Sermons on Practical Tips For Pilgrims:

Wrapped In Love

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Dec 22, 2005

Father and Son worked in partnership to save the world.

It was young love. He wrote her a letter, trying to capture a poetic expression of how much she meant to him. He wrote, “For you, I would cross the hottest, driest desert. I would swim the deepest ocean and brave the wildest storm. I would climb the heights of Everest such is the depth of my love ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Denomination: Salvation Army

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 25, 2009

God’s first and last thought is the welfare of his children! The Provision of the Cross is an act of covenant. It is not a half-job effort to fix things. It is a plan that would never turn back!

At some point or another you may have used this familiar phrase - Blood is thicker than water. The context in which we use it is to describe the meaning that blood-related families are more important than anyone else. R’ Richard Pustelniak, congregational leader for the Jewish community called ...read more

Scripture: John 19:26-27

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

"Life" Time!

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Nov 24, 2007

Philip Yancey wrote about trying to explain a life of spiritual ecstasy to a person who spends all day taking care of a cranky, bedwetting Alzheimer’s parent. There’s gotta’ be more to life.

Play a clip of Stacie Orrico’s music video, "More to Life" – fade after second line LIFE. The word conjures up a flood of ideas. Marilyn Meberb pushes the buttons of our first reaction to the word LIFE. “Cornered. Boxed in. On our last leg. In a pickle. Between a rock and a hard place. Sitting on ...read more

Scripture: John 3:13-17

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Gift Of Relationships Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Dec 14, 2007

We are given the gift of relationships. What steps need to be taken to restore fractured, broken relationships, restoring them to where God intends them to be?

- Sibling rivalries as children! Somewhat funny looking back - Healthy rivalries – hockey! (Toronto and Montreal) - Tragic when sibling rivalries end up with broken homes and families. They can live within miles of each other but behave as if there is a continent between them. - Deeper lesson of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:23-26

Denomination: Salvation Army

Soul Food Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 6, 2007

People fill up on friendships that give them what they want; they fill up on entertain; they fill up by taking all they can get without ever realizing that they will be more satisfied if they give.

THANKSGIVING DINNERS are awesome! Driveways are over-packed with cars. I have a meal before the meal picking the turkey while I’m carving it! Then, just to make sure there’s not an empty spot down there, we stuff in some pumpkin pie! A few hours later most of us need another meal. * A picture of a ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-35

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

The Talent Show (3 Of 4, Stewardship)

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on May 4, 2008

God wants to show-case you! You have an amazing talent that he wants your world to experience first-hand!

• Stewardship lesson one: God owns everything we have – everything we have has been given as a trust to manage on God’s behalf • Stewardship lesson two: The extend that we prove faithful and trustworthy in that responsibility is determined by the condition of our relationship with God • Then ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

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

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

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

Family - Yours To Discover!

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Sep 16, 2008

Families are not always fun. We tend to be quite dysfunctional! But families are God’s design and we need to value it, work at it, and celebrate families!

FAMILY – YOURS TO DISCOVER! Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:3-6 (New Living Translation) - Festival – an event that focuses on a specific aspect of a community - Types – Jazz Fest, Film Fests, Food Rodeo, Strawberry! - This weekend – Family Fest – an event that focuses on the specific aspect of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-6

Denomination: Salvation Army

I Dare You! Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Feb 18, 2009

Courage doesn’t mean we’re not afraid. It means we do what we know is the right thing to do even though we’re afraid.

What does “I Dare You!” mean? Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Whenever someone dares us to do something or be something, it means they want us to do something that’s hard for us to do. Story of “The Cat and the Mice” by Aesop… Mice had a problem… Q: Why was the young mouse’s suggestion a good ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 6:19-28

Denomination: Salvation Army

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 2, 2008

The cry of the inner child remains the same. We desperately want someone to love us. Love me for me. Charles Spurgeon (English preacher of the 19th century) said, “God chose me before I was born; for he never would have chosen me afterwards!”

The childish art of love – pulling the petals from a flower and reciting, “(s)he loves me, (s)he loves me not” – left love to chance. Even rigged it because if you start a certain way you end up where you want to – “(s)he love me!” Prance off feeling hopeful that love has a chance! The cry of the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:38-39

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Perplexed Couple (Pastor Dale) Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Nov 30, 2008

Every parent has stories to tell – from drug and alcohol dependency, teen pregnancy, the call from the local police detachment and the runaway that hasn’t called home in five years...It’s tough being a parent regardless how old the child is.

Perplexed: adj. 1. Filled with confusion or bewilderment; puzzled. 2. Full of complications or difficulty; involved. Parenting (in using the words parenting or parents I also refer to caregivers or guardians or anyone having the responsibility of taking care of or having cared for children) is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-35

Denomination: Salvation Army