Tuesday, May 8, 2012

3
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The Antidote For Boredom [5/6/12 sermon]

You were made for doing cartwheels on top of 20′ ocean swells. You know that, right?

(if you are having difficulty viewing this in a reader click HERE).

So what’s your boat?

Please leave a comment and make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!

Recent Posts:
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The Mormon Crazy Train
Why I Never Read Anonymous Letters, Comments, Emails, Or Notes In The Offering
Top Posts For April 2012

in Living It Out, Sermons

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

13
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The Mormon Crazy Train

Throughout our series “One Nation Under god(s)” I felt I did a pretty good job patiently exploring the similarities and differences between Islam, Catholicism and biblically based Christianity.

Well, let’s just say that this past Sunday my patience and empathy ran out…

(if you are having trouble viewing this in a reader please click HERE)

Please leave a comment and make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!

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in Sermons

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

7
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What’s right (and wrong) with the Catholic Church?

In my sermon on Sunday I shared a survey that we conducted here at CCV with Catholics who have attended our church. I thought you might like to see the results of that.

Since Catholics come from such a vastly different background/experience (and comprise 70% of our church), we wanted to get a better handle on what their first experience was like, why they came back, and the specific hurdles they had to overcome to “stick” at CCV and grow to Christ-likeness here.

(problems viewing video? click HERE)

CCV Catholic Visitor Survey:

1. Describe your first visit. What did you like best? What were your initial thoughts and feelings?

  • Liked the sermon
  • Felt welcomed
  • Liked the music
  • Kids enjoyed Valley Kids

“I remember thinking that it was awfully dark and the music was loud.”

“Loud music, didn’t look like a church, and the minister was dressed informally.”

“I was pretty much in total shock. In all honesty, when we walked out of our first service, I said to my husband, “Is this one of those cults or something?” CCV was something so totally new and different to me; it felt kind of foreign!”

“The people seem friendly. It was extremely different from my traditional background but the homily was so amazing that I had to come back.” Continue Reading…

in Sermons

Thursday, April 19, 2012

5
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The Shocking Truth About Islam

Here’s my first message in our series “One Nation Under god(s).”

Before my message started we showed this provocative video about Muslim extremists.

Do you know any Muslims? Are they radical or “normal?”

(If you are having trouble viewing the video please click HERE)

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in Cultural Buzz, Sermons

Friday, April 13, 2012

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Easter 2012

Even though my sermon was just awful, here’s the video of our Easter 2012 service. As I mentioned in a previous post, we purposely toned it down a bit this year. The video doesn’t include the One Nations Under god(s) trailer, which we posted online separately.

My favorite part of our Easter services this year was (1) seeing a good buddy of mine in the congregation who has special needs and (2) helping two of our volunteers tear down one of the children’s classrooms. Their attitudes and servant-hood were inspiring. Everything after that was icing on the cake.

(if you are reading this is a reader and have trouble viewing the video, click HERE)

Please make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!
in Sermons

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

7
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One Nation Under god(s)

Do Scientologists like Tom Cruise really believe that 45 million years ago an alien named Xenu brought the future souls of human beings to earth on a DC-10-like spacecraft to populate this world?

Do all Muslims want to take over the world and kill opponents of Islam?

What do other Catholic priests think about the sexual abuse scandal?

If you’re anywhere near the greater Philadelphia area join us this Sunday and find out (or tune in the next few weeks for a blogging recap)…

(if you are viewing this in a reader and can’t see the video, click HERE)

Please leave a comment and make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!

in Cultural Buzz, Sermons

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

3
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Sometimes I’m so ticked off at God this is the only thing that makes sense to me

In his book Prayer: finding the heart’s true home, Richard Foster wrote, “The heart of God is an open wound of love.”

If I’m being honest, more often than not I don’t believe that. Like at all.

Look around – does what you see happening in most people’s lives look like the handiwork of a loving God?

How about you? Based on the last two weeks, how would you complete this sentence: “God’s love for me is a ____” (on a scale from 1-10).

Here’s God’s answer…

Please leave a comment and make sure to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter!

in Sermons

Thursday, March 29, 2012

0
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Don’t Waste Your Life Doing A Job You Hate

A recent survey of 1,733 executives asked the question, 

“If you could start your career over in a completely different field, would you?” 

51% said “Yes”
4% said “No”
25% said “Maybe”
20% said “I’m not sure”

The most humorous (and honest) response in the survey was:

19% said “My lack of passion is so strong that my company would be better off eliminating my position altogether rather than keeping me around”

That’s hysterical. And sad.

How about you? Do you love what you do?

If you need to find a job that you’ll love (or find a new attitude so you can love the job you already have), this message is for you…

What’s the best advice someone’s ever given you about work or finding and keeping a job you’ll love?

in Sermons

Friday, March 16, 2012

5
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Should I Feel Guilty For Wanting To Be Blessed?

Over the past few months I have been meditating a lot on Job 42:12:

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.

Now that I’m 45, I’ve started to think a lot about what God wants me to do in the next season of my life. While I’m still figuring out what that looks like, there is one thing that’s clear to me: I want God to bless the second half of my life more than the first. And my first half serving him was an amazing,  albeit painful ride.

In fact, when I approach 90, if God lets me live that long, I want others to say of me what they said about Abraham,

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way (Genesis 24:1).

I want that. I want God’s blessing on every effort of mine to extend his kingdom, every moment, ever day. Don’t you want that for your life too?

We’d have to be crazy not to want to “be blessed in every way.” Right? We’d have to possess an extraordinary measure of fake humility to not want God to bless us more in the second season of our lives than the first.

But what does it mean to be “blessed” by God? Is it self-centered and narcissistic to want that?

What do you think it means to be “blessed” by God? Is it wrong to want (and dare I say expect) to be “blessed?”

in Sermons

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

2
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Feel Like Your Prayers Are Bouncing Off The Ceiling? They Could Be!

Feeling like God isn’t listening to your prayers?

He may not be, for good reason. Here’s why…

(for those using a reader you can access the video HERE)

in Biblical Issues, Sermons
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