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Stephen M. Crotts

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Let Sleeping Dogmas Awake! -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2001
There are many doctrines in the Bible that receive light billing today.
Do The Old Rules Still Apply? -- Exodus 24:12-18 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Transfiguration Sunday - A -- 2001
Grandma was well into her eighties when she saw her first basketball game.
The Taste Of Joy! -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2001
When traveling to Israel, Jerusalem is the place!
Try This On For Size! -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2001
I have a friend who is a millionaire.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...! -- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1999
Do you remember the fairy tale "Snow White"?
Friendship? Yes, Please! -- 2 Samuel 11:1-15 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1999
According to a recent poll only about ten percent of American males say they have a good friend.
How To Treat Your Enemies -- 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1999
Did you hear about the man who went into the preaching ministry, worked for seven years, then resign
How Good News Spreads! -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1999
In 1971 I made a trip to Russia.
The Channel Between The Buoys -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1999
"Let's go boating!"
Queen Of Hearts! -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1999
Sociologists have defined her. Psychologists have analyzed her. Pollsters have surveyed her.
All Mine To Give! -- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1999
Do you ever get tired of giving?
You Can Create A Godly Heritage! -- 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1999
Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said: "Future historians will see best the multiple factors th
How To Affair-Proof Your Marriage! -- 2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1999
Country singer Gene Watson croons:Slip into something soft,
Godly Sexual Passion For An X-Rated World! -- Song of Solomon 2:8-13 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 1999
The Hebrew word for love, awhab or awrag, means "to pant, to long for, to breathe heavily after." P
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

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The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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