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Terry Cain

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God Doesn't Always Play Fair -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: God's rules and our rules for justice, peace, and human relationships aren't alwa
Who Are The Real Christians? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Behind the query of who is and who isn't a Christian lies the fundamental questio
Is Your House Haunted? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: No plan for preaching is complete without an occasional sermon on fear.
When Church Becomes Too Familiar -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: When worship and being a Christian become so routine they lose meaning, we need a
Turn 'Em In -- That's What Friends Are For -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: There is a time to break confidences or to betray secrets in order to help person
Why Didn't Jesus Write A Bible? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: The real subject is our response to the written word and the living word.
Can You Keep A Secret? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: If we are so eager to pass along secrets, why can't we be as excited about sharin
Made Anybody Uncomfortable Lately? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: God's word is not always popular and can make us feel uncomfortable.
Does Our Church Have A Narrow Gate? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Has our church discovered the narrow way Jesus spoke about?
King James: The Version Jesus Used -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Every Christian needs to be familiar with the various translations of the Bible t
Why Did God Hide Heaven? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: A good sermon on why God hasn't given us more information concerning heaven might
You Have The Right To Remain Silent -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What we should do about gossip, media misinformation, or innuendos.
So, What? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What is the reason for the cross and what does the cross do for us?
Wrong ... For All The Right Reasons -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Occasionally, we are wrong, even when we believe we are right.
The Church Should Mind Its Own Business! -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What constitutes the appropriate concerns for the church?
Good God Or Perfect Book? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: We need to do what we can to resolve the problem of a Bible that sometimes makes
Why I Am Not A Fundamentalist -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Each church member should know enough about different Christian theologies to be
Ladies, Let's Remember Our Places! -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Clergy must preach on the status of women in society and within the church.
Cain's And Einstein's Theory Of Relativity -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: To show there are spiritual laws of the universe that are just as real as the phy
Religion From A Safe Distance -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: A sermon attacking our efforts at trying to be a Christian with minimum effort.
Can You Squeeze A Dinosaur Into Your Bible? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: It is a sad state of affairs that two wonderful disciplines, science and religion
Birds Of A Feather ... Become Xenophobic -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Racism and the related "we versus them" phenomena are still serious diseases in s
Did Jesus Drink? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: It is possible Jesus did not use alcoholic beverages and the Bible does not suppo
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Out of the many conflicting messages, how can we determine who is telling us the
Finding God In A Quiet Universe -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Most Christians would admit to difficulty in experiencing the presence of God in

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John Jamison
Object: You may present this message as a simple story, or have the children act it out as a role-play. I will show the role-play version, but you can ignore the acting pieces and just tell the story if you prefer.

Note: For the role-play version, you will need to select two girls and one boy to play the roles. You might also have a broom and a dust rag if you want to.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s get started.

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For July 20, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
David Kalas
I have tried to find different ways of saying it so that my children don’t tire of hearing it. But the basic principle remains the same, and my kids have heard it a ton. “First things first.” They ask if they can do this or they start to do that, and I will endeavor to redirect them, saying, “Why don’t we make sure we’re doing first things first!”

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (v. 24)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
One of Martha's earliest memories was of her little sister Mary singing and dancing in the middle of an admiring crowd of friends. Mary had always been a dancer, from the time she could walk. Privately, Martha thought she'd always been something of a show-off and ought to go on the stage, for Mary loved an audience.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jeanne Jones
Several years ago, before we moved to Wisconsin, I was an honorary nanny for our pastor's son, Jonathan. I took care of him from the time he was able to walk until our pastor moved, when Jonathan was about five. We had wonderful times together. One time, when I was at their house, and we had been doing some spiritual direction together, Pastor Michael asked me if I knew the name of my guardian angel.
James Evans
We are not surprised when we learn about crooks and robbers boasting about "mischief done against the godly" or "plotting destruction" all day long. The image we have in our minds about who "bad" people are, and how they conduct themselves, make such accusations completely plausible. We are less inclined to believe such things about leaders, especially respected leaders among us. We have difficulty believing someone with wealth and power would deliberately plot to do someone else harm.
Arley K. Fadness
Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the good Samaritan. Luke positions the good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Kirk R. Webster
In the early 1990s, Wesley Nunley of Dallas completed a project he had dreamed of for decades. "I tell you, this could be a big thing," he explained. Wes then walked out to a concrete octagon in the middle of his backyard. With a beaming smile, arms raised up in excitement, the energetic retiree said, "This welcomes the UFO to land, which has never been done before."
John W. Wurster
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time.
H. Burnham Kirkland
Words Of Assurance
Our God is both wise and caring: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Pastoral Prayer
God, we bow before you this morning, knowing that you hear every prayer. We know that in all of Creation, you are the source of life. You are the one who set the light swirling between the galaxies. The breath of your Spirit pulses through all life. You have even become flesh among us. We praise you, Lord, that in all your wonder, you have not forgotten us.

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