Sermons
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 →
Reclaiming the Wilderness
Note: This is a repeat of an earlier sermon. Introduction and Welcome Good morning, everybody. My name is Pastor Conrad—I guess my first name is now Pastor. I’m excited to be here with you this morning. This might be one of the largest crowds I’ve preached in front of. That’s fine; I’m not nervous. I’m... Read More →
Signpost on the Road to Nowhere
Intro Welcome! [[[ BABYLON BEE ]]] Passage — Mark 1:40–45 40 Now a leper came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said. 41 Moved with indignation, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” 42... Read More →
An Evidential Gospel
Greeting and Introduction Well, good morning. Oh, I skipped it. I should go back. I’m Pastor Conrad. Hello? Thank you. Thank you, Tanya, Kim and Graham, and everyone else, I guess, as well. So I don’t know if you remember when I first introduced the book of Mark, which we will be continuing on for... Read More →
Finding Yourself
Greeting and Introduction Well, good morning, everybody. My name’s Conrad. I’m one of the pastors here at Surrey CLA. It is nice to be with you this morning. So, time for honesty. Who was second screening during the intro video? You guys know what that is? It’s when you have a primary thing that you’re... Read More →
Take Care of Your Tools
Intro Good morning, my name is Conrad, I’m one of the pastors here. And today, I’d like to talk about my Dad. We lost him to cancer 8 years ago this past October at the age of just 55. But in the brief time that he had on this terrestrial ball he shared a lot... Read More →
Into The Wilderness
Prologue Good morning, my name is Conrad and I’m one of the pastors here at Surrey CLA. How many people in the room this morning are familiar with the idea of “wandering in the wilderness”? Typically when we talk about wandering in the wilderness, we are referring to something like this: [[[ Community – Waywardness... Read More →
Devotionals
Escaping Christian Celebrity Culture: A Lesson from Jesus
In today’s Christian world, there’s a growing trend that mirrors the celebrity culture we see in entertainment—prominent pastors, authors, and Christian leaders who garner massive followings and media attention. But when we examine the life of Jesus, we find a stark contrast. In Luke 5, Mark 2, and Matthew 9, we see that Jesus often... Read More →
When Jesus Calls
In the Gospels, we see a remarkable moment when Jesus calls His first disciples. While they were going about their everyday lives—fishing by the shore, mending their nets—Jesus walks up and simply says, “Follow me.” And just like that, they drop everything and follow Him. What’s most surprising is the immediacy of their response. They... Read More →
God of the Gaps
In John 2, we find the account of Jesus’ first miracle: turning water into wine at a wedding feast. It’s a familiar story, but there’s a powerful lesson tucked into the dialogue between Jesus and His mother, Mary. When the wine ran out, a potentially embarrassing situation for the hosts, Mary simply brought the need... Read More →
From Bloodline to Faith: Jesus’ Better Covenant
John’s powerful rebuke to the crowds gathered at the Jordan River reveals a profound shift in God’s plan for salvation. When John tells the crowd that their claim to Abraham as their forefather isn’t enough to save them (Matthew 3:9), he’s laying the groundwork for a new covenant that Jesus would usher in—a covenant that... Read More →
Unexpected Heroes: The Women Who Shaped Salvation
When we read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, we’re confronted with an unexpected detail: the inclusion of five women. In a time when genealogies typically traced lineage through men, the appearance of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary stands out. But what’s even more striking is why these women, in particular, were chosen. They... Read More →