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Bob Ove

Robert S. Ove is a retired Lutheran pastor who serves as interim pastor where and when needed. He has written for various publications, including Guideposts, Reminisce, and Lutheran Partners. A native of Wisconsin, Ove received his BA from Carthage College and did a year of graduate work at the University of Iowa. His first job was teaching on the Mescalero Apache reservation. Ove's first book, Geronimo's Kids, tells of this experience. Following a brief career in film and photography, he left his business to attend Hamma School of Theology at Wittenberg University for his M. Div., becoming a pastor. During his pastoral career, Ove has served churches in nine different states from New York to California and Canada. Upon "retirement," Bob served as a missionary to Nepal. His latest book, In the Shadow of Everest, relates many of his Nepalese adventures. He is a member of Christ the Ray of Hope Lutheran Church where he does some supply preaching, teaching, and writing.
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Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

NULL -- Isaiah 55:1-9 -- Bob Ove -- Third Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
Reading this passage, you wonder if your thoughts can contain what God has said.
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 (2013) -- Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Ron Love, Mark J. Molldrem -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2013
Isaiah 65:17-25
God appointed Paul... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - C -- 2013
God appointed Paul. He did not take on this responsibility by himself.
Sermon illustrations for Easter 7 (2013) -- Acts 16:16-34, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21, John 17:20-26 -- Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2013
Acts 16:16-34
NULL -- Luke 13:1-9 -- Bob Ove -- Third Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
The innocent often die with the guilty.
This text is so... -- Isaiah 65:17-25 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2013
This text is so different from the one in Habakkuk where the Lord does not seem to be answering.
Sermons Illustrations for Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 (2013) -- Jeremiah 8:18--9:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13 -- Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Scott A. Bryte, Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1
NULL -- Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 -- Bob Ove -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2013
We wonder, as have Christians throughout the ages, what does Jesus mean by "soon"?
Sermon Illustrations for Lent 4 (2013) -- Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 -- Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
Joshua 5:9-12
This verse could... -- Luke 21:5-19 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2013
This verse could refer to the beautifully fitted stones and jewels in the temple wall.
They are in Babylon... -- Jeremiah 8:18--9:1 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C -- 2013
They are in Babylon, and Zion is vacant with the people gone.
Sermon illustrations for Day of Pentecost (2013) -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2013
Acts 2:1-21
NULL -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Bob Ove -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2013
A man was going to court over bankruptcy. He had no means of covering the huge debt he owed.
Sermon Illustrations for Advent 1 (2013) -- Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Derl G. Keefer, Bob Ove -- First Sunday of Advent - A -- 2013
Isaiah 2:1-5
This is an odd one... -- Luke 16:1-13 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C -- 2013
This is an odd one. I'm sure there are many today who are wasting the boss' money.
Sermon Illustrations for Trinity Sunday (2013) -- Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15 -- Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2013
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Sermon Illustrations for Baptism of Our Lord (2013) -- Isaiah 43:1-7, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Cynthia E. Cowen, Bob Ove, Mark J. Molldrem, Ron Love, Mark Ellingsen -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 2013
Isaiah 43:1-7
We can preach... -- Isaiah 2:1-5 -- Bob Ove -- First Sunday of Advent - A -- 2013
We can preach from our pulpits with confidence about the consequence of sin, and we can often be mor
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 (2012) -- Job 1:1; 2:1-10, Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16 -- Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Cynthia E. Cowen, Ron Love, Richard A. Hasler, Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2012
Job 1:1; 2:1-10
NULL -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 -- Bob Ove -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2012
What time is it? Maybe it is whatever time we make it to be!
One thing that caught me is that we are one bride... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- Bob Ove -- All Saints Day - B -- 2012
One thing that caught me is that we are one bride!
NULL -- Job 1:1; 2:1-10 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2012
One of my sons is getting his degree, and he sometimes complains about the tests he will have to tak
Sermon Illustrations for All Saints Day (2012) -- Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44 -- Richard A. Hasler, Mark Ellingsen, Cynthia E. Cowen, Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Ron Love -- All Saints Day - B -- 2012
Note: Because of a scheduling error, we are highlighting these illustrations from 2012.
When you read those words... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- Bob Ove -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2012
When you read those words that seem to imply that the city Jerusalem will live in safety, do you won
NULL -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2012
I once wrote an essay "Can none Ph.D.s be saved?" I have friends who are Ph.D.s and I know they are
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture -the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response – to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

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John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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