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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Ralph shared with his Sunday... -- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Ralph shared with his Sunday school class how his sister and her husband lived and
The man on the street... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
The man on the street asking for money was easy to ignore. He was not attractive. He
In today's world, following James... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
In today's world, following James' advice of accepting all others can be risky. Certainly,
Suppose you learned that actress... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Suppose you learned that actress Julia Roberts was coming to your worship service next
Courtney worked hard in math... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Courtney worked hard in math while in high school. Every good grade she got, she
And then there was what... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
And then there was what I remember as one of the worst nights in my life. It was 3 a.m.,
This text points to a... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
This text points to a recurring theme in Mark's Gospel that the "outsiders" (the
Prior to the release of... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Prior to the release of the movie, The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown was
Most students, at one time... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Most students, at one time or another, are given a "test" in which the instructions are
The late Konrad Adenauer, an... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
The late Konrad Adenauer, an anti-Nazi activist who was elected the first Chancellor of
George enrolled in a trade... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
George enrolled in a trade college and took the classes he needed in order to start up his
Each August, the Canadian National... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Each August, the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto presents a spectacle of color,
James reminds us that the... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
James reminds us that the way we use our tongue can either be part of the problem or
Dirk remembers working one summer... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Dirk remembers working one summer while he was in college at an assembly plant in his
The tongue is a fire... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
"The tongue is a fire" -- Adolf Hitler knew all about that. Just look at that old
Joe was ambitious. Growing up... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Joe was ambitious. Growing up without a lot of the things his friends had, Joe vowed to
You don't have to be... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
You don't have to be around people long to realize everyone is something of a mystery.
Kathy has a choice to... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Kathy has a choice to either go to the local shopping mall with her friends on Saturday, or
It was the television commercial... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
It was the television commercial many of us loved to hate. A working woman comes
In a time when skin... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
In a time when skin-deep beauty is placed almost on a level of a modern goddess, today's
CNN's Soledad O'Brien claims that... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
CNN's Soledad O'Brien claims that faith played an essential role in her life while
Jim and Sally were brother... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Jim and Sally were brother and sister. They had three older sisters and there were eight
In August 2002, Linda and... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
In August 2002, Linda and Anthony O'Malley traveled from Wales to Spain with plans to
Chris once asked the pastor... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Chris once asked the pastor, during catechism class, if the devil could take over a person's
Sometimes we sow our wild... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Sometimes we "sow our wild oats, but pray for a crop failure." Still, it's generally true

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Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 21
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 22
31 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 23
32 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A football, a hand-held microphone, a camera, a stack of play money bills. These are the objects I used, but you can use any objects that might symbolize “success”.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
For October 20, 2024:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. (v. 4)

The outhouse on the farm where I grew up was beside the ash pile, at the end of a well-worn path, under a boxelder tree about fifty yards from the back door of the house. It was a two-seater – cold in winter, smelly and hot in summer. There was always a Sears and Roebuck catalogue on the floor in the corner, which served as both reading and wiping material.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
Frank Ramirez
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Most people assume God’s answer to Job, showing him the depth and breadth of the universe is meant to cow Job’s resistance, leading him, now broken, to repent, abjectly saying “...therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (42:6).”
Mark Ellingsen
All the lessons testify to the theme that it’s not at all about you and me; it’s all about God!

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, "What is it you want me to do for you?" In our worship, let us explore what we want Jesus to do for us today.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we are sometimes selfish in our requests to you.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, we are sometimes unreasonable in our requests to you.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, help us to make you the centre of our world.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

David E. Leininger
The story of Job is familiar to all of us -- a man whose world was spinning merrily along with everything falling into place is suddenly confronted with one misery after another ... disaster, death, disease, and despair. In some of the most moving poetry ever written, chapter after chapter attempts to deal with the age-old question of why, so often, life is unfair.

Schuyler Rhodes
The voice of praise rings beautifully through this psalm as each verse gives poetic color to the glories of creation and its maker. It is something to be read and re-read as we contemplate the wonders of God.
Steven Molin
There is a candy shop in the city of Keystone, South Dakota, just a few hundred yards down the mountain from that infamous Mount Rushmore monument. I can't tell you the name of that candy store, but I can certainly recall the sign on the counter that stands at just about eyeball-level for the average seven-year-old. The sign says this: "If Mom says, 'No,' ask Grandma!"

Harold C. Warlick, Jr.
An elementary principle in the business world is the law of supply and demand. When supplies outrace the demand for a product, prices are low. We call that a "buyer's market." On the other hand, when there are more buyers demanding a product than there are supplies of the product, prices are high. We call that situation a "seller's market."

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