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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Linda and Lee bought a... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Linda and Lee bought a forty-foot sailboat and lived aboard it sailing from Alaska to Mexico and bac
Fred and Anna lived next... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Fred and Anna lived next to an Indian Reservation.
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les Miserables begins with an act of grace.
A friend of mine used... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
A friend of mine used to say, "I can always find 1 Corinthians 15, because it's where I spilled my c
For 2,000 years there have... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
For 2,000 years there have been inquiries concerning proof of the resurrection, and questions are st
Why do people visit cemeteries... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Why do people visit cemeteries? What is it they expect to find?
Last November, evangelist Billy Graham... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Last November, evangelist Billy Graham celebrated his ninetieth birthday. Dr.
The pastor regularly takes his... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
The pastor regularly takes his confirmation class to the funeral home for a tour.
Today's reading in Acts sounds... -- Acts 4:32-35 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Today's reading in Acts sounds like a wonderful dream, and at the same time it sounds like what was
The senior high youth group... -- Acts 4:32-35 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The senior high youth group was at its beach retreat.
In ancient times extended families... -- Acts 4:32-35 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
In ancient times extended families shared what few earthly goods they owned in order to survive.
In 1862, Julia Ward Howe... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
In 1862, Julia Ward Howe wrote the words of the beloved "Battle Hymn Of The Republic." She wrote the
Theresa Logan is a comedian... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Theresa Logan is a comedian who travels and performs all across the United States.
Jason was spending his first... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Jason was spending his first night outside of the city.
We always draw a solid... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
We always draw a solid lesson from Thomas' doubt: Believe even if you haven't seen.
On this first Easter evening... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
On this first Easter evening the doors aren't just shut. They're locked.
Anxiety is prevalent in our... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Anxiety is prevalent in our world today, and the church is certainly not immune to worldly concerns.
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr describes... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr describes what faith is not, and what it is:
Dave took his daughter to... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Dave took his daughter to the doctor's office. Daphne could not get over her bad cold.
Nothing refreshes like a good... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Nothing refreshes like a good drink of water. How often have you heard that?
Sometimes, we just want to... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Sometimes, we just want to know.
The pastor gathered the children... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The pastor gathered the children in worship.
On Sunday afternoons the state... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
On Sunday afternoons the state children's home dressed the children in their nicest clothes and para
You are witnesses of these... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
"You are witnesses of these things." What does this mean?
Roberta needed a change of... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Roberta needed a change of scenery. Her husband died following a brief illness.

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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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