Sermons
The Advent of Grace
In 2005, a badly damaged painting appeared at a small auction in New Orleans. It was darkened by years of grime. Cracked. Covered over with heavy-handed touch-ups from previous restorations. To most people, it looked tired and unimpressive—certainly not special. Experts believed it was just a copy of a much more famous work—a valiant attempt... Read More →
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
Gary turned 40 in 1964, and like every other man of his generation, his attention was captured that spring by the launch of the Ford Mustang. It was magical — the roar of that V8 driving 2,500 pounds of pure Americana, 271 horsepower, and a 4-speed manual transmission. He wanted it desperately, but he couldn’t afford... Read More →
Reclaiming the Wilderness
I wanted to start by sharing with you the tale of an idiot—an idiot who threw away everything: his education, his career, his home. An idiot who did so in spite of good counsel, stern admonition, and even full-throated rebuke. An idiot who pursued his own destruction with reckless abandon, somehow believing it was a good... Read More →
Freedom in Christ
Opening Story I want to start this morning with a story about a single mom. She grew up in a small town, moved away to a big city in another country when she grew up, married a man, had a baby… then it all fell apart. Divorced, isolated, unemployed. She moved back home to be... Read More →
The Advent of Grace
HOOK [Introduce yourself, get a Bible, turn to Titus, Pastor Joel is sick] In 2005, a small, neglected painting was put up for auction in New Orleans. It was a modest piece—darkened with age, overpainted to the point of obscurity, and regarded as little more than an above-average attempt to copy of one of the... Read More →