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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

NULL -- Romans 6:12-23 -- Ron Love -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
Las Vegas is embracing its original ties to organized crime by opening a $42 million museum called t
NULL -- Romans 6:12-23 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
It is important to have a good boss. A good boss makes sure you are treated fairly.
NULL -- Matthew 10:40-42 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles was an important Christian manual that
NULL -- Matthew 10:40-42 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - A -- 2011
In countries still loyal to the British crown -- countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand -
NULL -- Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67, Romans 7:15-25a, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
NULL -- Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
Farming families know what it means to have strong women.
NULL -- Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 -- Ron Love -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
Loft 107 is a sober-living facility located in the heart of Brooklyn.
NULL -- Romans 7:15-25a -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
The term "brainwashing" was first used in a 1950 article in New Leader magazine.
NULL -- Romans 7:15-25 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
Augustine in his Confessions tells of an incident in his boyhood when he decided to steal pea
NULL -- Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 -- Ron Love -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
Glenn Beck lost his viewers, 400 advertisers, and his relationship with Fox News when he said Presid
NULL -- Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2011
You can't please everyone, as they say.
NULL -- Genesis 25:19-24, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
Genesis 25:19-24
NULL -- Genesis 25:19-24 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
James Harnish contends that no single fact is more basic to his life's narrative that this: "I have
NULL -- Genesis 25:19-34 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
There is an old axiom that is very true: "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Value is a ver
NULL -- Romans 8:1-11 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
"Beautiful tyrant!" "Damned saint!" "Honorable villain!" "Feather of lead!" "Loving hate!" "Heavy li
NULL -- Romans 8:1-11 -- Ron Love -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
Albuquerque police office Trey Economidy received national attention when a posting to his Facebook
NULL -- Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
I have a friend that lives about a half hour's drive outside of the city in which I live.
NULL -- Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2011
On the day Abraham Lincoln was born his older cousin Dennis Hanks went over to see the newborn baby.
NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Genesis 28:10-19a
NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
You always feel a little embarrassed when you get caught being unobservant.
NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a -- Ron Love -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
We are celebrating over the next four years the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
NULL -- Romans 8:12-25 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
I recently read an article in the Orlando Sentinel about a 55-year-old man named James Bain.
NULL -- Romans 8:12-25 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Tony Campolo notes that Christians and environmentalists, those who love the Creator and those who l
NULL -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Tom was the new CEO of a small company in financial trouble.
NULL -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Ron Love -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
The Grammy Awards have dropped a significant number of categories eligible for recognition -- decrea

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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Tom Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For October 26, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
I am a scoreboard watcher. I follow a lot more games than I actually watch, but since technology makes it easy to check scores on a moment’s whim, I watch a lot of scoreboards of teams and games that I am at least mildly interested in. And as I check those scores, I find myself having immediate reactions: “Great!” “Oh, that's too bad.” “Excellent!” “Nuts.” And in the midst of that sports-fan roller coaster, I must continually remind myself that not all scores are final.
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Joel 2:22-32
Martin Luther sings the praises of God’s love revealed in this lesson. He wrote:

The love of God which lives in man loves sinners, evil persons, fools and weaklings in order to make them righteous, good, wise, and strong. Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 31, p.57)

John Wesley nicely summarizes the Spirit’s role in fighting the lure of our old sinful habits:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play story. You will need two children to play the roles of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I usually ask two children if they will help me as they are all coming forward for the message, but you may select them however you choose.

* * *

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, but your commandments are my delight.
Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.
(vv. 143-144)

When I was an associate pastor in Janesville, Wisconsin one of my responsibilities was to give a lecture on spirituality once a month at a drug treatment facility. The students who attended were persons who had been convicted of drunk driving and were required to attend the class as a condition of their sentence. Attendance was always good.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

We all dislike people who blow their own trumpets, although sometimes we may be in awe of them. Jesus too deplored such behaviour and was never in awe of those who practised it. In our worship today let us open ourselves to Jesus, allowing him to see what is in our hearts.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we allow other people's behaviour to intimidate us.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we refuse to reach our own fullest potential because we are afraid.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Every morning when sleep leaves and waking comes there is cause for praising God. Caught up, as we are, in the currents and eddies of our lives, this is easy to forget. This wonderful psalm is a reminder. God's bounty and abundance spill into our lives like waters over a causeway. God's delight in creation explodes in a million different colors. In every moment there is reason to give God praise.
Robert R. Kopp
When I was a little boy growing up in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania's First Presbyterian Church, one of those Christian chalk artists with black light, neon colors, and black felt canvas who made pictures of Jesus look like those Elvis portraits for sale on the side of the road at the beach showed up as entertainment for a Sunday evening potluck dinner.
John E. Berger
Today's sermon begins with this little one-person drama.
Mark Ellingson
Have you ever felt that you were absolutely at the end of your rope, left without hope? Sometime during the years of 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. that is the way the people of Judah felt. It seems that their land had been ravaged by a plague of locusts which had had catastrophic consequences.

Once a harvest has been destroyed, you cannot repair it. If a building has burned to the ground, you cannot repair it. In those instances you need to start from scratch with a fresh start.

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