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Don R. Yocom

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Preaching

SermonStudio

For A Dead Rabbit? -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
It was the season of the year when snow melts and springtime rains had raised the nearby stream to f
For Thoughtful Worship -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
On the dossal cloth behind the central altar of the New Haven United Methodist Church in Indiana, ar
Forgiveness -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
To return evil for good is devil-like,To return evil for evil is animal-like,
Four Things A Man Must Do -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
Four things a man must learn to doIf he would make his record true:
Give Them Christ -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
In a letter from the publicity office of Tennessee Ernie Ford, shortly before he passed to eternal l
God Bless America -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
A late nineteenth century Jewish immigrant, from western Siberia to the U.S., was the universally we
God Knows -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
David, the famous sculpture by Michelangelo, is now located in a museum in Florence, Italy.
Abstract Or Concrete -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
A man had said he adored children and would do whatever he could for them.
God Uses Written Prayers Also -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
In the late 1940s, Reverend Peter Marshall, the well-known pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyteria
Gratitude At Sing Sing -- Don R. Yocom -- 2004
One of the classic stories of prison ministry pertains to the loving service given by Kathryn Lawes,

Illustration

Humor

SermonStudio

Where Do You Think You Are? -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
A well-known gangster burglar died and in the next world found things to be very pleasant.
Crackers And Cheese -- Psalm 103:2-5 -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
An old story often told but without much application was the one about a poor immigrant coming to Am
Dustpan -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
In Africa, in a missionary's house, a native boy was helping clean the floors of dust and dirt.
So Help Me God -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
George Washington, America's first president, has been called by various descriptions, like "The Fat
The Towel Company -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
In Neil B.
Children Playing "Automobile" -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
Before television, when children had to be creative in their play, some children decided to play "au
Did Hell Freeze Over? -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
A popular announcer told the story on a radio broadcast about a little girl who told her parents she
He Got His Hat Back -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
A pastor decided to go on a vacation on short notice.
Throw An Old Ram Over The Fence! -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
Years ago a kindly old Scottish Presbyterian minister, who was remembered only as "Dr.
That Sinking Feeling -- 1 Corinthians 10:12 -- Don R. Yocom -- 2000
At dusk, a delivery truck driver was on a lonely road in Eastern Indiana when it appeared to him tha

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The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Good morning boys and girls. Does anyone here remember someone saying, “I am the greatest?” I remember hearing it many times by a prize fighter named Ali. Does anyone here remember Muhammed Ali? He used to say a lot of things and he was a very good boxer. He told everyone that he saw that he was “the greatest of all time.” Wow! Not many people say those kind of things about themselves.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

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What is a saint?

According to the Roman Catholic church, a saint is a holy person who has been elevated by God to heaven, there to pray for those of us who need their help. There is a three-step process: the request by those who knew the person in life, and who attest to their holiness; a witness by at least two people that they asked the candidate to pray for them and their prayer was granted in a miraculous way; and an investigation by the Vatican into all this evidence. The declaration is made by the pope.

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Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
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Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
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What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
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What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
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"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


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by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17
Keith Hewitt
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Contents
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"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17

SermonStudio

Mary S. Lautensleger
"Surprise! You're adopted!" If you were to hear those words from a trusted relative, surprise would be an understatement, I'm sure. Total shock would probably be more descriptive terminology for your emotional state as you examined the official court record and your original birth certificate. "Adopted" does describe each of us though, because we have been adopted by God into God's family. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
James L. Killen, Jr.
When we put together the collection of things that we can believe, we need to ask a question about the person in the middle of the inquiry. What can we believe about ourselves? We don't often ask that question but it is a very important one. Some people are oppressed by low self-esteem. Others are led astray by exaggerated images of themselves. It is important to get a realistic understanding of who we are -- and of who we can be. The Bible has something to say on the subject that may surprise you. Are you ready? Hold on to your hat. The Bible says you were created and called to be saints.
Argile Smith
At an office meeting, Ben got the official news that he would become the manager of one of the most influential departments in the company. His colleagues admired him because of his tireless work, and they respected him as a dependable person in whom they could place their trust. They were glad when they found out that he had gotten the promotion. In order to celebrate the news with him, they bought him a gift. Well, it was actually more like a gag-gift, the kind that he would place on his shelf and chuckle over every time he saw it.
Joseph M. Freeman
Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes.
Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier
Commotion At The Communion Rail

Tommy didn't budge.

When everyone else got up to leave the communion rail, he stayed kneeling. His folded hands were perched on the rail, and his little head was bowed so far down that his forehead was squinched against his thumb knuckles. His eyes were closed hopefully, as if he were waiting for a big present.
Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
As the movie Contact opens, the audience sees a precocious girl named Eleanor learning how to use a ham radio. Nicknamed "Sparks" by her father, she has reached a man in Florida, and is excited that her radio lets her speak with someone so far away. In a later scene she asks her father wistfully if she can call her deceased mother on the radio. He responds sadly that no antenna is big enough.
George L. Murphy
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar.
Richard C. Brand
It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what it means to lead lives worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
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