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Luke 19:28-44 – Honoring Christ! By Pastor Lee Hemen March 25, 2012 AM The 82nd Airborne Division returned from Desert Storm. Their transport planes landed at Pope Air Force Base in front of a gathered crowd. Upon disembarking their aircraft, the troops marched before their commanding general. It was an impressive scene. The general spoke briefly. In essence he praised the troops for courageously facing the enemy and bringing a victory. Through bravery in battle, they had honored both their country and their commander. Theirs was a job well done. In the Bible verses before us, Christ was on His way to Jerusalem to face the difficult circumstances that awaited Him there. He was following the Father’s direction in coming to the place of His rejection and crucifixion. Jesus lived a life of dedication that He was inviting His followers to live. We honor Him by following in His footsteps. As faithful Christian soldiers, we obey Jesus as Lord, praise Him as King, and share His co

Luke 15:1-7, 11-13, 22-24, 28-32 – When folks come to Christ! By Pastor Lee Hemen March 18, 2012 AM The meeting grew quiet. Tension filled the air. The pastor had just shared his concern for the lost of the community. A deacon stood. “Pastor, if they want to come to our church, they know where it is. We need to take care of our own. I’m not sure they are our kind of people anyway.” The pastor took that deacon visiting, and he experienced the joy of seeing someone saved. The deacon now leads witnessing teams to experience what he has experienced. He changed from hindering evangelism to promoting and leading it in his church. Evangelism is taught, but it is also caught. Salvation is a joy like no other. The point of Jesus’ parables in Luke 15 is to teach us to invite people to Christ and welcome all who come to Him. Jesus’ stories should inflame our hearts for outreach and turn skeptics into joyful participants READ: Luke 15:1-7, 11-13, 22-24, 28-32 In our Lord’s eyes, everyon

Keep on praying! – Luke 11:1-13 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 11, 2012 AM It was a dark night. The traveler had a flat tire on a seldom used road. To complicate matters, he could not find his tire jack. The only solution lay in appealing to unknown persons in the dark farm house down the road. As he approached the house, the traveler thought to himself, “I’m sure that the farmer will be angry if I wake him and he will probably respond angrily to me. If he gives me anything at all, it will probably be out of total annoyance. The sleepy farmer came to the door and asked the traveler, “What can I do for you?” “Keep your old tire jack,” growled the traveler, “I didn’t want it anyway!” He stomped off, leaving a perplexed farmer scratching his head. Here was a needy person who returned to his needy situation without a needed solution. His approach only brought him frustration, not satisfaction. Sadly, many Christians have the same results with their prayer lives. Jesus gave the disci

Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33 -- Put Christ first! By Pastor Lee Hemen March 4, 2012 AM We would not think of taking a trip without counting the cost. Yet there are folks who do not think twice about spending money they do not have by placing their purchases on credit. Jesus related, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30 NIV) Defaults on home mortgages are at an all time high, bankruptcies the same, and when a financial planner was asked recently if it was economy he replied, “Yes and no. “Yes”, the economy has left some of these folks in dire straits, but “No” because for the majority they simply were spending more than they brought in. They did not count the cost.” For disciples, the journey was not ju

Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33 -- Put Christ first! By Pastor Lee Hemen March 4, 2012 AM We would not think of taking a trip without counting the cost. Yet there are folks who do not think twice about spending money they do not have by placing their purchases on credit. Jesus related, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30 NIV) Defaults on home mortgages are at an all time high, bankruptcies the same, and when a financial planner was asked recently if it was economy he replied, “Yes and no. “Yes”, the economy has left some of these folks in dire straits, but “No” because for the majority they simply were spending more than they brought in. They did not count the cost.” For disciples, the journey was not ju