Tag Archives: Mark Twain

“The Church That Was Tested” (Revelation 2:8-11 sermon)

Some of you know that in 2012 I went through an illness that put me out of the ministry for two years. I lost my job, my income, we had to sell our home, and many of our possessions. I … Continue reading

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“The Substitutionary Atonement” (I Peter 2:24 sermon)

In 2018, an ISIS terrorist took a young woman hostage in southern France, threatening to kill her. In a bold move, a police officer, Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, offered to take the place of the young woman. The terrorist let … Continue reading

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“Red Letters”

I recently watched David Crowder’s testimony about writing the popular song, “Red Letters.” He said when he was a little boy, he was sitting in a church service with his grandmother, and he was fiddling with the envelopes or whatever … Continue reading

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“Pursuing Holiness” (Hebrews 12:14 sermon)

The old Puritans of England in the 1500-1600’s have gotten what J.I. Packer calls “a bad rap.” Usually if someone calls a person a “Puritan”, or says that something is “Puritanical”, they mean it as an insult: that the person … Continue reading

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“The Gift That Is An Insult” (I Kings 9:10-14)

In “Henry V”, one of my very favorite plays or movies, Shakespeare tells of how when King Henry V of England was considering invading France, the French ambassador came to him with a “treasure,” saying that the Dauphin (or Prince … Continue reading

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“What Jesus Came To Do For You” (I Peter 3:18 sermon)

For the last several years, the social media platform “Twitter” has been gaining in popularity over “Facebook,” although the two are very different.  One of the interesting things to see on Twitter is the biography that each person uses to … Continue reading

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“Come Away … And Rest” (Mark 6:30-32 sermon)

In the 1860’s, Mark Twain took a steamboat tour of Europe and the Holy Land, during which he visited Rome. He wrote about his experience there: “Afterward we walked up and down one of the most popular streets for some … Continue reading

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“The Disciple’s Character: Spiritual Hunger” (Matthew 5:6 sermon)

Last week I was listening to the podcast of the Eric Metaxas show, and Eric had Bob Beckel on as his guest. Many of you know Bob Beckel as a Fox News contributor. He was sharing about his new book, … Continue reading

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Illustrations from Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad

Not long after the Civil War, Mark Twain joined a steamship tour of Europe and the Holy Land. His entertaining book, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles the journey in a way only Twain could. Punctuated liberally with sarcasm and irony, the … Continue reading

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The Top Shelf: Books I’ve Read More Than Once

When it came time to sell our home in Louisiana and move to a condo less than half its size in Oklahoma, we had to do some dramatic downsizing! One of the most difficult items to tackle was our book … Continue reading

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