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2008

The Secret – 12/21/08

Imagine the following scenario. Five people are in an office seated around a well polished mahogany conference table. Other than having a very close relationship with each other and the deceased, they had no idea why they had been invited. All eyes were focused on the well dressed distinguished looking elderly gentlemen when he entered the room and sat down at the head of the table. After introducing himself and giving them a warm welcome

The Gift of Suffering pt IV – 12/7/08

I don’t know about you, but it saddens me whenever I come across a Christian who is really down in the dumps. I’m not referring to a person who is grieving over the loss of a loved one or perhaps is sorrowful because of something else, such as a serious health, financial or relationship issue. But for a Christian to be chronically unhappy, so much so that he or she becomes depressed as they struggle with a divinely ordained challenge is an entirely different matter.

The Gift of Suffering pt III – 11/16/08

Last Friday as I was working on this morning’s message, it occurred to me that between our little congregation and the folks at Harvest Time, more than half of us have been put by God into His dreaded “Furnace of Affliction,” and most of the rest of us are just outside its door. In one way or another, all human beings have their own divinely ordained challenges which they are contending with, but most of them pale in comparison to those who actually remain in the furnace for a long time.

The Gift of Suffering pt II – 11/9/08

When I ended last week’s message, I hope I didn’t leave anyone with the impression that the only reason our loving Father puts His Children in the “furnace of affliction,” and some of them for long periods of time, is because it’s only through the suffering they endure in it that He can use in order to prepare and make them capable of receiving what the Apostle Paul described as being “an eternal weight of glory” when they enter into His heaven,

The Gift of Suffering pt I – 11/1/08

Among the folks who are in my constant thoughts and prayers are those who always seem to be suffering in God’s dreaded “furnace of affliction.” You know the kind of people I’m referring to. They’re the ones who have been patiently struggling with a very painful ordeal, sometimes for years, with no letup in sight, and also those Christians who are constantly going through a seemingly non-stop series of awful trial’s, one right after another.

This is My Last Sermon – 9/28/08

Although the thought of bringing today’s message didn’t occur to me until recently, I’m firmly convinced I must preach it. Because of some of the feedback I’ve received concerning my recent sermon entitled Deceived, feedback which included constructive criticism such as, “Mike, “Although the opening paragraph was an attention grabber it was too strong.

Be Quiet and Let the Bible Speak for Itself – 9/7/08

In case any of you may have forgotten, allow me to refresh your memory about a well known fact; I don’t have a corner on all Biblical truth. That’s why I’m constantly reminding you and the folks at Harvest Time to search the Scriptures for yourselves to see if what I’m teaching is of God.

Deceived – 8/24/08

Back in June of this year Vermonter’s were shocked to learn about the disappearance of a twelve year old girl who had lived in the town of Randolph. Towards the end of that month her body was found close to the home of her uncle who is a convicted sex offender and prime suspect in the case. If I hadn’t been caught up in leaving for vacation I would have written a letter to the editor of the Burlington Free Press expressing my outrage.

The Path to Happiness – 7/27/08

Last Sunday the Lord blessed our congregation through Justin and Mike of “The Navigators” sharing their testimonies during our Worship Service. I wish we could have had heard those of the rest of that great bunch of young women and men who seemed to delight in fellowshipping with us the past couple of months.

The Little Red Book (REVISED) – 6/29/08

With shoulders hunched over and head bowed down, the young soldier cautiously made his way into the wind and through the deserted streets on that cold, blustery night in February of 1942. He had left the crowded farewell party early. Revile would be at 0300 and he hoped to get in as much shut-eye as possible. He also wanted to spend this time alone with his thoughts concerning his future

Making Sense out of When God Says “Not Yet” – 6/22/08

Regardless of your age I know that if I were to ask you how many prayers you have prayed in your lifetime you wouldn’t have a clue anymore than you know how many stars are in the sky. Probably the best answer you could come up with is that there’s a lot. I believe that not only do we not know how many prayers we have prayed but we have forgotten the specifics of perhaps most of them.

The Gift of Happiness – 6/8/08

I hope that most of the time I come across as being a pretty happy guy-because I really am. I’m not suggesting it’s because things always go the way I want them to nor that I’m never sorrowful or immune to experiencing grief, or even that occasionally I don’t long to go home and be with the Lord, because nothing could be further from the truth.

I Can’t Help Wondering What Harry Will Say – 6/1/08

Billions of people throughout the world were shocked and horrified when they learned about the May 2-3 tropical cyclone Nargis which hit the coast of Myanmar with winds exceeding 190 kilometers per hour. It continued for more than ten hours, flattening homes, uprooting trees and toppling power lines. “In rural parts of the country up to 95 per cent of the homes were wiped off the face of the earth.

Whatever it Takes – 5/18/08

Today I’m not going to waste anyone’s time by preaching a sermon. Instead, at this point in our service, let’s just sing the closing hymn. Then I’ll give the benediction and we can all go home. If you folks prefer this change I can call a special congregational meeting, and in a couple of weeks, we can vote on making it permanent via an amendment to our constitution. It would read something like this

A Stroll Down Memory Lane – 5/11/08

I’ve noticed the older I get the more sentimental I become on Mothers Day. This morning I plan on doing a little reminiscing and hope no one will mind. It wasn’t always so, but for the past several years on Mothers Day my first thoughts turn to God. To think that back in eternity past our Creator chose to bless me greatly through a woman He planned to have one day appear on the scene of human history, grow up, fall in love and marry my dad

A Letter From Douglas – 4/13/08

You folks who read my sermons on my web page know I value, welcome and appreciate your feedback, either pro or con. It helps me very much. For instance, consider the following. Hello Pastor Mike, My name is Douglas. I just read your latest sermon and I liked it. I’m sending this email because the things I want to say about it are too long to put in your guest book; plus I’m a little shy.

Do You See What I Saw? – 4/10/08

Those of you who were here last week know I did something I had never done before. I went out on a limb and turned a letter commenting on my sermon from the previous week into a sermon in itself. Judging from some of the feedback I received, the idea wasn’t a dud. Here’s a sampling. “Wow! Praise God from whom all blessing’s flow! How refreshing and honest!” “If Douglas isn’t a real person, you’re a very good storyteller.”

Birds of a Feather Flock Together – 4/3/08

I hope I’m correct in assuming that as far as those of you who have been attending our church for at least six months are concerned; for the most part I’ve pretty much been preaching to the choir. Obviously I don’t expect anyone to agree with everything I say. However, if you think some of my or our churches teaching is “over the top,” so to speak, I hope you would grant me the courtesy of telling me.

Please Accept My Apology – 3/9/08

Every once in a while I’m tempted not to post the written version of my sermon on my web site, or hand-deliver it to folks who don’t have internet access. Although you hear what I actually say, those who read the messages obviously don’t. For instance, in my recent series dealing with deception, especially as it pertains to the Theory of Evolution; folks who didn’t hear me preach them would have no way of knowing there have been times when I was preaching I have acknowledged I’m not an expert on this particular subject and that I hope I’m not getting in over my head.

Don’t Be Snookered – 2/24/08

I was a tall skinny kid in high school when I first heard about the Theory of Evolution. Back then I couldn’t help wondering that if people evolved from lesser forms of life over a very long period of time, then what about Adam and Eve? Was it possible the nuns and my mother who taught me all about God creating our first parents, and The Garden of Eden which had a serpent in it and a tree with forbidden fruit hanging from its branches; could they have been mistaken?

The Only Page to Be On – 2/17/08

For those of you who were here last Sunday and heard my message or read it later on the internet, you may recall a suggestion I offered concerning Christians interacting with atheist evolutionists. I said, “I wouldn’t attempt to waltz the non-Christian evolutionist through the Bible in an attempt to prove why he or she is wrong and I’m right.

The Same Page Strategy – 2/10/08

I don’t know about you folks, but I can certainly understand why savvy New England unbelievers often view evangelical Christians as fools, especially the Southern Baptist kind. I’m referring to the bible-thumping one’s who are prone to becoming quick to get themselves all bent out of shape over an issue they feel very passionate about.

I Can’t Help Wondering – 2/20/08

Last week I reminded us of the fact that regardless of all the good things a person has done during the course of his or her lifetime; apart from repenting and accepting the free offer of forgiveness of their sins through all that Jesus accomplished by His agonizing death and resurrection, that person will never enter into God’s heaven. After I posted last week’s message on my web page, I received feedback from a couple of people.

Be Sure You Know Why You Believe – 1/13/08

A few weeks ago in my Christmas message I spoke about a bad experience I had back in the seventies. As a spiritually young Christian with little more than a saving knowledge of the bible, I allowed myself to become convinced that I was living in the end times and that the return of Christ and the end of the world was fairly imminent.


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