
We are in a series called Sentness which is based off of the book by the same name. You can go to hopedover.com/#/media to listen to sermons (when they record). Below is my manuscript which is written to help me preach- … Continue reading
Parables of Jesus: The Good Samaritan
Around ten years ago, I read Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation” about the stories and lives of the men and women who served in World War II. It was a captivating book. What really struck me about … Continue reading
A Message For A Wedding Day
This past Saturday I had the honor of officiating the wedding of my sister-in-law, Marci, to my new brother-in-law, Darryl. It was a great day! The couple picked out a scripture from Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs- … Continue reading
Exiled Community 