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Tim Smith

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

NULL -- 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) -- Tim Smith -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - C -- 2010
Lilia felt empty following her divorce. Her friends stood by her but she felt alone nonetheless.
NULL -- Luke 7:11-17 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - C -- 2010
When Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost their five-year-old daught
NULL -- Luke 8:26-39 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2010
It had been several years since Patricia had been in contact with any of her family.
NULL -- Galatians 5:1, 13-25 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2010
Tensions were running high among members of the family.
NULL -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C -- 2010
Linda Graham believes in miracles.
NULL -- Philemon 1:1-21 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - C -- 2010
It is not always easy to do the right thing.
NULL -- Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - C -- 2010
Someone asked in an adult Sunday school class if there were prophets today.
NULL -- 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2010
Kelly feels the pressure teaching in a public school to not share her faith.
NULL -- Luke 18:9-14 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2010
Gail was upset over the girl her son was dating. She knew that she was all wrong for him.
NULL -- 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2010
It was one of those moments when we ask ourselves "What am I doing here?" Pam was clearly out of her
NULL -- Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 -- Tim Smith -- All Saints Day - C -- 2010
The day after his father's funeral Gary visited with his mother.
NULL -- Luke 6:20-31 -- Tim Smith -- All Saints Day - C -- 2010
Often we do not realize the influence we have on other people.
NULL -- Luke 21:5-19 -- Tim Smith -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2010
Harold remembers the time when he was serving in the Navy almost fifty years ago.
NULL -- John 6:25-35 -- Tim Smith -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2010
Robin remembers one Thanksgiving years ago when she and her children
NULL -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Tim Smith -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2010
Sara remembers her parents insisting that she and her sister attend Sunday school and church each we
Tomorrow Dick will be ringing a bell... -- Romans 13:11-14 -- Tim Smith -- First Sunday of Advent - A -- 2010
Tomorrow Dick will be ringing a bell in front of a local store for the
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
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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The Immediate Word

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For October 12, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
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Jeremiah 29:1,4-7

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (vv. 12-13)

“I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play story. If you have enough children, you could have them play the roles of the ten lepers. However, for the most fun, I suggest planning ahead and recruiting ten adults from your congregation to play the roles.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott

Call to Worship:

Jesus healed ten sick people, but nine of them were only interested in themselves and their own condition. Just one was able to look beyond his own concerns and say thank you. In our worship today let us look beyond ourselves and see God.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we are consumed by ourselves and fail to really care about other people.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we focus so intently on ourselves that we forget to say thank you.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Easter 6, Cycle A for an alternative approach to vv. 8-20.)

Schuyler Rhodes
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (v. 10). "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). These two powerful statements reveal for us the inadequacies of the translation process of the English language. These two juxtaposing passages reveal only a tiny fraction of the contradictions and conflicts found within our holy Word. No wonder people have trouble reading and understanding.
Scott Suskovic
"... suffer as I do" (2 Timothy 1:12).

It was in 1965 that the Rolling Stones recorded the song, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Even today, over forty years later, we are still saying the same words and feeling the same emptiness of trying and trying, but getting no satisfaction. Commercials promise it with whiter teeth and fresher breath. Wall Street promises it with higher returns. Soap operas promise it with a dynamic love life. Yet those who have conquered each of those summits come up with the same cry, "I can't get no satisfaction." Can you?

Stephen M. Crotts
Have you ever had this experience? You walk into a dark room to do something, flick on the light switch, and nothing happens. I suspect a lot of our Thanksgivings are like that. Thursday late in November rolls around and suddenly it's Thanksgiving! So everybody gives thanks! But quite often the gratitude is just not there. Like the light switch, we reach for it at the appropriate time and it won't work. It's burned out.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
Once there was a wise king who died. His son, who was young and rather brash, came to the throne and after only two months ordered a review all of his father's appointments. He called in the royal secretary, the royal treasurer, and the viceroy for interviews. He found them all to be unworthy and sent them into exile with only the shirts on their backs. Next he decided to interview the local bishop. A courier was sent to the bishop's residence with this message: "You are to report to the palace and answer the following three questions: 1) What direction does God face? 2) What am I worth?

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