Sermons and Biblical Studies

Topics: Compassion; Empathy; Grandmothers; Love; Ministry; Presence; Understanding References: Matthew 25:40; John 15:13 Today I visited a little girl dying of cancer. Her body was disfigured by her disease and its treatment. She was in constant pain. As I entered her room, I was overcome by her suffering, which seemed unjust, unfair, unreasonable. Even more … Continue reading “STANDING
ON HOLY GROUND”

Topics: Acceptance; Desires References: Psalm 20:4; Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 6:4–10 Suffering is getting what you don’t want, and not getting what you do want. —J. I. Packer

Topics: Attitudes; Caring; Compassion; Empathy; Mercy Reference: Matthew 25:31–40 Each day I worked in the emergency room, I became more insensitive to people and their real needs. Five years of emergency room exposure took its toll. Then God intervened. I was registering a young woman who had overdosed on drugs and attempted suicide. Her mother … Continue reading “BREAKING
THE ICE”

Topics: Commitment; Devotion; Maturity; Ministry; Obedience; Sacrifice References: Romans 8:17–18; Philippians 3:7–11 Gladys Aylward, a missionary to China during and after World War II, brought a hundred orphans, ages four to fifteen, safely over the mountains of China to Sian in Shensi. But it was not without cost. When Aylward arrived in Sian with the … Continue reading “MATURING
IN HARDSHIP”

Topics: Compassion; Empathy; Incarnation; Mercy; Ministry; Suffering References: John 11:35; Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:1–10 When sportswriter Mitch Albom heard that his favorite college professor, whom he hadn’t seen in twenty years, was dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease, he began visiting him weekly. In his bestselling book Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom describes their visits, focusing on his … Continue reading “EMPATHIZING
WITH SUFFERING”

Topics: Hardship; Humility; Perseverance; Persistence; Testimony; Trials References: Romans 5:3–5; 11:36 While at the University of Northern Iowa, Kurt Warner was a second-string player on the football team. During college he met a single mom who had two kids, one of whom was blind. Warner married the woman and adopted both kids. He wasn’t drafted … Continue reading “KEEPING
THE DREAM ALIVE”

Topics: Compassion; Empathy; Ministry References: 1 Corinthians 12:26; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8 After ten seasons as place kicker with the Chicago Bears, Bob Thomas was notified by the management that he was being cut. Thomas, a born-again Christian, waited until he knew the locker room would be cleared of players to clear out his … Continue reading “PAYTON’S
SWEETNESS”

Topics: Compassion; Family; Ministry; Service; Significance References: Matthew 22:37–40; John 13:34–35 “The first thing in my life by far, and the reason I do everything, is my love for Jesus Christ,” says Mike Singletary, former linebacker for the Chicago Bears who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. “The second is … Continue reading “LINEBACKER
GOALS FOR LIFE”

Topics: Apostasy; Invitation; Rest; Safety References: Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Hebrews 12:25 An extreme sports fanatic scaled the 120-foot Christ the Redeemer statue on Brazil’s Corcovado mountain and jumped from its outstretched arms. For the first ever such leap, Felix Baumgartner, thirty, an Austrian, smuggled his parachute on board the little train that takes … Continue reading “JUMPING
OFF CHRIST”

Topics: Caring; Empathy; Sacrifice; Unselfishness References: Matthew 20:26–28; Philippians 2:1–11 Cleveland Browns linebacker Chris Spielman had to retire from football early in the 1999 season after suffering an injury that resulted in the narrowing of his spinal canal. Spielman had skipped the entire ’98 season to care for his wife, Stefanie, who was battling breast … Continue reading “INSPIRATIONAL
QUITTING”