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Terry Cain

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Little Orphan Annie Complex -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: We need to deal with our fear of growing old.
What Did He Do That Was So Bad? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Why did anyone want to kill Jesus?
Who Do You Love Better: God Or Me? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: What does it mean to love God more than your spouse or parent or child?
Lions And Cows Dining Together: Seeing Is Believing -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: We must have a vision that peace is realistically attainable.
Would Jesus Stretch The Truth? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Jesus used exaggeration in his teaching and for good reason.
Don't I Look Nice? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Our obsession with physical appearance does not fit with Christian values.
The Ubiquitous Nature Of Religion -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Christians need to be reminded that religion or theology undergirds and encomp
Analysis Of A Saloon -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Do churches and taverns offer the same services, and does our church do a bett
A Sunday School For Adults Only! -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Sunday school is not only for children, but also perhaps even more important f
Knock, Knock -- Who's There? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: How do we handle the religious zealots who knock at our door?
Catch Me If You Can -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: A congregation should be invited into dialogue with the minister regarding the
Get Over It! -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: We have to learn how to really forgive and accept forgiveness.
Up Close And Personal -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Unfortunately, until it affects us, we usually are not willing to get involved
Hell: But, It's A Dry Heat -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: From biblical information and what we know of the nature of God, what should w
Three Little Pigs -- Jesus' Version -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Sometimes we have to preach the obvious such as: we need a strong faith founda
Finding Your Way From Nazareth To Jerusalem -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: So much of the Bible story involves geography, that a sermon on becoming famil
Can Pagan Objects Be Sanitized? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Are there certain objects or ideas that are off limits to Christians because t
Preaching To The Choir -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Are our assumptions accurate regarding church members (and non-church people)
A Just-In-Case Arrangement With God -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: It may not be possible to have a playing-it-safe kind of approach to religion.
Should The Universe Make Sense -- And Why? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Are we meant to know some of the answers to the more significant questions con
Rainbow-colored Coats And Green-eyed Monsters -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: I think one of the "seven deadly sins" is jealousy, which may be a temptation
Neither Peacock Nor Worm -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: On finding the delicate balance between pride and humility.
A Buddhist, A Mormon, And An Atheist Were Out In A Boat Fishing -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Dialogue with other faiths and denominations leading to better understanding a
Will Reverend Tortoise Ever Catch Doctor Hare? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Is there a gap between science and ethics and what are we going to do about it
A Blueprint For Dying -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: A Christian should prepare for death and find ways of serving even after death

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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140+ – Illustrations / Stories
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30 – Worship Resources
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Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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