Second Sunday of Easter - A
Alex A. Gondola, Jr.
Keith Hewitt
Contents
What's Up This Week
"When through Fiery Trials" by Alex Gondola
"Tracks" by Keith Hewitt
What's Up This Week
Now that we have celebrated the joyous victory over sin and death at Easter, where do we go from here? It can be easy to experience something of a "letdown" after any major celebration. The time of rejoicing is done, and regular life settles back to the every day. However, God is still working in our lives to perfect the faith that is within us. Sometimes that perfection comes through times of trial and suffering, as illustrated in "When through Fiery Trials." No matter the means, we can still see God at work in our lives, making us more like him. We may not see him personally, but we can know when he's been around, as shown in "Tracks."
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When through Fiery Trials
Alex Gondola
1 Peter 1:3-9
What's Up This Week
"When through Fiery Trials" by Alex Gondola
"Tracks" by Keith Hewitt
What's Up This Week
Now that we have celebrated the joyous victory over sin and death at Easter, where do we go from here? It can be easy to experience something of a "letdown" after any major celebration. The time of rejoicing is done, and regular life settles back to the every day. However, God is still working in our lives to perfect the faith that is within us. Sometimes that perfection comes through times of trial and suffering, as illustrated in "When through Fiery Trials." No matter the means, we can still see God at work in our lives, making us more like him. We may not see him personally, but we can know when he's been around, as shown in "Tracks."
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When through Fiery Trials
Alex Gondola
1 Peter 1:3-9
Keith Wagner
Contents
"Spiritually Speaking" by Keith Wagner
"Living With More Power" by Keith Wagner
Spiritually Speaking
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 16
Leaving home was never a problem for me. As a child and youth I was encouraged to spend weeks away in the summer with my grandparents or at church camp. When it came time to go to college, I couldn’t wait to move. Homesickness was not something I could relate too. There was, however a time when I was in the Navy and had orders to a ship which was involved in the Vietnam War. I was ordered to fly to the Philippines and meet my ship there. It meant leaving my young wife and two children behind plus all the comforts of home. It was a journey that took me 10,000 miles away from home. Flying from Norfolk to San Francisco wasn’t so bad. It was the last leg of that trip, the flight over the Pacific Ocean, via Alaska and Japan, that really intimidated me.
"Spiritually Speaking" by Keith Wagner
"Living With More Power" by Keith Wagner
Spiritually Speaking
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 16
Leaving home was never a problem for me. As a child and youth I was encouraged to spend weeks away in the summer with my grandparents or at church camp. When it came time to go to college, I couldn’t wait to move. Homesickness was not something I could relate too. There was, however a time when I was in the Navy and had orders to a ship which was involved in the Vietnam War. I was ordered to fly to the Philippines and meet my ship there. It meant leaving my young wife and two children behind plus all the comforts of home. It was a journey that took me 10,000 miles away from home. Flying from Norfolk to San Francisco wasn’t so bad. It was the last leg of that trip, the flight over the Pacific Ocean, via Alaska and Japan, that really intimidated me.
John E. Sumwalt
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (v. 8)
Remembering and believing these words of faith from the psalmist is easier said than done. If you told me that you have been able to do this in all circumstances in your life, I wouldn’t believe you. In fact, I find it difficult to believe the psalmist who writes in another place, “For God alone my soul waits in silence. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, I shall not be shaken.”
But we are shaken. How does one come to have such perfect faith in a world where pain, suffering and death are everyday realities?
I think the psalmist wrote these words because, like all of us, he knew what it was to be shaken. The world is a shaking place. There are earthquakes, fires, floods, wars, tragic accidents and devastating illnesses that can leave us shaken to our core. No one escapes the perils of this world.
Remembering and believing these words of faith from the psalmist is easier said than done. If you told me that you have been able to do this in all circumstances in your life, I wouldn’t believe you. In fact, I find it difficult to believe the psalmist who writes in another place, “For God alone my soul waits in silence. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, I shall not be shaken.”
But we are shaken. How does one come to have such perfect faith in a world where pain, suffering and death are everyday realities?
I think the psalmist wrote these words because, like all of us, he knew what it was to be shaken. The world is a shaking place. There are earthquakes, fires, floods, wars, tragic accidents and devastating illnesses that can leave us shaken to our core. No one escapes the perils of this world.
David O. Bales
Contents
“A Way To Meet Jesus” by David O. Bales
“Prairie Lessons” by David O. Bales
A Way To Meet Jesus
by David O. Bales
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Stuart’s head felt like a full balloon, throbbing with each step as he jostled up Ben Gurion Airport’s jetway. He gave up trying to walk and reset his watch at the same time. Jet lag was enough, but the added irritation of decompressing a head cold was almost disabling. After ten hours of flight he’d gotten to sleep 45 minutes before landing, only to be awakened then every five minutes by the speaker directly above him blaring out these gagging sounding messages that didn’t make sense when the message was repeated in English smothered with the same language. He stumbled out of the jetway feeling as if he was being vomited into all the people in Israel.
“A Way To Meet Jesus” by David O. Bales
“Prairie Lessons” by David O. Bales
A Way To Meet Jesus
by David O. Bales
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Stuart’s head felt like a full balloon, throbbing with each step as he jostled up Ben Gurion Airport’s jetway. He gave up trying to walk and reset his watch at the same time. Jet lag was enough, but the added irritation of decompressing a head cold was almost disabling. After ten hours of flight he’d gotten to sleep 45 minutes before landing, only to be awakened then every five minutes by the speaker directly above him blaring out these gagging sounding messages that didn’t make sense when the message was repeated in English smothered with the same language. He stumbled out of the jetway feeling as if he was being vomited into all the people in Israel.
Keith Hewitt
Contents
"Guilt" by Keith Hewitt
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Guilt
by Keith Hewitt
John 20:19-31
The light would have been poor for a room half the size. It was crowded and the atmosphere was heavy with the smell of too many bodies, too little ventilation, and the scent of silent human misery.
It was perfect.
The man at Table 3 was not a regular, but I'd seen him before. It took me a little while to figure out why he seemed out of place, and then I realized it was because he was there by himself... he usually hung around with a handful of other guys, but tonight he was there by himself. Well, himself and whatever burden it was he carried with him that caused him to sit in a dark, crowded room with a couple of dozen strangers, looking for numbness in the bottom of a cup.
"Guilt" by Keith Hewitt
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Guilt
by Keith Hewitt
John 20:19-31
The light would have been poor for a room half the size. It was crowded and the atmosphere was heavy with the smell of too many bodies, too little ventilation, and the scent of silent human misery.
It was perfect.
The man at Table 3 was not a regular, but I'd seen him before. It took me a little while to figure out why he seemed out of place, and then I realized it was because he was there by himself... he usually hung around with a handful of other guys, but tonight he was there by himself. Well, himself and whatever burden it was he carried with him that caused him to sit in a dark, crowded room with a couple of dozen strangers, looking for numbness in the bottom of a cup.
Frank Ramirez
Contents
"An Imperishable Inheritance" by Frank Ramirez
"Harry's Legacy" by Timothy J. Smith
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An Imperishable Inheritance
by Frank Ramirez
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,…
-- (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Colleges and universities employ talented individuals whose job it is to seek out and encourage people of wealth to include their institutions in their wills. Smaller donations are always welcome but the big prize are bequests of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars. The professionals target the rich for these gifts.
"An Imperishable Inheritance" by Frank Ramirez
"Harry's Legacy" by Timothy J. Smith
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An Imperishable Inheritance
by Frank Ramirez
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,…
-- (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Colleges and universities employ talented individuals whose job it is to seek out and encourage people of wealth to include their institutions in their wills. Smaller donations are always welcome but the big prize are bequests of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars. The professionals target the rich for these gifts.
John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Reason to Doubt"
Shining Moments: "Hoo" by Claire Clyburn
Good Stories: "When Peace Came" by Ken Lyerly
Scrap Pile: "The Girl the World Had Thrown Away" by Connie Schroeder
What's Up This Week
Jo's dad, Lester Perry, passed last week. We were expecting it, but not so soon. Word came just the week before that his kidneys were shutting down. We were able to spend time with him on the weekend.
Rod (Jo's older brother) said that he was probably met in heaven by about a thousand happy dogs. Lester loved his dogs. He said a house wasn't a home without a dog. His beloved Sam (Samantha) preceded him just a couple of months ago.
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Reason to Doubt"
Shining Moments: "Hoo" by Claire Clyburn
Good Stories: "When Peace Came" by Ken Lyerly
Scrap Pile: "The Girl the World Had Thrown Away" by Connie Schroeder
What's Up This Week
Jo's dad, Lester Perry, passed last week. We were expecting it, but not so soon. Word came just the week before that his kidneys were shutting down. We were able to spend time with him on the weekend.
Rod (Jo's older brother) said that he was probably met in heaven by about a thousand happy dogs. Lester loved his dogs. He said a house wasn't a home without a dog. His beloved Sam (Samantha) preceded him just a couple of months ago.
What is StoryShare?
StoryShare is a treasure house with hundreds of good stories to share, stories which relate authentic, life-changing experiences that demonstrate the Lord's power and presence. Many are intensely personal accounts that concern visions, healing, or answers to prayers, but all bear witness to the indescribable joy, comfort and peace that come from a personal encounter with the divine. Our "Good Stories" section includes short fiction, parables much like those Jesus told.
Can I share stories that I have?
Yes, you can. You have good stories to share too, probably more than you know: personal stories, and stories from others that you have used over the years. StoryShare is always looking for stories involving personal experiences of the presence of God. Have you or someone you know heard the voice of God or been healed as a direct answer to prayer? If you have a story that you can share send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here (storyshare@sermonsuite.com) and email your story to us.
