RoboPreacher

i fight A sermon on 1 John 3:11-24 : Their preacher tells them not be surprised, or “astonished.”   But that is the kind of advice that always comes just a little too late, isn’t it? We’re always told not to be surprised, a second or two after we’ve been laid out by some punch we didn’t see coming! That’s how surprises work… And so far that’s all their preacher has told them; surprising stuff. Promises that would astonish the most stone-faced of us:   Like Jesus choosing their struggling congregation to take up residence. Like, despite losing EVERY battle, they’re destined to win the war! Believe it or not, though, that’s NOT what’s surprising the folks in the pew that Sunday… I’ve already told you how big of a sucker I am for sports movies: Rudy, Chariots of Fire, Miracle. But my favorite sports movie has to be Rocky. Especially the first Rocky, and the newest iteration: Creed.   Creed is about Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis...

got love all around me A sermon from Jesus' pivot to Jerusalem for Ash Wednesday : When I stopped running and started going to the gym, I read a few articles about how to stick with it. The reason I was joining a gym in the first place was because my discipline to keep running by myself was rapidly waning … My favorite piece of advice was to watch inspirational films. You know; Rocky, Rudy, Hoosiers, Miracle. Those kind of movies… Turns out; I’m a total sucker for these movies.  Sometimes Amanda will pop in, and catch me wiping tears from my face. “Are you crying,” she will ask. And I will mutter back, “Only the manliest of tears.” Maybe you’ve seen these movies. Even if you haven’t , though; you already know their plot.  The hero faces some challenge. Some challenge that, as things stand, the hero cannot best. To overcome the trial, the hero must go on a journey to acquire the key that will turn the tides in their favor. After not a few tribu...