Sermons on Strangers Pilgrims:

Prayer-Works Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Feb 16, 2008

Why ‘work’ instead of ‘activity’ of prayer or ‘picnic’ of prayer? Why does ‘prayer concert’, or ‘prayer vigil’ sound so gray and bland? The answer is obvious. Prayer is hard work! It is rewarding; it is life-changing; but it is hard.

We continue today on our topic, “Learning to serve in a Service-less Age”, more specifically looking at “The refurbished Life”. God refurbishes our lives, in part, through “The Habit of Prayer”. I confess my struggle with this topic. It is complex yet simple. So complex that we will not even begin ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-11

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

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

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

The Quest

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 4, 2008

I heard a slogan six years ago that I have tried to adopt as a personal slogan. NO BIBLE, NO BREAKFAST. It’s amazing what a man will do when he can’t eat!

We’re on the eve of a new year. It’s that time where we think about resolutions. Some of us hesitate to make resolutionssince the most important issues that come up involve things like weight loss programs and breaking bad habits. For me that will last as long as a cake doesn’t come into our home ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-21

Denomination: Salvation Army

Life Source Series

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Nov 3, 2007

“North America is spiritually obese.” (Norm Cheng, Ontario Bible League) The irony is the alarming numbers of people in Canada who have no room for God.

Norm Cheng, this district’s Area Director for Ontario for the Bible League, spoke at the Christian Business Ministries dinner last week. He made a comment in his presentation that perked my ears up. He said, “North America is spiritually obese.” I agree with his comment. We have more forms of ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-15

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

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

Service - Pit Stops Along The Way

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 19, 2009

Giving without heart is nothing more than dutiful response in an effort to relieve us of guilt or convince ourselves we’re good people.

The American Memorial Day weekend automobile race known as the Indianapolis 500 (a.k.a. Indy 500) attracts 400,000 spectators every year! It is probably the largest single sporting event that draws such a large crowd. The race requires many pit-stops – tire changes, fuel, oil, or repairs when ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

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

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

The Better Choice

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Mar 25, 2006

We have two choices to choose from - God’s way or the alternative. Which pill will you swallow?

DVD – Matrix – scene where Neo has to choose the blue pill or the red pill… God calls us everyday to make a choice – for him or for the alternative. If we choose him we move into a world of mystery and adventure, and we experience real life! If we choose the alternative, we are promised only a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6

Denomination: Salvation Army