Sermons on Pilgrims Progress:

What Is Your Name

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 2, 2008

Discovering your name sometimes requires experiences of dark nights and aloneness. God must test our behaviour. He pushes us to see things that are not good for us, things that must change. He loves us far to much to leave us to our destructive behaviour

The unknown author of the following story captures the value of a name. “After the American Civil War the managers of the infamous Louisiana Lottery approached Robert E. Lee and asked if he’d let them use his name in their scheme. They promised that if he did he would become rich. Astounded, Lee ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:22-32

Denomination: Salvation Army

What Is That In Your Hand?

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 21, 2008

It was only with a shepherd’s staff that Moses parted the waters of a great sea, that he commanded natural disasters and demanded water from a rock. It was in the great lesson of a simple stick that when anything is given to God it wields mighty power!

“What is that in Your Hand?” Exodus 3:16-4:2a It happened several times a week, almost without fail. Whether they lined up against the wall of the gymnasium, the local ice rink or the snow bank for the back-roads hockey, it was always the same. The leaders picked him last. Last for basketball ...read more

Denomination: Salvation Army

Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 27, 2008

The biggest enemy we have in the church is not the Bible...It is fumbling, insensitive extremists who wave judgmental fingers and presume themselves to be the conscious of God for the world.

Between a rock and a hard place Meaning: To be forced to make a decision between two undesired options or as an another source puts it, “stuck between two opposing forces” (www.goenglish.com) Origin Gary Martin, author of Meanings and Origins provides us with the US origin of the phrase. He traced ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:7-25

Denomination: Salvation Army

Friends And Fountains

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 28, 2008

Death, through our eyes, is ‘the end’. Death is not the grand finale called “THE END”. It is the 2nd DVD to the story!

FRIENDS & FOUNTAINS St. John 11 (Selected verses) It is wonderful to have friends. I hope you all have at least one good friend and wish that for you. We can share our hearts with friends and they understand us like no one else can. Jesus had three such friends. He travelled a lot and didn’t own ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25-26

Denomination: Salvation Army

Tears Of God, Hope Of Heaven Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 21, 2008

The humanity of Jesus relates to your experience. The authority of Jesus provides meaning to your experience. The presence of Jesus walks with you through your experience.

Warren Wiersbe, theologian and writer, tells a story as taken from a source. “A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer (preacher and teacher) on the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made ...read more

Scripture: John 11:33-44

Denomination: Salvation Army

Unshackled Hands Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 28, 2008

I could quite easily justify not even stopping...But I was reminded that unshackled hands are not concerned about how or why – only that there is a need and I should do something about it.

A well dressed woman was on an African Safari that stopped in a leper hospital. The air was humid and sticky. Flies buzzed in frenzy. The woman noticed a nurse bending toward a patient, attending a leper’s pus-filled sores. The woman said, “I wouldn’t do that for all the money in the world” to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:30-36

Denomination: Salvation Army

Too Busy (2 Of 4, Stewardship) Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Apr 20, 2008

“I don’t have time.” “Be there in a minute!”...If you have used any of these or similar type statements, you know the experience of being in the TRAP – Time Restraints And Pressures

Text: Verse 10 (The Message): "Figure out what will please Christ then do it." Last sermon I shared an overview of what stewardship is. Stewardship lesson one: everything we have belongs to God - God has given us the honor and responsibility to manage his property, finances and affairs. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:10-20

Denomination: Salvation Army

A Breath Of Fresh Hope

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Apr 30, 2008

Life can throw some bad curve balls (e.g. death) our way and they hurt . The Scriptures offer us a breathe of fresh air or rather, a breath of fresh hope!

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Denomination: Salvation Army

Bridging The Distance

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jul 13, 2008

What people want is a key to purposeful life. They want answers to where they are. They want to grasp something higher and bigger than themselves. They reach for a deeper connection beyond the boring routine of where they live and what they do.

“Bridging the Distance” Sermon Topic: Being in relationship with God Psalm 84 Airport terminals are entertaining venues to hang out if you cannot afford the movies! The most interesting storylines involve watching people arriving or leaving. The couple huddled – more like a locked embrace – as she ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 84:1-12, Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Salvation Army

Come And Have Breakfast

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jul 22, 2008

The invitation to breakfast intends to take us beyond the surface picture of an hour at a fireside having fishcakes and tea.

From time to time, Glenys says something to me that is sweet to hear and extremely powerful. These words arrest me and make me sit and up and listen. Ladies, if you have a man that does not pay attention, you need this sentence because you will get the undivided attention you so desperately desire. ...read more

Scripture: John 21:1-12

Denomination: Salvation Army

Diving In

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 12, 2008

The alternative to inexhaustible purpose is to stay in the RUT of the familiar and common-place...“The only difference between a rut and a grave is one of dimension.” (anon)

LIFE GOALS VIDEO CLIP... Jesus gives us an invitation to go diving! He invites us to plunge into the deep waters of his inexhaustible purpose! I warn you. Diving has its risks. It is not without dangerous possibilities. That’s why many people choose to play it safe. SAFE is familiar and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-27

Denomination: Salvation Army

When The Odds Are Stacked Against You

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 27, 2008

The Gold in life’s marathon is pleasing God. Too often we burden ourselves with a different focus which asks, "What’s in it for me?¨ Sometimes it’s not even about that but focuses on what everyone else expects or how he or she believes I should perfor

“When the odds are stacked against you” Scripture reading/text: Hebrews 12:1-3 VIDEO CLIP - ALIEN Last week Glenys spoke on “Clearing the Hurdles” - Perdita Felician: “I won’t quit until the final hour.” - Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs medalist raised by a single mom (two Olympians in this story) We learned ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Denomination: Salvation Army

Junction Or Journey

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jul 29, 2007

We’re too often guilty of aiming and nothing and hitting it every time. “Visionaries can see life for what it is, can see God for who God is. They are people who can read the “signs of the times”, not the “signs of the future”.” (Leonard Sweet)

“Where there is no vision the people perish” (Hebrew Proverb) “Where there is only vision, people have nervous breakdowns.” (Postmodern Hebrew Proverb as quoted by Leonard Sweet) – having the vision and dreams but not doing (not able to do) anything about them. Larry of the Three Stooges caused ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:1-4

Denomination: Salvation Army

When You Can't Get Up

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 11, 2007

There are too many people who become recluse when we can’t get up. Instead of getting surrounded with people to help us, most of us try to eat the problem away or starve the problem away and stay behind closed doors.

I was chatting with my younger sibling brother this week and I told him what I was preparing my sermon for Sunday. I gave him my subject, “When you can’t get up.” He said, “Sing I’m satisfied with Jesus here and stay in bed.” After we laughed that one out he asked what it was really about. When I ...read more

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Joy-Filled Shepherds (Pastor Glenys) Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Dec 14, 2008

In a ‘slow motion moment’, black and white turns to living color! The boring brilliant! The mundane becomes magnificent!

O – ordinary R – routine D – dull I – inferior N – normal A – average R – repetitive Y – yawn These words, along with a few others of like kind, could be used to describe an evening with the shepherds. Nothing ‘too much’ happened out in the fields while the shepherds kept watch. There may ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-18

Denomination: Salvation Army