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Terry Cain

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God Thought You'd Never Ask -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Most Christians are not very serious about looking for God or receiving help unle
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
We Have Met The Monster And It Is Us -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Each of us must make a careful and continual examination of our lives to see wher
Moved Any Mountains Lately? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Should we be able to heal people with prayer, and if so what can we heal?
Is The Real You The Right You? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Do we know who we really are, and more importantly, what we can become?
Were You Ever Somebody Else? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Since church members may ask the question, it may be important for ministers to p
Is The End Near And Should You Worry? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Jesus' second coming is a fascinating and popular subject for many Christians.
Some Are More Equal Than Others -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: One of the responsibilities of the Christian is to love the "unlovables."
How To Handle Your Preacher -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Ministers could take the Sunday morning service as an opportunity to discuss the
The Ninth Beatitude: Blessed Are Those Who Get Angry! -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: It is not always wrong to get angry.
Will God Help The St. Louis Cardinals Win? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What are the appropriate and inappropriate subjects for prayer?
Is Church Dangerous? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Is there anything unpleasant or inconvenient about going to church?
How Many Roads To Heaven? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Do we have to be a Christian or a certain kind of Christian to "get to heaven"?
David And Bathsheba: An Affair To Remember -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: There is much to learn from this story of loyalty, courage, sin, responsibility,
Do You Have To Be Smart To Be A Christian? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Since the Bible isn't always easy to understand and the world is very complex, do
Am I My Butterfly's Keeper? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: How we care for the animals may tell us a lot about our love and sensitivity for
Are There Any Goats In Heaven? -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Who is saved and how?
Famous Flights: The Art Of Running Away -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Running away from a problem is not always bad.
Daring To Be A Lion's Breakfast! -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Do we always have the necessary courage to take a moral stand or face ridicule, s
Start Quoting God Accurately -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Integrity demands that we are careful and honest with our use of scripture to quo
When And How To Break The Law -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Are good Christian citizens ever allowed to break the civil law?
If Crows Don't Worry, Scarecrows Won't Work -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: Apparently stress or worry is one of our greatest burdens and needs consideration
A Drink At David's Place -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: A communion sermon reflecting on the awesome responsibility we must feel at recei
Holy Smoke -- Terry Cain -- 1993
Purpose Statement: What are the ingredients of true worship?

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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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