Sermons

Blessed To Be A Blessing America Defends The Weak (Holocaust), Delivers The Oppressed (Saddam Hussain), Dispatches Blessings  Illustration: Current Humanitarian Efforts By American Troops Washington – In 2006, U.S. military commands plan 556 humanitarian projects in 99 countries. U.S. forces are improving water supplies in Ecuador, flood barriers in Bangladesh, a medical clinic in Uganda and schools in Kyrgyzstan.  Military experts train local residents to remove land mines in Nicaragua and Vietnam. By year-end, the U.S. military will have delivered 300,000 daily-rations packages overseas.  Soldiers will have dug wells, built schools, and transported hospital equipment to villages from Croatia to Colombia.  The Army will have trained officials from 11 African countries – Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Eritrea, Djibouti, Seychelles, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania – to respond to disasters and deliver medical care.  The Oct...

According To Luke: Happily Ever After Opening Illustration: Running For Him Chariots of Fire is the true story of two British runners competing in the 1924 Olympics. Eric Liddell is a devout Christian and one of the finest runners in the world. Eric's sister, Jennie, wants him to leave competitive running to join the family on the mission field in China. Jennie feels Eric is putting running ahead of serving God, and she questions his commitment. In one scene, Eric attempts to help his sister see his point of view. Eric announces with a smile, "I've decided I'm going back to China. The missionary service has accepted—" Jennie interrupts him. "Oh, Eric, I'm so pleased." Eric continues, "But I've got a lot of running to do first. Jennie, you've got to understand. I believe that God made me for a purpose, for China. He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure. To give it up would be to hold him in contempt. You w...

According To Luke: A Father’s Love Opening Illustration: There is something powerful about the idea of coming home. There have been hundreds of stories throughout the centuries about men and women who seek nothing more, or desire nothing more than to simply come home. It is in our nature to desire to call some place home. I began to think of people who wanted to come home. It was not to long ago in the sports world that LeBron James wanted to come home, come home to Cleveland. There was even an essay in Sports Illustrated about James heading back to his hometown and the piece was called “Im Coming Home”. People said that James had lost his way and that finally, he was back where he belonged.  There are some great literary works that are all about characters coming home. One of my favorites is from J.R. Tolkin’s The Lord of the Rings. It tells the story of young Frodo Baggins who is tasked with destroying the evil ring of power. Frodo, during the entire book, longs to...