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Ramblings from Retirement – You’re gonna die By Retried Pastor Lee Hemen August 24, 2021 There are several quotes, memes, and statements floating around online and on TV that I have come to utterly hate and therefore disregard because they have become meaningless. They are: “We’re all in this together” and “If we can save even one life…” Both have become “pithyisms” – a new term that defines a statement that is made that means nothing but sounds pity. Politicians use them all the time to sound intelligent and to skirt the truth. First of all we are not all in this together because we do not know one another, we do not mingle in the same groups with one another, and most of you have absolutely no vested interest in who I am or what I do, except you are kind enough to read or listen to my ramblings. I know it is supposed to make us feel like we are part of a community, a family, or all in the same leaky boat but frankly we are not all in this together. Can we be supportive of a concerted...

When We Abandon Jesus - Mark 14:42-52 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 13, 2011 AM It was a warm spring day and my parents had met some friends as we walked downtown. My father had picked me up and sat me on the hood of a car parked nearby. As they stood around talking, I fell fast asleep. I remember waking up and realizing that I was all alone. My parents and siblings were nowhere to be seen. I did the natural thing any four-year-old would do, I began to cry. A policeman was nearby and came over just as my father came running around the corner. They had thought I was still with them, forgetting that they had placed me on the hood of the car to keep me safe. Being abandoned as a preschooler is a frightening thing. Can you imagine being abandoned by your closest friends during a time of your greatest trial? Here, in Mark’s gospel Jesus finds himself in just such a situation. He is abandoned by his disciples. Let’s take a look at what occurs so that we can learn what happens when we...

A Wonderful Witness - Mark 14:3-9 By Pastor Lee Hemen February 6, 2011 AM What kind of impact does our Christianity have on those around us? If we were suddenly taken ill, would those we come into contact with on a daily basis miss us because of the witness we portray? We believe that faith in Jesus changes people, do we not? Yet, has our faith changed us to the point whereby we make any kind of spiritual impact on those around us because of it? I am not talking about being a good worker, showing up on time, being kind or being studious because even very ungodly people can do these things quite well. Do people actually see and hear Jesus in our attitude and actions, and as Paul told the Corinthians that “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NIV) Would others say that ...

The World Will Continue! - Mark 13:7-10 by Pastor Lee Hemen January 2, 2011 AM I will never forget when my father died. It was right after New Year's Eve in 1968. He had gotten up to get a drink of water and smoke a cigarette. He was dragging his oxygen tank behind him when his heart gave way. My brother Ed and I were the first ones to find him. We heard him sigh and fall in the hallway of our little house. As Ed tried vainly to revive him I phoned for an ambulance. We now know there was nothing we could have done. His heart muscles were so weak, he died instantly. It has impacted my entire life. I can still smell the mixture of cigarette smoke and the Aqua Velva aftershave he always wore. Even at my age of 57 I still miss him and think of him often, but life goes on. What would you do if the one person you depended upon the most in life was suddenly taken from you? As I have shared, some of us have already had to face such a prospect and it is not an easy thing to go th...

Conduct Worthy of the Gospel - Philippians 1:27-30 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 5, 2009 AM My father would come home from work and ask, “Boys, how have you behaved today while I was at work?” If we had been at school, he would ask, “Boys, how was things at school?” When he asked us these questions we knew it was not some quick acknowledgement of us, but he wanted to know exactly how we conducted ourselves whether at home or at school. Our personal conduct, behavior, and appearance were important for my father. Why? Because he knew that how we acted or how we displayed ourselves to others spoke volumes not only about our own behavior but about his parenting of us as well. It reflected on him and who he was. Therefore, we knew whether we were with him or away from his sight, we had better conduct ourselves in the right way. This is true for Christians and their relationship to Jesus as well. Christians should display conduct worthy of the gospel. Paul related as much to the Philippian churc...

Expectations - Philippians 1:18c-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 8, 2009 AM Expectations can be far greater in life than what is in reality true. Take circuses for instance. We all expect fun when entering the big top and yet, like the baby on the e-Trade commercials, we did not consider the creep factor of clowns! We’ve experienced this with the recent Presidential elections. Many expected “change,” not realizing that’s all that would be left in their pockets! Just as a nation cannot spend its way into prosperity, neither can people think themselves into the kingdom of heaven. Ignoring a problem or throwing more money at a crisis is not the solution. If it were I could charge my way out of credit card debt and expect my life to get better, but the reality is that it places me more in debt! Disregarding your sin will not get you into heaven either. You can be as nice as possible and you will end up nicely in hell! What you expect in life can be truly disappointing when “the chickens come ...

Being Able to Correctly Handle the Gospel! – 2 Timothy 4:1-5 By Pastor Lee Hemen October 5, 2008 AM One time talk show host and atheist Bill Maher has made a film called “Religulous” that strenuously aims to mock all religions. His ads on the Internet show three monkeys: one Jewish, one Muslim, and a third monkey Pope. On ABC, Maher related that American historical figures from Lincoln to FDR were a “cavalcade of morons” for having the audacity to speak of God. He claims he isn’t engaged in mockery, that in his film, “we don’t judge. We don’t point fingers. We’re not making anybody feel bad.” Maher’s film however is full of vindictiveness and ends with pictures of exploding nuclear bombs and a chorus of “Road to Nowhere” by the Talking Heads. And, Maher is not trying to make anyone feel bad religion? How should Christians respond to these kinds of attacks on their faith? Christianity is being ridiculed all across our nation. I believe it is because believers are failing to correctly h...