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Rich Mullins: Tell the Joke
A few weeks after Rich Mullins died in a car accident in 1997 at age forty-one, his friend and financial manager, Jim Dunning, went to collect Rich’s possessions. Mullins was a wildly successful Chris... -
illustration
Existential Brokenheartedness
In this short excerpt, pastor and author Austin Fischer describes a surprising dynamic that sometimes occurs in the life of a Christian: believing so strongly in a loving God that one cannot fathom th... -
blog
Giving Matters: A Biblical Approach to Stewardship
Giving Matters In 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Paul provides us with four crucial lessons on Christian giving: 1) How we give; 2) What we give; 3) What happens when we give; and 4) Why we give. How We Give... -
Quote
Other major world religions are still centered in the same general geographic area from which they originated except for Christianity. Even more intriguing, the center of Christian growth continues to... -
blog
Biblical Economics in a Pandemic: Thoughts from the Founder's Desk
The economy has probably been on a lot of people's minds lately as the COVID pandemic and rapid inflation continue to grab headlines and dampen enthusiasm in the markets. Many folks are worried ab... -
liturgy
Loving God ~ Father, Son and Holy
Loving God ~ Father, Son and Holy Spirit: We are a people who are waiting: waiting to celebrate Messiah’s birth; waiting to see what this day–and every day–holds as Your blessings for us; and waiting ... -
liturgy
Generous Lord Jesus, We confess that we
Generous Lord Jesus We confess that we do not receive others with compassion. We object to being interrupted And respond with anger or frustration. We confess that we do not share generously Not trus... -
liturgy
Inspired by Judges 2
Pastor: Oh God, you have been so gracious to us. You have given us so many wonderful gifts—they outnumber the stars in the sky! You have kept your promises to us, and you have been faithful! All: But ... -
illustration
A Nice Theory
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” “Well,” you say “that is a nice theory—but is it really true?” There is really only one way to find out: Give! Give generously and consistently, ... -
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Ten principles about Christian Giving
It is an expression of the grace of God. It can be a charisma, that is, a gift of the Spirit. It is inspired by the cross of Christ. It is proportionate giving. It contributes to equality. It mu... -
liturgy
God of grace, love, and hope: Your
God of grace, love, and hope: Your grace comes when we least expect and don’t deserve it. Your love comes when we can’t comprehend why but we need it the most. Your hope comes at just the right time t... -
liturgy
True Love
Merciful Jesus Give us courage to deny privilege to lay down favor and safety in order to take up the cross of opportunity and justice Too often we fail to do this Merciful Jesus Give us courage to d... -
liturgy
Eternal and Generous God, Every good
Eternal and Generous God, Every good gift comes from You. Your generosity is expressed best Through Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, Who gave Himself for us. We acknowledge we often doubt Your will... -
liturgy
Gracious God, in Christ Jesus, you
Gracious God, in Christ Jesus, you teach us to love our neighbors but instead we build dividing walls of hostility. You show us how to love one another as sisters and brothers but instead we hide from... -
liturgy
God of grace and God of glory on your
God of grace and God of glory on your people pour your power...Grant us wisdom, grant us courage for the facing of this hour. Lord—we need You...today, tomorrow and forever. We need you to heal those ... -
liturgy
King Jesus, We confess that we are
King Jesus, We confess that we are quick to put our hope in places other than You. We are often more driven by our fears than by our faith in You and Your Kingdom. We place our trust in health, jobs, ... -
liturgy
God—We’d like to have had a Hallmark
God—We’d like to have had a Hallmark card kind of week: gentle, quiet and serene, but it’s been anything but that. People died this week—and families and friends grieve. A man got bad news about cance... -
liturgy
God blessed them, and God said to them,
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth' Lord be with those who work and worship The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to ti... -
liturgy
Spirit of the Living God—Fall afresh on
Spirit of the Living God—Fall afresh on us this day. Spirit of God present and powerful, Spirit of God fruitful and faithful, Spirit of God filling and fulfilling us as children of the Father and foll... -
blog
Cultivating a Spirit of Generosity: A Pastoral Call to Year-End Giving
As a five-year-old at Christmas I remember how excited I was to get my first bike. It was a yellow BMX Huffy, a mean machine for a kid in the late 70s. It is one of my fondest memories because I remem... -
liturgy
Adapted from Revelation 3:15-22
Pastor: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you... -
liturgy
Adapted from Psalm 128 & Colossians 3
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. And [w]hatever you do, work at it with all your h... -
liturgy
Lord, You are a great and holy God, and
Lord, You are a great and holy God, and you have asked us to pursue you as the object of our worship and devotion. But Lord, we have fallen short of what you ask of us, we are a sinful people. We have... -
liturgy
Adapted from the Parable of the Sower
Pastor: “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what wa... -
illustration
22 Major Problems
Robert C. McFarlane was a well-known businessman in the Los Angeles area. He had moved to California from Oklahoma in 1970, and within just a few days of his arrival—due to a disastrous misunderstandi... -
liturgy
Prayer for the Festival of Harvest
Almighty and most merciful Father, giver of every good and perfect gift, we give you thanks for blessing us so richly with your good Word and the holy Sacraments, and supplying so abundantly all our d... -
liturgy
Lord, we believe your Word when you say
Lord, we believe your Word when you say that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You have given us all that we need to live faithfully as your chosen people. But just as often as we tu... -
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Not Holding on as Tightly
Here’s a story about tithing - giving away 10% of one’s income, from of all places, Forbes magazine. In the article, the writer tells the story of Greg Gianforte, the founder, chairman and CEO of Rig... -
illustration
The Three Orientations Towards Work
In his landmark work, Habits of the Heart, the sociologist Robert Bellah describes thee distinct orientations people take with respect to their work. The first orientation is to see your work as a job... -
liturgy
Jesus: You gave us Your love at a high
Jesus: You gave us Your love at a high price – Your own death on the cross in our place! By Your grace you give us eternal life and entrust to us Your creation. Thank You, Lord! We come today as Y...
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A
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B
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C
- Called by God
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D
- Darkness
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E
- Earning
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F
- Face of God
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G
- Gardening
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- Gifts
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- Giving and Receiving
- Giving Freely
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- Global Church
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- Glory
- God the Father
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H
- Hands
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- Heart
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I
J
L
- Labor
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- Lack of Faith
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- Leaders
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- Liberation
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- Light
- Light of the World
- Limitations
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- Living Water
- Loans
- Longing
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- Love of Money
- Loving Other Christians
- Loving your Neighbor
- Lust
- The Lamb of God
- The Lord's Prayer
- The Lordship of Christ
M
- Magnificat
- Mammon
- Manipulation
- Marital Problems
- Marriage
- Mary the Mother of Jesus
- Materialism
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N
O
P
- Pain
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- Purity Of Heart
- Putting God First
- The People of God
- The Prophets
Q
R
- Race
- Race and Reconciliation
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Real Estate
- Receiving
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- Receiving Gifts
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- Reconciliation
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- Relationships
- Relaxation
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- Renewing our Minds
- Repentance
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- Resurrection of the Dead
- Revelation
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- Rich and Poor
- Riches
- Righteousness
- Risks
- Rivers
- Romantic Relationships
- Royalty
- The Rich
- The Risen Lord
S
- Sabbath
- Sacrifice
- Sacrificial Giving
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- Safety
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- Satisfaction
- Saving Faith
- Savior
- Scarcity
- Schedules
- School
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- Sea
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- Second Chances
- Secrets
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- Seeds
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- Self-Care
- Self-Centeredness
- Self-Control
- Self-Examination
- Self-Gratification
- Self-Love
- Self-Reliance
- Selfishness
- Sense of Smell
- Separation
- Servanthood
- Service
- Settling
- Sex
- Shame
- Sharing
- Shopping
- Shortcomings
- Sight
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- Sin
- Sinfulness
- Singing
- Sinners
- Sins of the Church
- Slander
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- Sleep
- Social Class
- Social Justice
- Social Status
- Soil
- Solitude
- Solving Problems
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- Sowing Seeds
- Speaking Truth to Power
- Spending Money
- Spiritual Gifts
- Spiritual Growth
- Spiritual Health
- Spiritual Poverty
- Spiritual Thirst
- Sports
- Stars
- Steadfast Love
- Stealing
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- Stipulations
- Stories
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- Strength
- Stress
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- Struggles
- Stubbornness
- Stuff
- Suburbs
- Success
- Suffering
- Superficiality
- Supply and Demand
- Surplus
- Sustainability
- Sweetness
- The Saints
T
W
Y
Top_level_categories by Reference