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Feeding the People - Mark 6:30-44 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 31, 2010 AM There is an old joke that asks, “How many southern Baptist does it take to change a light bulb?” The answer is, “Nine. Seven to form a committee on ‘finding the right price for light bulbs’, one to change it, and one to bring a casserole for the potluck afterwards.” Then of course, Southern Baptists are the only Christians who want to be buried with their favorite casserole dish – just in case. Do you know what the right of passage is for a Southern Baptist church member? To be able to name all the past potluck dishes served since New Years. Of course, you know you are a Southern Baptist when you watch the Food Channel and wonder how many of the exotic foods would taste in a casserole. We often take food for granted. It is reasonable that we do because we live in a country where food is readily available and cheap. During Jesus’ day, there was not a great variety of foods. Even those who could afford something di...

Losing Your Head for God - Mark 6:14-29 By Pastor Lee Hemen January 24, 2010 AM It is humorous that when some folks try and share their faith today, they end up endorsing what amounts to neo-paganistic superstition. From walking spiritual mazes to Christian chanting has become the latest in fashionable religious practice in some circles. Quasi forms of spirituality have always been used by those who feel guilt over their lack of sincere faith since the Garden of Eden. Take for instance one recent public service announcement where one starlet grandly announces that she believes in many differing forms of spirituality. What she is tacitly confessing is her lack of any kind of concrete faith. One wonders why. It could be a shallow attempt to excuse a life of ungodliness. Often, those who are caught up in a lack of faith desire to make excuses by trying to convince others that their own brand of spiritual superstition is just as valid as Biblical Christianity. Here in Mark’s gospel we find...

Men With A Mission - Mark 6:7-13 January 17, 2010 AM By Pastor Lee Hemen More than ever before God is calling men to minister in his name. Sadly, fewer men are responding to the call of God in their lives. Fewer men are man enough to sacrifice their time, talent, and treasure for the cause of Christ. The church has created a whole cadre of chaps that are weak-willed and willing to allow others to go in their stead. However, this has not always been the case. In fact, we discover that Jesus used men almost exclusively to do ministry while he walked this earth. Why would Jesus do that? Did he think that men could do a better job? Honestly, I do not believe so, but I do believe Jesus did have specific reasons why he empowered and sent out his men with a mission. From fishermen to tax collectors and even common laborers Jesus makes his chosen men into the apostles his church would need to spread the good news. They become men with a mission. We find that Jesus did several things before...

You Cannot Always Go Home - Mark 6:1-6 January 10, 2010 AM Pastor Lee Hemen Isn’t it funny how we often have fond memories of experiences that could have been quite awful, especially when it comes to our growing up years? I know I do. Here is what I mean: We could have had a very difficult time of growing up, say like being raised poor or facing some severe trials, but in retrospect we believe they were the best times of our lives! However, it can be a real shock when we try and “go home,” so-to-speak. We often find that going home can mean coming face-to-face with how people and places actually were and not how we fondly remember them to be. There have been numerous movies, plays, and books written, telling the tale of someone going home only to face the reality of their emotional, psychological, and spiritual past. One would think that the Son of God would be exempt from such self-examination, scrutiny, or emotional or personal confrontation that can come from going back home. Howeve...

The Wonder-working Power - Mark 5:21-43 Pastor Lee Hemen January 3, 2010 According to a recent AP story, a Colorado woman says a Christmas miracle brought her and her newborn son back from the brink of death after her heart stopped beating during childbirth and the baby was delivered showing no signs of life. “I got a second chance in life,” Tracy Hermanstorfer said. She was being prepped for childbirth at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. Her 37-year-old husband was by her side when she began to feel sleepy and lay back in her bed. Tracy's husband Mike was clutching his pregnant wife's hand when her life slipped away on Christmas Eve, and then he cradled his newborn son's limp body seconds after a medical team delivered the baby by Cesarean section. Minutes later, he saw his son come to life in his arms under the feverish attention of doctors, and soon he learned his wife had inexplicably come back to life. The couple both credits it to the wonder-working power of God...