|
Who Or What Is In Charge - January 29, 2012 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
Most of us, when we hear the words demon possession in our text, we go right to Hollywood, and we think of movies where one’s head spins in circles before spewing green vomit. So, let’s just get those ideas out of our heads. Otherwise, it will only cause confusion. Instead, . . .
more...
As If Our Lives Depended On It - January 22, 2012 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
Janet Hunt was a seminary intern in 1987, and she decided to get out of town for a few days to visit her sister. 1987. If you weren’t around in those days, these details will need to be noted. There were no cell phones, so there were no weather channel apps in phones. And there were no
more...
You Found Me - January 15, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
This was the weekend when friends from Indiana were scheduled to visit. Mom lives in Fort Wayne, and daughter lives in South Bend. The plan was that Mom would pick up daughter at noon on Friday to make the trip north. Thursday we began emailing and calling back and forth comparing weather forecasts. By Thursday night, . . .
more...
My Beloved Child - January 8, 2012 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
Mark the Gospel writer was in a hurry. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy, primarily interested in just stating the facts with brevity. In fact, he was in such a hurry that he began his Gospel with an incomplete sentence. There is no verb: “The Beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” He would write about . . .
more...
Jesus Is The Gift - December 25, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
My friend Alan tells this story. He and other clergy were at a workshop, and one of the pastors there told a story about Christmas that reminds us that the greatest gift is Jesus. The storyteller walked into the sanctuary of the church that housed them for the workshop, and he noticed a . . .
more...
Why You? Why Me? - December 24, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
Craig Barnes teaches at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and he had been asked to travel to Toronto to preach a few sermons. Of course, he had to deal with customs at the U.S./Canadian border. The officer in the booth was no nonsense, but Dr. Barnes noted that she looked tired, perhaps bored, and she . . .
more...
The Impossible Possibility - December 18, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
Mary is the mother of our Lord, the blessed mother, and she deserves our respect as the woman among all other women who was chosen to carry and birth the Messiah. She has become such an important and holy part of the Christmas story that we might forget . . .
more...
The Mission: "He Has Sent Me To Bring Good News" - December 11, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
He knew what it was like to be in war. He had joined the National Guard in order to help pay for college. He never dreamed that Iraq was on the horizon; he never seriously considered becoming a soldier in a foreign land. Two tours of duty later he received word . . .
more...
The God Of All Consolation - December 4, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
A warring empire, Babylon, attacks destroys everything in its path. There is no escape for God’s people in Jerusalem; the enemy is too powerful, the attack too swift and ruthless. For many death was the result; for many others, they were poked, prodded like cattle, pushed . . .
more...
If The World Ended Tomorrow . . . - November 27, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
It was December 16, 1811. In fact, it was 2:15 a.m. when it felt like the world was ending. In the frontier town of New Madrid, in what later would be called Missouri, an earthquake struck. That’s right…an earthquake in Missouri. The ground heaved and pitched; some residents . . .
more...
Lifting Up The Least Of These - November 20, 2011 Offered by Pastor Jim Helman
He doesn’t call often, but when he does he doesn’t know what else to do. He lives in another community beyond Traverse City. He is suffering from throat cancer. “Hi, Pastor, remember me?” is how our discussions usually begin. More than . . .
more...
| 
top