Emphasis Preaching Journal

I write Thursday, June 21, 2018. By far the story that has gotten the most press coverage for the last week is the situation regarding children being separated from their parents at US borders. Some of these families seek to enter the United States illegally; others are seeking asylum status. Children in both situations are being taken from their parents.

Contents
“The Gift of Healing” by Keith Wagner
“Still In Service” by Keith Wagner
“Weeping in Faith” by Peter Andrew Smith


The Gift of Healing
by Keith Wagner
Mark 5:21-43

“At this they were overcome with amazement.” (v. 42b)

Happy Sunday, (or whatever day this message is used) boys and girls,

I hope you are well and happy today. But if you are tired or crabby, that's okay too.

God loves us no matter what and that's what counts. So good to see you.

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 and Psalm 130
Dr. Marilyn Gootman wrote a book in 2005 called When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens about Grieving and Healing. It has been lauded as a valuable tool for young people at a time of loss and confusion. Here are some excerpts from that book.

Some years ago, Newsweek magazine carried a little article about a fortune-tellers’ convention in Dublin, Ireland. Palm readers, crystal ball gazers, and astrologers from all around the world got together for a week to compare notes and to make some new predictions.

In the presence of all these people who were supposed to know what tomorrow would bring, a thief got into the building. He stole their crystal balls and tarot cards. When the police came to investigate, they laughed. “Didn’t you know this was going to happen?” they asked. “Couldn’t you have predicted it?”

Surprisingly, most clergy enjoy taking funerals. It sounds like a contradiction in terms when the words "enjoy" and "funeral" are used in the same sentence and of course, the enjoyment is not in the death of a loved one. It's more because when someone has died, clergy are really needed and if sensitive, are able to help enormously with the bereavement and all its subsequent emotions.

Funeral practices vary a great deal in different parts of the world. In America as in many other countries of the world, the funeral happens within a day or two of

The Woman With An Issue Of Blood

Pick up the morning newspaper and you are certain to be confronted by another crime committed. And it seems that one crime is more bizarre than the other. The miracle we now consider is an account of a strange and unusual crime. It is the story of a woman who attempted to steal a miracle.