A major barrier that impedes growth in multicultural, multiracial churches is known as “ethnocentrism,” the tendency to view the norms and values of one’s own culture as absolute and to use them as a standard against which to judge and measure all other...

Mark 13:1-2 Scientists in Britain recently made a fascinating discovery. After centuries of mystery and debate, they finally located the body of King Richard III, who was killed in battle in 1485. The location of his grave was lost to history until February...

Matthew 20:1-16 Your Story Talk about a time when you deserved punishment but were given grace, or about a time when someone was very generous to you. You can also talk about a time when you were very generous to someone else, or when you gave someone grace who...

Jonah 3:10–4:11 In general, it is not a good idea to base complex theological understandings on snippets and sound bites. But every once in a while a short, quippy statement will say just what we need to hear (even when we don’t really want to hear it). One of...

1 Peter 3:8-17 A high school marketing program in Liberty Hill, Texas is working with local businesses for mutual benefit. Two weeks before Christmas, marketing teacher Mikyela Tedder was approached by a local business seeking help with their social media....

This storytelling idea is easy, portable, and flexible for many stories. You will need: 4 cardstock or construction paper strips (Judge size depending on how close the children are going to be and how big the group is. You will probably need bigger strips for a...

Think about the people you know who are in terrible pain right now. Violence, death, loss, trauma, or physical or mental illness has touched them, even destroyed them. (Perhaps this person is you.) If they should come to worship, is there an appropriate context...

Exodus 14:19-31 Your Story Talk about a time in your life when what you felt like God was telling you to do seemed impossible. How did God help you through? My Story and the Bible Story Looking back and seeing God’s fingerprints in your life is a lot easier...

1 Peter 2:13-25 Verses 18-25 of today’s text may be familiar to some readers. They are often discussed in conflicts over how to interpret the words about slaves being subject to their masters. If we look closely at verses 13-17, maybe we can apply the idea of...

Psalm 103:1-18 In literature, including the Bible, repetition of a word or phrase is a way of giving emphasis to an image or an idea. Psalm 103 emphasizes some big ideas about God: “steadfast love” (vv. 4, 8, 11, 17). It emphasizes the deep inner call to the...