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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

At the Pontiac Silverdome, April... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
At the Pontiac Silverdome, April 15, 2000, former president Gerald Ford challenged a gathering of so
Every year, the Hawaii Ironman... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
Every year, the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon is broadcast sometime during the winter.
Two young Catholic priests left... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
Two young Catholic priests left work at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, very weary as th
In May, 2000, the town... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
In May, 2000, the town of Walkerton, Ontario, gained worldwide attention when almost 50 percent of i
There is an incredible power... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
There is an incredible power in receiving aid from unexpected quarter.
It is good to ask... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
It is good to ask questions.
A plenipotentiary is a diplomat... -- Colossians 1:15-28 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 2001
A plenipotentiary is a diplomat who acts with the full authority of the state.
Australian philosopher Peter Singer, professor... -- Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
Australian philosopher Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University, has argued for
As the football coach of... -- Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
As the football coach of Northwest High School, Coach Freeman made it a habit to read at least three
Augustine was tutoring young clerics... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
Augustine was tutoring young clerics to go into the world to start churches and preach the gospel.
One of the most difficult... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
One of the most difficult decisions we face is when it's time to move on, give up or acknowledge def
The Parliament building in Ottawa... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
The Parliament building in Ottawa, capital of Canada, has a chapel in its Peace Tower.
Alfred, an elderly man of... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
Alfred, an elderly man of German descent, first started attending our church several years ago.
In 1998, for the first... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2001
In 1998, for the first time in history, the U.S.
Every morning for the past... -- Galatians 5:1, 13-25 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
Every morning for the past eight years, Paul and David had gotten together for coffee on Wednesday m
In the movie Scent... -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
In the movie Scent of a Woman, Al Pacino plays an army officer blinded by an errant grenade.
Sometimes I think I'm the... -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
Sometimes I think I'm the world's biggest procrastinator.
This text has always seemed... -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
This text has always seemed like a conflict of differing tunnel visions.
When Linda Greenlaw was a... -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
When Linda Greenlaw was a crew member on fishing boats, she recalls how when they departed for their
Classified ad seen in I... -- Luke 9:51-62 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2001
Classified ad seen in The Jerusalem Gazette, A.D. 30:
Growing up on a wheat... -- Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
Growing up on a wheat farm, I learned quickly about reaping what you sow.
You reap what you sow... -- Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2001
You reap what you sow.
Four brothers gathered around the... -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2001
Four brothers gathered around the bed of an 84-year-old woman late one Friday night.
I was ecstatic. After months... -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2001
I was ecstatic.
A member of our congregation... -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2001
A member of our congregation recently returned from a trip to Peru sponsored by Medical Missions.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

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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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