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Terry Cain

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Smile, You Really Are On Candid Camera -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We are making a witness whether we know it or not, and whether we want to or not.
What Are You Doing Out Of Jail? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: As Christians we should be social activists using nonviolent protests to bring ju
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Just how open is our life to Jesus and are we missing anything?
Born Again, And Again, And Again -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Christians need a comprehensive understanding about what it means to be born agai
Mistaking Santa Claus For God -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We need to continue to grow in our understanding of God.
Would Jesus Get A Divorce? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: This is a very difficult subject, but there is such a high percentage of persons
Kissing: The Holy Kind -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: It wouldn't hurt to have a sermon concerning how we should show affection in the
Does Christianity Take The Fun Out Of Life? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: The title says it all: Does Christianity ask us to give up pleasures and good tim
Stop Putting Out God's Fires -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: God is calling us and we aren't always listening or willing to respond.
Is It Time For Another Flood? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We need to consider the critical question: "What is the human condition?"
God May Not Even Know Our Country's Name -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We have a difficult time understanding that everyone is a child of God and conseq
Drug Deal At The Cross -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Perhaps something as prevalent as drug problems in our society should not go unno
Back When Snakes Had Legs And We Were Ignorant -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: A sermon to straighten out some inconsistencies and misleading thoughts perceived
You Can't Do That In Church! -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Getting out of ruts and old habits that have lost their purpose or meaning is dif
The Trick Is To Hear The Rooster Before -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Because we forget some of our Christian obligations until too late, we need ways
Crying Over Spilt Perfume -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Making the best of a bad situation, or picking up the pieces.
Why Do Lions Eat Lambs? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Why is there so much violence and suffering in the natural world?
A Word To The Wise About Strange Words -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What about "speaking in tongues"?
How Big Is Your Family? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Christians must fight racism in our communities and in ourselves.
Don't Fight, Don't Run -- What's Left? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We need constant reminders always to seek peaceful or nonviolent solutions to con
When Christianity Is Bad Business -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: To do the moral or Christian thing in some instances means jeopardizing your job,
Will Your Bones Dance Again? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Is there any evidence of eternal life or heaven?
Was Jesus An Uncle Tom? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Are the teachings of Jesus too passive and unworkable?
Getting Out Of Your Grave -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: The resurrection message is of course the heart of the Christian faith and not ju
The Proper Way To Wear A Halo -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: A sermon seems necessary occasionally on the fine line we have to tread between i

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