Sunday, July 19, 2026 – Isaiah 44:6-8, Psalm 86:11-17, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Last Friday I had the joy of recording a conversation with Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, the novel that touched millions of readers around the world nearly twenty years ago. At the center of the story is a father […]
Sunday, July 5, 2026 – Zechariah 9:9-12, Psalm 145:8-14, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Yesterday our nation celebrated Independence Day and marked 250 years of freedom. It is right that we give thanks for those who sacrificed so that we might enjoy freedoms many people around the world still long for—freedom of conscience, freedom of
Sunday, June 21, 2026 – Jeremiah 20:7-13, Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18 While sitting at the Beer & Hymns event during Synod Assembly, drinking wine and eating nachos with people from all corners of Florida, we heard a compelling story. A young woman shared how, when she was pregnant and in need of work, she was
Easter Sunday, April 5, 5, 2026 – Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, Colossians 3:1-4, Matthew 28:1-10 There’s a story that many of us learned as children about a young George Washington. You probably know it. He cuts down his father’s cherry tree, and when confronted, he says, “I cannot tell a lie.” Now, historians will
Sunday, March 29, 2026 – Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 27:11-54 Years ago, when I was home from college over winter break, I went into Manhattan with two friends to be in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The crowd was enormous—packed so tightly that we were literally jammed together like
Sunday, February 1, 2026 – Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12 Our first reading today is a well-known section from the Book of Micah. Who was Micah? He was a minor prophet in the 8th-century BC from Judea, known for defending the poor against corrupt leaders and warning of God’s judgment on
Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-23 Have you ever been in a place of complete darkness? Here in Bradenton, we’re surrounded by streetlights, building lights, and the constant glow of modern life. There’s so much light pollution that we rarely experience true darkness at all. Even
Sunday, November 2, 2025, All Saints Sunday – Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-7, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 Let’s be honest—we all know what it feels like to be lost, whether it’s losing our way in life, feeling out of place, or wondering if anyone truly notices us. Sometimes, we feel invisible in a crowd,
Sunday, October 19, 2025 – Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5, Luke 18:1-8 As we gather around today’s readings, a powerful thread emerges: persistence. In Genesis, we encounter Jacob at a crossroads—wrestling not just with a mysterious stranger, but with his past, his fears, and ultimately with God. Out of this struggle comes blessing
Sunday, July 27 – Genesis 18:20-32, Colossians 2:6-15 [16-19], Luke 11:1-13 Have you ever been to a carnival fun house? The kind where different mirrors change how you look? Or have you ever looked through a hundred-year-old window where the glass is a little wavy, and everything outside looks wavy too? Well, the truth is,
