ASL SERMON – Leave Your Nets Behind

Sermon Title: "Leave Your Nets Behind"
Scripture Passage: Luke 5:1-11

Sermon voice-interpreted in English

This message was preached on July 13, 2014 at
Deaf Fellowship at Frederick Church of the Brethren.

Special thanks to Deaf Fellowship for filming this sermon

and making it available online for viewing!

Please feel free to share this sermon with your friends,
and please leave a comment below if desired.

If you want to have me come speak at your church or event,
please click the "Contact Me" tab at the top of this blog and fill out your information.

Kyrie Eleison!

© Windstar Embroidery Designs

“The mercy of God is ultimately seen in Jesus Christ!”

(Bruce L. Persons)

Deaf Fellowship at Frederick Church of the Brethren invited me to fill the pulpit for Rev. Peter Myers, and I preached a message this past Sunday on Luke 18:9-14. It is my prayer that this message will bless and challenge you, and also enrich your personal walk with our Lord the Savior! If you ever want me to preach at your church or an event, please click here to contact me.

A special thanks is in order for Deaf Fellowship at Frederick Church of the Brethren for recording this sermon as a part of their ongoing "virtual" ministry. However, due to unforeseeable technical difficulties, the beginning of my sermon was not recorded. For that reason, I decided to write up a rough transcript of what I said at the beginning:

Jonah: An American Tale?

"Our God is a God of second chances!" (Rev. Rick McClain)

I discovered this morning that Dr. Rick McClain, a D.Min. graduate from Beeson, would be preaching at Deaf Calvary Church in Frederick, Maryland this morning. Deaf Calvary Church is an Assemblies of God congregation close to Deaf Fellowship at Frederick Church of the Brethren. He happens to be my mentor, a dear friend and colleague in Deaf ministry. He has been my source of encouragement and wisdom whenever I face difficult periods at Beeson or in ministry.

He is an exemplary preacher of God's Word, and I always listen to him whenever I get the chance to! With his gregarious and humorous personality, Rick has been endowed with a special gift to preach God's Word in a manner that is clear and accessible while not mincing his words at the same time. I was so blessed by his message this morning on Jonah 1-4 that I wanted to share it with you tonight because I think it is something that every American needs to hear in this present day and age.

A special thanks is in order for Deaf Calvary Church to make this video, "Jonah: An American Tale?" available for everyone!

Disclaimer: I can't guarantee the sound quality on this video for my hearing colleagues, but if you can understand this, you will be blessed as well! Please leave a comment below and let me know.

Thunderous Silence

“So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” (John 11:6)

      In John 11, John the Evangelist introduces us to Lazarus of Bethany. Lazarus was gravely ill and was being attended to by Mary and his sister, Martha. A messenger, bearing an urgent message from the sisters, found Jesus and told him, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (v. 3). Can you sense the hurrying tone in his voice here? Lazarus, your beloved friend, is gravely sick! Lazarus, your beloved friend, will soon be dead! Come quickly! Yet in spite of this urgency, Jesus issued a mystifying and seemingly dismissive response back to the sisters whom he loved: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (v. 4).

Summer Prayer Update

Summertime has officially begun for me, and things are just starting to heat up in the Deep South! My first year of seminary is officially over, and I survived it! I even had the opportunity to show a piece of Birmingham to my sister who flew in town for a couple of days after my finals was done (see picture on the right taken at the Peanut Depot where they roast simply amazing peanuts). I just got back in town after a week-long vacation with my family in North Myrtle Beach, and my time with the family was a sweet one.

Why I Love Koine Greek

I have a strange love-hate relationship with Koine Greek. And here’s why.