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Saints and Brothers - Philippians 4:21-23 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 26, 2009 AM When I was younger, my mother had nicknames for all of us kids. She used “Jeep” for my sister, which was my mom’s way of saying she could jump or run over anything. For Ed, my brother, it was “Snuffy” because he had allergies and would sniffle all the time. It was before there was easy access to the myriad of allergy medicines we now have for children. And then, there was the name she had for me. Like my siblings, I hated her nickname for me as well. Not all names we are given do we necessarily like to hear. Oh, I suppose you want to know what my mother’s name was for me, right? While she had several, the one that was used most often was “Doc.” It came from a toy I had when I was very little that had the nursery rhyme Hickory-Dickory-Dock printed on it. My mother thought that I looked like the mouse on the illustration. Interestingly, the earliest recorded version of the rhyme is found in Tommy Thumb's P...

An Acceptable Sacrifice - Philippians 4:10-20 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 19, 2009 AM Sacrifice is a quality that has been lost on many in the church today. Let me illustrate what I mean: According to a Worldmag.com article, “Of every dollar given to a Protestant church, the average amount that goes to overseas missions is two cents.” In fact, they noted that “In 1920, the percentage of giving to missions from the total offering was 10.09 percent, just over a dime out of every dollar.” Empty Tomb, of Champaign, Ill., has analyzed the contributions and spending patterns of American churches. They found that “Noticeably missing in this study of church giving is tithing.” The study shows that total giving for American churches was at about 2.5% for all religious contributions! They found that “If church members were to tithe 10 percent of their income, churches would reap an additional $156 billion.” Christians have forgotten what it means to sacrifice for the kingdom of God. Interestingly, ...

Worthy Things In Life - Philippians 4:8-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 12, 2009 AM Émile Coué introduced us to the psychobabble of the mantra of self-impression that “Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.” It was a type of autosuggestion. The Coué method centers on a routine repetition of this particular expression according to a specific ritual, no matter your physical wellbeing and in the absence of any sort of associated mental imagery, you repeat it to yourself at the beginning and at the end of each day. In other words, you stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself, and remind yourself that in “Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.” In doing so it does not matter how you feel, what is occurring, or what the day is like; you are “getting better and better.” The idea is that a positive state of mind comes from a positive state of mind. Does it work? Perhaps, until you blow it or prove that in fact everyday in every way you are not getting...

Worthy Things In Life - Philippians 4:8-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen July 12, 2009 AM Émile Coué introduced us to the psychobabble of the mantra of self-impression that “Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.” It was a type of autosuggestion. The Coué method centers on a routine repetition of this particular expression according to a specific ritual, no matter your physical wellbeing and in the absence of any sort of associated mental imagery, you repeat it to yourself at the beginning and at the end of each day. In other words, you stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself, and remind yourself that in “Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.” In doing so it does not matter how you feel, what is occurring, or what the day is like; you are “getting better and better.” The idea is that a positive state of mind comes from a positive state of mind. Does it work? Perhaps, until you blow it or prove that in fact everyday in every way you are not getting...