Refuge Under His Wings
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008This hen has 16 chicks under her wings of protection. This is obviously the picture that the Psalmist is referring to in Psalm 36:7. “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
Why Are You Here?-Matthew 21:1-11
Saturday, June 14th, 2008ME:
You know, even though my family was not one for church when I was growing up, we still said grace three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. We were not really against God, though we certainly held that religion, like other things that could easily be taken too far, should be held [...]
Are You The One?-Matthew 11:2-15
Friday, June 13th, 2008Our Gospel passage this morning has always puzzled me. The story is pretty simple; John the Baptist sends some of his followers to talk to Jesus, to ask him if he is really the Messiah they have been waiting for, or if they should keep looking. Rather than getting into a bunch of theological jargon, [...]
What’s in a Name?-Matthew 1:18-25
Friday, June 13th, 2008What’s in a name? Naming a new baby is a challenging process. It’s hard to please everybody with a name. Dad wants a name with alliteration in it, something that would sound good on a sports report–Sammy Sousa or Johnny Justice. Mom selects a fashionable name and insists on no nicknames, [...]
All Saints Day-Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17, and Matthew 5:1-12
Thursday, June 12th, 2008On this feast day called All Saints Day, the Church offers us a chance to reflect upon and savor our baptismal gifts and commitments, with a look both at the past and at the future. It is located in the liturgical year at the transition point in the Sunday lectionary between the earlier part of [...]
Devotion-A Charge to New World Leaders-Matthew 16:13-18 and Revelation 2:4-7
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007Charlie Vensel
Delivered in Musoma, Tanzania
Pastor’s Conference
June 2007
A Charge to New World Leaders (Matthew 16:13-18)
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” [...]
Why We Pray: Matthew 6:9-13
Sunday, May 20th, 2007Opening
This morning we begin a new series on prayer. Over the next few weeks we will take a look at a variety of different questions that arise about prayer. Does prayer work? How do I pray? What am I supposed to say? Those are all questions that come up. But [...]
A Month in Matthew - A Daily Devotional
Monday, April 9th, 2007The attached Word doc is a daily devotional on the Gospel of Matthew. It has been designed with the idea of one chapter per day with accompanying reflections and application questions. It was particularly written for the 2001 Work Crew at Young Life’s Timber Wolf Lake in Michigan.
A Month in Matthew
Longing for God’s Presence - Matthew 28:16-20
Friday, March 30th, 2007Key verse: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” We’ve all heard the expression and we’ve probably all doubted its wisdom. I have a friend whom we will call Charlie. Charlie moved from Texas to Maryland to start a new job, but his [...]
Longing for God’s Passion - Matthew 28:16-20
Friday, March 30th, 2007Key verse: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
As we saw last week, Jesus promised us his very presence with us with the words, “And surely I [...]