When was the last time you were surprised? Truly, knock-you-off-your-feet surprised? In today’s internet age of global, instant communication, perhaps we’re a bit jaded. We have heard so much from so many different places that something has to be incredibly touching or disturbing to get through because otherwise, nothing is all that surprising anymore. We experience so many different things second-hand that are outside of our personal bubble through social media and other sources, even if the truthfulness might often be suspect.
"Live for Later, Not for Now" (Sermon on Isaiah 2:1-5) | November 30, 2025
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” I’m not really sure how much truth there is in that in corporate America, though I can see an argument for self-respect in it. I know even less of what that means in Silicon Valley when often people that are worth more than the GDP of some nations typically wear jeans, tshirts and hooded sweatshirts, but there is a kernel of something that I think is worth focusing on: you want to plan for the future; you want to think ahead; you don’t want to just be stuck spinning your tires here hoping things change instead of making those changes happen.
"Look at What God Is Doing!" (Sermon on Isaiah 43:16-21) | April 6, 2025
“Hey, watch this!” Depending on who is saying those words, you might have different expectations of what you’ll see. If it’s a very young child, it might be some new-and-a-big-deal-to-them type of physical maneuver or something new they learned that aligns with their growth and development. If someone has been studying sleight-of-hand illusions, you might see something that seems impossible at first glance. And if it’s a layman working on the plumbing at the kitchen sink, perhaps you’ll see a great success or a wild failure as the water gets turned on. But in any case, you want to watch and see, either to encourage, be amazed, or know if you need to get the mop.
