I’ve been aware of my greatest “technical” weakness in preaching since the first time I stepped into the pulpit: Illustrations. I’m not a flowery writer. I’m analytical and detailed…not a storyteller. My wife comes from a family of storytellers. I don’t.
DATE ARCHIVES : July 2014
“Citizens Worthy of the Gospel by Grace” (Philippians 1:27-30)
As a follow-up to my last post, here’s the sermon that I preached on Philippians 1:27-30 over the Independence Day weekend. It was good to reflect on the role of my heavenly citizenship in daily life. One of the things I enjoyed the most in writing this sermon was looking back to the time of the American Revolution and researching a little bit on how Christian leaders thought through the issues. Continue reading
The Risks and Rewards of Dual Citizenship
Independence Day is coming at the end of this week. It’s a fun holiday, isn’t it? Barbecues, family, friends, and fireworks. It’s a day that we celebrate all the good things about life in these United States. Sure, there’s some not so great things, too. As a follower of Christ, I don’t approve of every policy, law, or position that our government has perpetuated. I grieve over what much of our culture calls “good” and “evil”. But, I still celebrate on the Fourth of July…for all the good things God has brought about in our nation. He is always at work!
This year I’ve taken to reflecting on both my citizenship here in the U.S. as well as my citizenship in heaven. Continue reading