Physical strength. Celebrity. Wealth. Title. Political. Military. These are just a few examples of power.

Power, in and of itself, is neutral. It can be used to accomplish good or perpetrate evil. Humanly speaking, power is dangerous because it plays to our pride. We like the feeling we get when someone points to us and says, “That person is in charge.”

If we think of ourselves as powerful in any way, chances are power has become an idol in our life. We need to remember there’s only One all-powerful, and it’s not us.

A look at the temptations of power and how we can have tremendous influence in the lives of others, even if we live our entire life in one place.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 9/3/2006)

We all get lost from time to time. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes we wander off. Like a sheep that’s had his head down seeing nothing but the grass in front of his nose, when he pulls up to look around realizes nothing is familiar.

Maybe you’re lost right now. Maybe you’re far away from home. The questions are these:

If we are lost, will God come looking for us?

When we come back home, what will we find when we get there?

A study in Luke 15 and God’s relentless love for us.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 7/30/2006)  

Each of us have been shaped by our backgrounds. Some of us grew up in church. Some of us didn’t. Some of us went for awhile but stopped because we had a bad experience or because we didn’t like what we heard. Some of us grew up in a home where God was shoved down our throats and as soon as we were old enough to shove back, we pushed away.

Without exception, all of us, in some form or fashion, define God by our own terms based on our experiences.

We can try to keep God comfortably stashed within the box of our human ideas and traditions. But sooner or later we realize God’s grace can’t be contained by our narrow ideas or even the four walls of a church. In Luke 5:27-39 Jesus breaks the mold of our human ideas of religion and spirituality by offering His friendship and radical grace to a hated IRS agent named Levi.

Sooner or later we all have to face the questions:

Am I going to continue to define God by my experiences? Or will I allow God to define Himself by His own terms?

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 7/9/2006 )

We live in a society that thrives on independence. We’re able to do most everything on our own.

Some might ask, “Why do I need other people? Why can’t I just serve God on my own?”

Much as we’d sometimes like to think otherwise, we need other people. We were created to live in community. In every aspect of life, we’re better together.

Trust. Empathy. Accomodation. Mission. The essential components of a TEAM.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 3/26/2006)

In our current culture, Matthew 7:1 easily makes the Top 5 of “Bible Verses Ripped Kicking and Screaming Out of Context”.

You can hear it everyday on afternoon TV talk shows. “You can’t judge me!” Does it mean we are to never be discerning? Does it mean we can never judge something to be good or bad?

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus reminds us it’s a good idea to chop down the tree in our own eye before complaining about the sawdust in other people’s lives.

It’s dangerous to judge from a distance. There’s always an “X Factor” in someone’s life. Something we don’t know that contributes to what we see. When we purposely get close enough to people for our prejudices to be challenged, we learn a lot about them.

And a lot about ourselves.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 2/12/2006)

“Don’t worry.”

Easy to say. Hard to do.

Hard to do because life is hard. When we’re consumed with worry, we’re not living the kind of life God desires for us.

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus explains why worry isn’t in our best interest and why God can be trusted to take care of every detail of our lives.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 2/5/2006 )   

We are loaded down with the weight of living in a fallen world. Even our best days are sprinkled with sadness, disappointments and tears. And on our worst days we feel like it will never end.

The good news is that Jesus died that we might have life after this fallen world. The day is coming when the weight of our imperfections will be lifted for eternity. Heaven is a real place. A place of redemption, restoration, reunion, and rejoicing.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 11/20/2005)

We live in a performance based society. GPA. ERA. SAT scores. Sales figures. MPG. Batting averages. Won/Loss columns. S&P 500. P&L statements. We measure everything.

It’s easy to carry that performance mentality into our relationship with God. But what if our best efforts could never be enough?

The essential, invaluable lesson of “imputed worth”.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 10/23/2005)

We’ve all been there. The not so proverbial “fork in the road”. A choice to make. Which path to take? Is one right and the other wrong? If so, how do we know which is which? How do we discern God’s will for our lives?

Much as we would like it to be, God’s will is not a formula to be followed. It’s an adventure to be lived.

A brief discussion of the questions we have when trying to discern God’s will.

Everything I know about this topic I owe to Dr. Jerry Sittser.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 9/25/2005) 

Communion. Maybe in the church you grew up in they called it “The Lord’s Supper” or “The Holy Eucharist”. Whatever the name, it’s a remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross.

Trying to adequately explain the different views of communion on a Sunday morning is like trying to speed read “War And Peace” on the bus before you get to work. Here’s a fair, albeit brief, look at the major views regarding this rite of the church.

Whatever our view, in the end we’ll hopefully have a deeper appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice for us.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 8/7/2005)

Before we have kids, parenting is a black and white process. Like a textbook or a flow chart you put on the refrigerator door. On any particular issue, if “yes” follow this arrow. If “no”, follow this arrow.

But then the baby comes and you realize babies don’t read books and they don’t do flow charts. This bundle of joy is also a bundle of will. A little pink baby blanket burrito with a mind of her own.

How do we raise our babies into toddlers into kids who know who they are, are who they are, and like who they are?

The challenge of parenting, including a word to those who long for children but for reasons of infertility and otherwise, don’t yet have any.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 6/12/2005)

When you think of “gentle”, what comes to mind? Someone who is weak? A doormat? A pushover? Someone you can walk on or walk over?

In our current culture, gentleness is often equated with weakness. But Biblical gentleness is anything but weak. It’s strength under control.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 5/22/2005)  

The storms of life are constant. You’re likely in the middle of one right now.

Maybe your work is going smoothly but there’s rough waters with your kids. Maybe it’s calm waters at home but your job is threatening to swamp your canoe. Maybe home and career are floating along but inside your heart and soul is a tornado of emotions that will not let you find peace.

Psalm 46 shows us that peace isn’t the absence of storms in our life. It’s the presence of God in the midst of our storms.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 4/17/2005)

The New Year. Our good intentions are at their peak in January. Yet there’s no magic in the turning of a calendar page. The challenge of a New Year is that we bring our old self into it. So how do we make a fresh start?

God is a gracious God. A God of “do overs”. His unconditional love means we are free to put the past behind us and run forward into the new adventures He has for us. In the process, He kindly shows us the difference between “living” and “existing”.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 1/2/2005)

There’s a difference between thinking and reflecting.

We think all the time. We run countless checklists in our head every day. But when’s the last time we took time to reflect on God’s purpose for our life?

How a trip to Chicago, time spent viewing the works of the Old Masters, and dashes and dots give pause for a season of reflection.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 11/7/2004)

The lesson of a Picasso print and priorities.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 11/7/2004)

Block walls. Cocooning. We name our housing developments but often don’t know our neighbors.

By God’s design, we are social creatures created for relationship. Strong friendships allow us to experience life in community.

How round robin letters and Ritz Crackers are proof of life long friendships.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 9/12/2004)

It’s safe to say that when you’re trying to get somewhere, the higher the level of urgency, the greater the need for accurate directions. If you need directions to the hospital emergency room you don’t want to guess which street it’s on. If you ask for directions to the Circle K and they turn out to be wrong, just drive another block and you’ll find one.

When it comes to directions on how to get to heaven, does it really matter what road you take?

Religions of the world share common ground in that they all have some degree of moral code. Where religions begin to part company with one another is when the question is asked, “What is eternal salvation and how can I attain it?”

(Presented 8/1/2004 – Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ)

Money. The Bible talks more about it than prayer, heaven, and hell combined. If God talks so much about it, it must be important.

The first important truth about money is that God owns it all. We’re managers, but we’re not owners. So what should our attitude be toward money? And what are the dangers of viewing God like a divine vending machine? We put in faith for the purpose of getting something out?

An examination of the “wealth” aspect of the “health and wealth” gospel.

(Presented 7/25/2004 – Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ)

Health and Wealth. Name It and Claim It. The Prosperity Gospel. We see it on TV and we wonder…could it be true? Is it possible that God wants to give me everything I want? Can I really be as healthy and as wealthy as I want to be?

Is the “Health & Wealth” gospel an accurate presentation of what the Bible teaches about God, Jesus Christ, faith, money and health?

In Luke 5:17-26 we see Jesus transform a life. In doing so we find the Biblical characteristics of genuine, healing miracles.

(Presented 7/11/2004 – Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ)

What will your kids be looking at in the picture albums when they become adults?

Children learn what they live. What kind of environment are we creating for our children? What are we doing to help them develop a sense of identity and place? How do we teach our kids about God and His faithfulness?

Joshua 4 is a wonderful account that teaches a valuable lesson in “building rock piles to remember”.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 6/13/2004)

Pick any list of critical topics in any type of relationship and communication is easily among the top three.

Be it marriage, parent/child, employer/employee, boyfriend/girlfriend, or friend to friend, healthy communication skills are essential for relationships to grow and flourish.

James 1:19 is a short verse loaded with wisdom on how we are to effectively communicate with one another.

(Presented to Hope Covenant Church – Chandler, AZ – 4/25/2004)