In the movie, Forrest Gump, some bullies are throwing rocks at Forrest as he’s talking to his friend Jenny, and so she tells Forrest to run. But there’s a problem, because Forrest wore braces to correct a problem with his spine. And so he stumbles off, trying desperately to run, even though the leg braces…
The first thing that popped into my head when I was preparing this sermon was a scene from the old classic Princess Bride. The hero of the story has been killed, and Fezzik the Giant and Inigo Montoya take him to Miracle Max, a man who sells miracles, and gives them a giant pill to…
As many of you know, this past week I was at a conference for clergy. The name of the conference is CREDO, which is Latin for “I believe.” It’s the root of the word “creed,” as in the Apostle’s Creed, or the Nicene Creed. The conference is intended to help clergy get the various aspects…
Just this week, the country experienced the murder of a young man, a public figure, on a university campus. He was shot by another young man. People were shocked. And people are angry. In June, a man dressed as a police officer killed a politician and her husband, and attempted to kill another politician and…
There’s a new insurance commercial in which the spokesperson is talking to a customer, and the customer says it’s a bit overwhelming to run a business and to care for a family. And the spokesperson says, “Sounds like someone needs a vacation.” The customer responds with, “What’s that?” And then she names a bunch of…
Just recently I was watching a movie that I think this very distinguished audience would never watch. It was a spoof called “Naked Gun.” At the opening of the movie, the hero is singlehandedly beating up all the tyrants and dictators of the world who had gathered together for a cup of tea. When he…
You may all remember the movie, “A Few Good Men.” At the beginning of the movie, a Marine, named William Santiago, is tied up and beaten in the middle of the night. He is later found dead. Two other Marines, Dawson and Downey, are accused of murder, and are on trial. The lawyer assigned to…
When I was younger, I belonged to a troop of Boy Scouts. Our motto was “Be Prepared.” The whole text told us to “Be prepared in Mind, by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know…
Have you ever seen the game “Hungry, Hungry Hippos?” It’s a game with four little hippo characters are attached to a tray, and then marbles are thrown into the middle of the tray, and the people have to smack the button on the back of the hippo so that their hippo goes out and gets…
Imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples, and watching him pray. We know that just before the crucifixion, he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane – and sweating blood. It must have been quite a sight. And so, one of his disciples came up to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” I bet…