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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

There was a mother cat... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2001
There was a mother cat that was out for a stroll with her three small kittens.
Gary Forner, a veteran Fort... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2001
Gary Forner, a veteran Fort Canby State Park ranger and a sixteen-year member of the cliff rescue te
According to an article by... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2001
According to an article by Andrew C.
A hospital chaplain often will... -- John 16:12-15 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2001
A hospital chaplain often will accompany a doctor into a patient's room to deliver bad news.
Jean was struggling with Alzheimer's... -- John 16:12-15 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2001
Jean was struggling with Alzheimer's disease when it was discovered that she had breast cancer.
A practice familiar to scuba... -- John 16:12-15 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2001
A practice familiar to scuba divers involves something called "buddy-breathing." Occasionally one di
How does the Spirit of... -- John 16:12-15 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2001
How does the Spirit of truth come to us today, if not in the Bible?
The saying, One bad apple... -- Galatians 2:15-21 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
The saying, "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch," isn't always true. Nik is an avid gardener.
Do we live by the... -- Galatians 2:15-21 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
Do we live by the law or by grace?
The 1991 movie Defending... -- Galatians 2:15-21 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
The 1991 movie Defending Your Life features Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks in a whimsical sto
A theme common in the... -- Galatians 2:15-21 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
A theme common in the Bible is that adhering to the Law will not save you; faith in Jesus is what wi
After a long road trip... -- Luke 7:36--8:3 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
After a long road trip, there is nothing so inviting as a motel sign: V-A-C-A-N-C-Y!
The phone rang. It was... -- Luke 7:36--8:3 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
The phone rang. It was Karen, one of the most committed members in our congregation.
We have a teenage son... -- Luke 7:36--8:3 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
We have a teenage son. Recently I overheard my wife sharing a story with a friend about him.
In the Museum of Fine... -- Luke 7:36--8:3 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - C -- 2001
In the Museum of Fine Arts in Buda-pest, Hungary, there hangs a most captivating painting, Sleepi
As a young boy, I... -- Galatians 3:23-29 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2001
As a young boy, I had the privilege of having a hockey coach who came from the "old school," in othe
In Christ there are no... -- Galatians 3:23-29 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2001
In Christ there are no longer slave or free, for we are all one in Christ.
Philip Becker's parents had him... -- Galatians 3:23-29 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2001
Philip Becker's parents had him institutionalized at birth.
In an article by Matthew... -- Galatians 3:23-29 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2001
In an article by Matthew Purdy that appeared in the New York Times, we hear a story about sum
In the United States, we... -- Acts 13:13-26 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2001
In the United States, we love to hear a good motivational speech.
Twins David and Daniel were... -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2001
Twins David and Daniel were adopted as infants by a couple who believed they were incapable of havin
Being a child of God... -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2001
Being a child of God may very well involve suffering or persecution.
On Sunday, October 11, 1998... -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2001
On Sunday, October 11, 1998, Pope John Paul II canonized Teresa Benedicta (1891-1942).
An article written by Micheal... -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2001
An article written by Micheal Finkel for The New York Times Magazine of June 18, 2000, tells
The race is hard to... -- John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2001
The race is hard to run by ourselves. The strongest runners are relay runners who sprint hard.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
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Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
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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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