Contributed by Bill Butsko on Sep 9, 2007
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I asked an elderly woman once, “If I go to church and the preacher says nothing worth hearing, is it any use for me to go?”
“Of course not,” she replied curtly.
But a young man overhearing our conversation intruded, “I don’t see why a man,
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Christian Church
Contributed by Steve Greene on Nov 11, 2007
In his book, The Safest Place on Earth, Dr Larry Crabb states that, “The difference between the spiritual and unspiritual community is not whether conflict exists, but is rather in our attitude toward it and our approach to handling it. When conflict is seen as an opportunity to draw more fully on
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Denomination:
Nazarene
In his book, The Externally Focused Church, Rick Rusaw shares the story of Tom Maharius, the least likely person to make an impact on any community, let alone New York City. A casualty of the 60’s hippie movement, and heavily involved in drugs use, Maharias’s downward spiral came to an abrupt end
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Baptist
Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Sep 20, 2007
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How often have you heard, “Limited time offer” or “This offer won’t last long”? The idea is that if you don’t act soon you will miss out on this chance of a lifetime. The only problem is that sooner or later they are making the same offer all over again, or by chance you might even hear that now
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Denomination:
Assembly Of God
Contributed by John Harvey on May 31, 2006
“Everyone eventually surrenders to something or someone. If not to God, you will surrender to the opinions or expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, or to your own pride, lusts, or ego. You were designed to worship God—and if you fail to worship him, you will create other things
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Denomination:
Baptist
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Aug 4, 2008
A guest preacher was speaking about “seeing Jesus in others” when God used Meghan as a living illustration of someone who had surrendered everything to Jesus as part of her community of faith.
During the worship set, Meghan spontaneously went to the front of the church and began dancing…wildly.
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Church Of God
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BALLOONS
One Sunday afternoon in late February, my family and I went out to brunch after the morning’s worship services. Upon leaving, my girls asked the hosts if they could have a balloon. Certainly they said – what color? So, my two youngest were each given a balloon, a huge
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Lutheran
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 2, 2007
Neo-Paganism today (over a million in US/Canada). One example, Hellenic Neo-Paganism. This is from a UK Neo-pagan website:
What Gods Do You Worship?
Most of us worship at least the Twelve Olympians, in either Their Greek or Roman forms, as well as other divinities (e.g. Gaia, Persephone, Pan,
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Denomination:
Independent/Bible
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IDENTIFIES WITH OUR SUFFERING
His name was Joseph Damien, and you’ve probably heard his story before, but it bears repeating. A Belgian priest, he was sent in 1873 to minister to lepers in Hawaii. As soon as he arrived on Molokai, he began trying to build friendships with the residents of the
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
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Story from Insanity of God Tavian, pages 183-185:
Up four flights of creaking stairs, in a tiny apartment, we met a white-haired, stooped-over, shell of a man. It was clear that, earlier in his life, he had cast a longer shadow. He invited us into his apartment. The aged furnishings made the room
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Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 2, 2009
IDOLATRY IS ABOUT "GETTING"
William Barclay makes this important observation about ancient idolatry: "The essence of idolatry is the desire to get. A man sets up an idol and worships it because he desires to get something out of god. To put it bluntly, he believes that by his sacrifices and his
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Other
Norman Rockwell painted another famous picture which revealed the value of being able to go and worship God freely in America. The two Big Wars during Norman’s lifetime helped him to be reminded of how blessed we were to worship God freely.
i. He painted this picture along with three others after
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Denomination:
Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 14, 2009
OBJECT LESSON: PLANTED IN GOD'S LOVE
Items needed:
Table
Seeds (enough for all listeners)
Large pot with potting soil
Set up the table with the seeds and pot arranged on it where listeners can get to them during the invitation, perhaps in the front of your worship area. Then introduce the
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Denomination:
Church Of God