Contributors
Steve's church

Maple Grove Christian Church
Charlottesville, Virginia 22911
434-973-2066

About Steve
  • Education: I spend 9 1/2 years in the submarine force of the United States Navy in the nuclear power field. At age 27 I enrolled at Florida Christian College and graduated with a BA in 1992. I graduted from Loch Raven Sr High in Baltimore Maryland in 1978. Home of the best seafood in the world. And the best beach - go O.C.!
  • Experience: I have been in full time ministry since December of 1991 serving in 3 churches in Florida and 1 in Georgia before coming to Virginia.
  • Comment to those looking at my sermons: If anything I have put down can help you - I think that is sooo awesome! Back in Kindergarten I was told to share and I can think of nothing better than sharing truths of God with fellow believers (but don’t ask me to share chocolate with you - that would be asking too much). Feel free to use all you can - nothing is ever 100% original. And sorry for all the typos.
  • Sermon or series that made a difference: A verse by verse study of the Gospel of Matthew.
  • Family: I am married to an incredible lady named Lauire who is not only a partner at home but a great partner in ministry, she teaches me much and keeps me on my toes. I have 5 children - Chelsea, John, Leila, Mei-Leigh, Jin-Tao (the two youngest were adopted from China) and I have 7 grandchildren (Zebulon, Micaiah, Micah, Asher, Lucy, Cana, Ezra)
  • What my parents think of my sermons: My dad went home to be the Lord in Sept of 1999. My mom went home in August of 2013 but she loved my messages - you know how moms are.
  • What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: I think, she thinks they rock... but that they could be a little shorter. I’m working on that.
  • Best advice given to me about preaching: Make sure that you are spending time with God as a first priority - you know what I mean Q.T.’s (quiet times) - it is hard to talk about a personal God if you don’t have a personal relationship to him. I find that when I have been ’hangin’ with God things flow naturally. ALSO when you preach make every effort to do so for God and not the applause of men (I find that to be hard at times). REMEMBER - your job is to put the beauty of the Christ on display not your own or even your churches’.
  • Books that have had an impact: Waking The Dead, Signature of Jesus, Seizing Your Divine Moment, ME, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
  • Hobbies: Hanging with my wife & kids... Reading books, playing racketball and working out. Watching the NFL.
  • If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: There is nothing greater in life then KNOWING Christ. He is all we need.
  • Something funny that happened while preaching: Once when I was trying to rent out my house I forgot and left my pager on.. Right in the middle of my sermon it went off (I was talking about materailism) - I turned it off and then acted as though God had just given me a message - the people got a kick out of it.. Also I once preached an entire sermon with my zipper down (I’ve been paranoid about that ever since)
  • What I want on my tombstone: He saved nothing for the next life
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Newest Sermons

  • Reasons To Praise

    Contributed on Nov 20, 2023
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,097 views

    No matter what we are facing or going through we still have many reasons to be thankful.

    Reason To Praise Thanksgiving 2022 Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5… Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 And He writes in Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving ...read more

  • Stop Worrying About...

    Contributed on Oct 18, 2023
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,226 views

    in this conversation we will unpack #1 - the problem of worry # 2 the way 'out of' worry (using the phrase 'stop it' as an acrostic)

    Stop Worrying About... Dismiss Grove KIDZ 2000 years ago on the hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever preached. NOW - over the years we have known it as, The Sermon On The...... Mount. AND WHAT - this message basically is, is Jesus’ Kingdom Manifesto. ...read more

  • Storing Up Treasure

    Contributed on Aug 9, 2023
    based on 2 ratings
     | 1,894 views

    In this conversation we will answer 3 very important questions in regard to our treasures... 1) Where’s your heart? 2) How’s your vision? 3) Whose your master?

    Storing Up Treasure Matthew 6:19-24 Welcome to church. Welcome to day 50 of the year 2023! So – how is the new year going for you? NOW – I want to begin our time this morning... by reading the passage of Scripture that we will unpack today. It is Matthew 6:19-24... let's take turns reading it ...read more

  • What Happens When The Church Prays

    Contributed on Jul 28, 2023
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,934 views

    The way I want to attack this conversation is by looking at 3 statements: 1) What Prayer Is 2) What Prayer Can Do 3) When the Church Prays (6 awesome things happen)

    What Happens When The Church Prays Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the ...read more

  • Getting The Victory Over Temptation

    Contributed on Jul 28, 2023
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,066 views

    To get the victory over temptation... we must know: 1) our enemy 2) our responsibility 3) our God

    Getting The Victory Over Temptation The King and His Kingdom OKAY – I want to start off today by reading a passage from the book of Deuteronomy. Anyone know... • What the name means? Second law • What section of the Bible it is found in? Pentateuch (5 books) In this book the new generation ...read more

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Newest Sermon Series

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Newest Sermon Illustrations

  • In The Name Of Jesus Stop!

    Contributed on Sep 7, 2022
    based on 2 ratings
     | 1,963 views

    Telemachus was a monk in the 4th century. One day in prayer, He felt called by God to leave immediately and head to Rome. So he put his possessions in a sack and headed out. Upon arriving in Rome, he was immediately caught up in the crowd. The crowd was immense and excited. Soon ...read more

  • Forgiveness

    Contributed on Feb 3, 2021
    based on 2 ratings
     | 5,967 views

    It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken, moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. It was 1947 and I had come from ...read more

  • Giving

    Contributed on Oct 2, 2019
    based on 1 rating
     | 3,496 views

    “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving ...read more

  • No - I Don't Look As Good As When I Was Brand ...

    Contributed on Mar 15, 2005
    based on 1 rating
     | 7,099 views

    NO - I don’t look as good as when I was brand new… AND - that’s why I need someone who will hold me and love me, like they don’t even notice the difference… ONE - of my favorite authors writes; There are 2 truths about human beings that matter deeply. We are all rag dolls. Flawed and wounded, ...read more

  • There Is Such A Love That Creates Value In What ...

    Contributed on Mar 15, 2005
    based on 2 ratings
     | 5,195 views

    There is such a love that creates value in what is loved. There is a love that turns rag dolls into priceless treasures. There is a love that fastens itself onto ragged little creatures, for reasons that no one could ever quite figure out, and makes them precious and valued beyond calculation. ...read more