Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jan 14, 2008
When Shane Claiborne was in Baghdad during the initial stages of the Iraqi war as a civilian and peacemaker, he attended a birthday party for a girl whose family he had become friends with. She was turning 13. (I told the story last week of Shane’s harrowing escape from Baghdad in the midst of
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jan 14, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 2,147 views
Before I read as this is a new year, I wanted to share with you last year’s winners for the wackiest label contest. These are labels that seem the most ridiculous sponsored by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. I’ll start with some of the honorable mentions.
Cyndi LaMonde of Traverse City submitted a
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Opperman on Jan 21, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 2,414 views
-Barnabas was seeing so many people come to Jesus that he knew he needed more help. So, he set out for Tarsus (probably on foot) to find Saul. Tarsus was 100 miles around the NE corner of the Mediterranean Sea from Antioch. It probably took him a few days to get there. Why did he go to all that
...read more
Denomination:
Assembly Of God
Contributed by Mark Opperman on Jan 21, 2008
based on 11 ratings
| 2,244 views
-ILLUS: One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway , it just wasn’t worth the effort to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his
...read more
Denomination:
Assembly Of God
Contributed by Mark Nichols on Jan 22, 2008
ILLUSTRATION: I want to show you a moving video I saw on ESPN in October. So if the video is cued up, we’ll watch it. (Show video of Charlotte and Emmitt Ray - “Ray of Hope..aired on espn October 2007) The link is found at:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=rayofhope
Did you
...read more
Denomination:
Christian/Church Of Christ
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 4, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 1,622 views
Our lives are filled with signs and symbols. It has been estimated that we observe over 15,000 images a day. I believe more and more that we need Spiritual signs to help us negotiate this world more so than ever. Baptism is one such important sign. It is sign
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 4, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 3,172 views
As a result of poor planning, Dennis from Kay, Texas, needed some same-day dry cleaning before his trip. He went to a store that said, “One-Hour Dry Cleaners.” “I need this in an hour,” he told the clerk.
She said, “I can’t get this back to you until Thursday.”
“I thought you did dry cleaning in
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 4, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 2,304 views
Shane Claiborne tells about how his little community of faith received some money. First, they won a lawsuit against the police of New York for misconduct. Shane with several hundred people had protested the arresting of people for sleeiping outside by sleeping outside. They were arrested, charged,
...read more
Scripture:
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Hiehle on Feb 6, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 3,288 views
Before a clear clarion call from God is realized, the whisper of a dream or
...read more
Scripture:
Denomination:
Nazarene
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 11, 2008
based on 3 ratings
| 2,836 views
I am reminded of the guy who shows up at heaven’s gates. Peter asks him, “Did you do anything self-sacrificing or noteworthy to show that you loved God and loved others.”
“Well,” he replied, “There was one thing. I saw an old lady that was being taunted and ridiculed and physically abused by a
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 11, 2008
There is story that probably was not real but like any parable simply conveys a deeper sense of truth (stories often do that which is probably why Jesus used so many stories to talk about the kingdom). In this story an elderly woman has learned that she has an inoperable, terminal illness. She
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 11, 2008
There is an old story of a pastor that plays hooky from church and goes to the golf course. Peter points out the pastor’s sin and God tells Peter that He will punish the pastor. The pastor proceeds to play the greatest game of his life. His drives were long and straight. His putts were nothing but
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 12, 2008
Interactive Worship (praying for one another)
At this point a chair is brought out called the mercy seat and people take turns sitting in the chair as others gather around to "lay hands on" and pray for.
(sorry this is not really a
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 18, 2008
The Celtic was of spirituality was amazingly holistic. It did not reflect the dualism of the modern age. The Irish such as Patrick understood that the earth was the Lord’s. They saw God’s hand at work in nature (in their environment). They saw their work on earth to be part of their spiritual
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 18, 2008
Another result is that we pervert our assignment to care for the earth. Humans have misunderstood the use of having dominion over the earth as a license to do what we want with the earth. After all, since it is all going to be incinerated (rather than purified by a refiner’s fire), then let’s use
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 19, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 3,205 views
If you really want to discern what direction God is leading you then get better acquainted with God. Connect with Him on a consistent basis.
Forty years ago a Philadelphia congregation watched as three 9-year-old boys were baptized and joined the church. Not long after, unable to continue with its
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 19, 2008
based on 2 ratings
| 1,105 views
I love the story about the cowboy who was riding along and came upon an Indian lying flat on the ground with his ear pressed to the earth. The Indian said, “Wait. Wagon. Two miles off. Drawn by two horses. One black. The other gray. Four people on board: man in a red flannel shirt, his wife, and
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 19, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 1,407 views
As a boy, Larry Crabb stuttered but now he is a popular speaker and psychologist. He recalls one time as a young man when felt pressure by expectation to pray out loud because that was the tradition of his church. In a terribly confused prayer, he recalled “thanking the Father for hanging on the
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 26, 2008
David Cho as a young man was a Buddhist. He was pretty devout but his life was hopeless. He lived in abject poverty in Korea and as happens a lot with people in those situations he was dying. In his case, he was dying of tuberculosis. TB often runs rampant in the slums.
He had heard that the God
...read more
Denomination:
Church Of God
Sermon Central