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Be Patient. Sermon.

23 JUL 17 Be Patient and Establish Your Hearts, on the Lord’s Return James 5:7-13   7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. ...
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Your Sermon Tanked. Now what?

You finished, and you know it. Your sermon sucked. Whether you bored them to tears, talked way too long about a point that was not important, or you failed to prepare. Whatever the reason, what do you do now? Repent. I am serious. Recognize you were called to lead sheep, not confuse them. If you made a couple of poor decisions that ended with this result, then take the time first to ask God to forgive you. Then resolve in your heart to address issue and safeguard from it happening again. Resist self-deprecating . “So, I know that wasn’t my best,…but what did you think?”; “Had a rough time preparing this one.”   This a polite way of keeping people from truthfully critiquing your sermon. You will get a pat on the back, but keep using these excuses and your sheep will lose trust in you. However, you can find a reliable straight-shooting friend, who can give you honest feedback. They can also keep you accountable against ‘dud’ Sundays. Revisit your call. Be encouraged, if...
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Monday Musings: Being Affectionate During Church

Monday Musings are a simple break from the norms of this blog to address or arm-chair quarterback an issue. Being Affectionate During Church As a child I remember my dad sitting pretty close to my mom throughout the service. She would even lean in on him periodically during the sermon and share a Bible. They would even hold hands walking into the sanctuary. This wasn't every Sunday, but I do many remember many young couples would comment that they wanted to be like my parents when they got older as a couple. So, I have found myself doing the 'yawning-technique' many times to draw Jessica a touch closer during the exposition of God's Word. I often get her hair caught in my arm, and I have to do delicate dance to make sure I don't turn a move of affection into a move torture. However, I grab her hand at times and she rubs my back when I lean forward in the pew to listen. I do not think I am being distracting or feel that I am over doing it either. I love my w...
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How to be Creative and Precise, while Preaching: Step Two, Know Your Text.

Know Your Text. I get pretty excited when I am given a particular Scripture passage I must preach through for a congregation. Some free willy guys might think they are so how restraint by this manner of preaching, but I really think it gives me a precise target to hit. My goal from the point I am given my text, is to be the expert on that passage when I walk up the pulpit.   How do you become the expert? Read it multiple times . Yep. Believe it or not, you kind’a need to take the time to read it and I mean out loud. How long does it take to read five or fifteen verses? Am I focusing on a portion of this passage or a particular teaching in a larger portion? I like to read it from the ESV and then turn around and find my kid’s Bible and read it from there as well. Why read it so many times? Simply, because I want to know the passage. I want to know what the author is trying to say and possibly hear it in his voice. Also, why not get a good audio version on your iPhone and li...
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How to be Creative and Precise, while Preaching: Step One

Step One: Know Your Weirdo Congregation. Speech Class 101: You must know your audience. Jesus talks about how his sheep know his voice, and how he knows them. John 10:27. I like this 1990's move quote,.. “Find out what the people you are playing against are interested in, and pretend you're interested in it, too. They start running off at the mouth and don't pay no attention to their cards. Medivac crew love to talk about their choppers.” ~Monfriez, Courage Under Fire (1996). If you truly want to connect the actually studying and laboring of your textual criticism/exposition to the congregation, you better stink’n know them. I am talking about really knowing them. You know their name. Quit using, “Buddy”. You know their children’s name. You know what makes them tick. You know what they laugh, (Not the weekly jab at the opposing football team), you know what ticks them off (see previous parenthetical). You know what is currently going on in the world around them...
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Infertility and Why Husbands Should Lead in Comforting and Counsel.

    The Introduction:             Theological precision has its rightful place, and with equal footing, the serving of these truths must be compassionately timed, especially within intimate relationships. Eclipsed by my own pride and ignorance, I stumbled in this area many times early during my marriage. Desperately wanting to convey Godly leadership within my family, I found myself weighing every conversation to guard against baneful theological regurgitation and the impact it might have without thoughtful consideration. Oftentimes I would be paralyzed by own frustrations and excuses. On one hand never fully trusting the Lord to give wisdom on certain situations and on the other hand never truly knowing how or when to present what I believed to be the woman I loved.   This became fully realized on an autumn morning during our first year of marriage. A chilling wind rushed into our lives in August, which left me staggering for the...
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Healing after a Failed/Disrupted Adoption

To the Reader, You may have gone down this path or know someone who has. If so, I pray that this ceremony can bring comfort in such times.  ~John Ritual of Healing for a Disrupted Adoption Chaplain John L. Craven 18 FEB 2013 This ritual of healing is primarily for a couple that has recently experienced a disrupted adoption. Due to the nature of the event’s intimacy, I recommend that this ritual be performed with just the couple experiencing the grief and loss. A recommending place for this ritual would be an open park with view of the skyline toward the west. A place where the couple can see the sunset would be fitting and beneficial as well, but not necessary. Place: A neutral (preferable not familiar) secluded place/park with view of the western skyline. Time of ritual : A few minutes before sunset, 10 minutes. Items: A helium-filled balloon with weight, picnic blanket, flashlight. Instructions: Place the blanket on the ground comf...
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