-
Hunger
This is the devotion I wrote for our church’s Lenten devotion book this year. It was for yesterday, the sixth Sunday in Lent and coincided with my sermon on the same text. Luke 15:11-32 “But while he was still far off, his father saw him was filled with compassion…” Our passage today is the well known story of the Prodigal Son; a story with a myriad of truths and challenges. Today let’s focus on the moment at which the lost son faces the reality of his situation. It is hunger that brought him to his senses. Verse 17 tells us that the…
-
Trading Corn Husks for Prime Rib
* This is the sermon I was to deliver today as part of our series entitled “Meal Times: Going Deeper with God and Others”. However, the weather decided to bless us with one last hurrah of snow and prevented us from gathering together physically. But snow cannot stop the gathering of the hearts and spirits of the Church. May you lift your palms this Palm Sunday in adoration of the One who loves us with an extravagant love. Based on Luke 15:11-32. I’ve really not understood terror until I became an aunt. There are a lot of ways you could take that…
-
Love-Crazy Father
This Sunday I’m preaching on the story of the Prodigal Son (or as I prefer to call it – The Story of the Love-Crazy Father). It was the assigned text for this Sunday and also happens to be my favorite parable told by Jesus. For most of my life, I focused predominately on the prodigal son. Because I get him. I am him. Most of my faith journey with God has consisted of me sneaking back to the pig pen to stay the night because I feel like that is where I deserve to sleep and exist. I felt so…
-
A Youth Pastor's Hurt
I wrote this a year ago after some time with some former youth. I’m currently working on a sermon that brought it to mind and decided to share it again. I’m starting my thirteenth year as a youth pastor at the same church. That is a really long time in youth ministry and a really long time as a youth pastor in the same church. I remember my current youth when they were mere babies and the first youth I had in my ministry are now having babies. Over the thirteen years, I’ve shared countless moments with hundreds of teenagers. I…