Sermons

  According to Luke: The Bitterness of Betrayal Opening Illustration: My oldest son was probably 2 years old. We were living in Montgomery at the time. In the den, we had built for Jay a playpen. It was a square, about 4 feet by 4 feet. I don’t remember what he had done but he had gotten in trouble for something so Angela had put him in that pen for punishment. Sort of a time out sort deal. Parents, you know what I am talking about. We have all been there before with our children. As memory serves, my father and mother in law were at the house. It was probably around thanksgiving or Christmas. We had lots of family over at the time. As Jay was in the pen for punishment, Chuck walked in and his grandfatherly instincts kicked into high gear. He saw the tears and knelt down to pick Jay up. Angela was in the kitchen and she saw her Dad and told him quickly that Jay was being punished and that he was not to leave the pen. Chuck was in a tough spot. He didn’t want to walk off and leave li

  According To Luke: People Get Ready Part II Opening Illustration: One of my favorite shows growing up as a kid was Seinfeld. I tuned in each week to see what Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine were up to. Seinfeld was the show about nothing and I found it hilarious. On one particular episode, George waltzes into his girlfriend’s father’s men’s clothing store. As he enters, he notices a stern looking guard. The guard wore a scowl. He was serious looking. He would look over the store making sure that nothing criminal was taking place in the store. He was sharply dressed, stood straight with tremendous posture, and gave a sense of authority. George noticed that the security guard was standing. He had no where to sit. No where to rest his back or give his aching feet a break. George was incensed. He couldn’t believe that this guard was treated so harshly, even though it was his job to stand attentively and make sure that thieves were deterred.  George made it his mission to return to t

  According To Luke: People Get Ready Opening Illustration: The Oregon Trail Growing up, I grew to love a computer game. I can remember receiving computer time in elementary school. I popped in a floppy disk and the computer hummed to life. What was the game? The game was The Oregon Trail. Remember that game? The game transported you and your family back in time to the early American rush out west. You were tasked with packing for the long trip, hunting for food, and you were to trade goods along the way to provide for your family. While you and your family marched slowly westward, you faced all sorts of adversity. Your wagon wheel would break. Your children would come down with terrible illnesses and you had to find medicine to cure them. Your food storages would run low and you had to hunt. If you are a child of the 80’s like me, you have great memories of this game.  There was a word that The Oregon Trail taught me. The word is “immanent”. Phrases like “Your family is in immane