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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Promises are for keeping. Every... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
Promises are for keeping.
Julie was going through one... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
Julie was going through one of those difficult times in her life.
Joanne went home with her... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
Joanne went home with her college roommate.
The legend continues to be... -- Ephesians 6:10-20 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
The legend continues to be passed on that the armor of medieval knights weighed so much that the kni
Armor is made out of... -- Ephesians 6:10-20 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
Armor is made out of material we trust.
New hymnals appear about every... -- Ephesians 6:10-20 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
New hymnals appear about every 25 years, with a hymnal committee deciding which hymns to keep, what
The English painter J. M... -- John 6:56-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
The English painter J. M. W.
Steve was attending a business... -- John 6:56-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
Steve was attending a business meeting in New York City.
At first it seemed that... -- John 6:56-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2009
At first it seemed that everyone was in favor of building the new church.
In Guy de Maupassant’s story... -- Song of Solomon 2:8-13 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
In Guy de Maupassant’s story “In the Moonlight,” the priest, Marignan, believes he understands God p
When we think of Puritans... -- Song of Solomon 2:8-13 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
When we think of Puritans, we tend to think of the Bible-thumping, strict, “you’re-destined-for-hell
An older couple walked slowly... -- Song of Solomon 2:8-13 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
An older couple walked slowly hand in hand along the beach.
Angry words are among the... -- James 1:17-27 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
Angry words are among the most destructive.
Bob was a loyal member... -- James 1:17-27 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
Bob was a loyal member of his church for well over fifty years.
Johnny was a talker, and... -- James 1:17-27 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
Johnny was a talker, and even though his talk often got him into trouble, he didn’t seem to learn.
I grew up knowing about... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
I grew up knowing about pests in the house: flies, moths, ants, and mosquitoes.
Consider the bag of potato... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
Consider the bag of potato chips. It’s marvelous, really.
Winston Churchill told the story... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2009
Winston Churchill told the story of a man who dived into a river to save a drowning child, only to h
Some people never doubt the... -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Some people never doubt the Bible's veracity. I have.
Sometimes God uses those who... -- Mark 6:14-29, Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19, Psalm 24 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
Sometimes God uses those who lack pedigree in order to fine-tune our attention and our focus.
Isaiah 50:4-9a Lt... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66, Philippians 2:5-11, Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2008
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Preaching The Psalmbr... -- Matthew 2:1-12, Ephesians 3:1-12, Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 2008
Preaching The PsalmPsalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Preaching The Psalmbr... -- Matthew 17:1-9, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 2 -- 2008
Preaching The PsalmPsalm 2
It's hard to imagine a... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
It's hard to imagine a candidate running for president today without a veritable army of
When I worked with churches... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
When I worked with churches searching for a new pastor, they were often tempted to go

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
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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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