1999 Articles by Ray Pritchard

The Whole Bible in 90 Hours!

December 26, 1999

In case you haven't heard, the Bible Reading Marathon begins this Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. For the last 90 hours of this millennium, hundreds of people will take turns reading the entire Bible from the pulpit in our sanctuary, starting in Genesis and continuing until we reach the end of the book of Revelation. You are welcome t…

Sermon 46 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

From Bethlehem to Boston to Oak Park

December 19, 1999

Not many people know the connection between our church and the famous Christmas carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem." The connection goes from the carol to its author to the church he built to the Presbyterians of Oak Park to Calvary Memorial Church. In 1864 a pastor named Phillips Brooks visited the Holy Land at Christmastim…

Sermon 45 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Self-Evident Truths

December 12, 1999

This week I've been mentally compiling a list of self-evident truths that cannot be denied. You can ignore them but you can't disprove them. Here is my list so far, with a few explanatory comments: 1. Life goes on. No matter what we do, life goes on. If we foul up, life goes on. If we hit the jackpot, life goes on. Whether …

Sermon 44 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

The Southern Baptists are Coming!

December 05, 1999

I never thought I'd live to see the day when the Southern Baptists would make the front page of the Chicago Tribune. In this part of the world we generally have more important things to worry about, such as will any of us live long enough to see the Bulls win the NBA Championship again, but that's a topic for another day. T…

Sermon 43 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

December…A Great Time For Fishing

November 28, 1999

If your family is like our family, fishing for fun or profit would not be high on your list of things to do during December. Yet fishing is vitally important to who we are. No, I'm not talking about throwing a hook into the lake on a balmy December day, or even following some family's traditions of picking out a live fish a…

Sermon 42 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Thanksgiving 1999

November 21, 1999

1 Thessalonians 5:18 admonishes us to "give thanks in all circumstances." Sometimes that is easy to do, sometimes not so easy. In the last few days I have found comfort in two places: great music and good theology. By "great music" I am not referring to a style or to a particular period but rather to music that contains a s…

Sermon 41 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Calling All Bible Readers!

November 07, 1999

By now you probably know that Calvary is sponsoring a Bible Reading Marathon during the last 90 hours of this year. We will mark the arrival of the new millennium by publicly reading God's Word from the pulpit of the church starting with the first verse of Genesis at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28, and ending with the fi…

Sermon 39 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

25 Years Ago

October 31, 1999

I do not remember much about the day itself. A few days earlier we had flown from Dallas to Birmingham to see my father one last time. The three weeks before that are a blur in my mind, starting with the late-night phone call from my mother saying that my father had suddenly become very ill. That in itself was strange to me…

Sermon 38 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Odds and Ends

October 24, 1999

This week I don't have enough to make a full column, but here are some items that you might file under the general category of Odds and Ends. 1) Plans for the Bible Reading Marathon (December 28-31) are well underway. By now the 30 Watch Captains are actively recruiting Bible readers for this unique 90-hour event where we w…

Sermon 37 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Should We Pray for the Jews to be Saved?

October 17, 1999

A few months ago the Southern Baptist Convention published a prayer guide urging Christians to pray for the followers of other religions to come to personal saving faith in Jesus Christ. The suggested guidelines included praying for your Jewish friends and acquaintances during the Jewish Holy Days (especially Yom Kippur, th…

Sermon 36 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

"All I Said Was…"

September 26, 1999

It is a fundamental mark of spiritual health to be able to say, "I was wrong." If you want a verse to go with my thesis, take a look at Proverbs 28:13, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." When we sin, Solomon says we only have two options. Option 1 is to conceal…

Sermon 33 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

The Bible Reading Marathon

September 13, 1999

A few months ago I announced to the congregation that we would mark the end of this millennium with a Bible Reading Marathon. Here are the details. The Bible Reading Marathon will take place during the last 90 hours of this year-from 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28, to 12:00 midnight on Friday, December 31. During that ti…

Sermon 32 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

September 05, 1999

Maybe you missed the news from Kansas. If so, let me fill you in. Last month the State Board of Education passed a new policy removing the word "evolution" from the science curriculum guidelines for local school districts. The implication is that each school district can make its own decision regarding how much or how littl…

Sermon 31 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

See You in September

July 27, 1999

By now most of you know that I will be on sabbatical during the months of July and August. That means that I won't be preaching at Calvary and for a good part of the time, I will be out of town. It also means I wont be in the office except to check my mail from time to time. Last November the elders decided to give me a thr…

Sermon 26 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Memo to the Class of 1999

June 20, 1999

This being the season of graduation, and since we are living in a age where our greatest lessons came from kindergarten, here are a few brief thoughts that may help you along the way. The woman who said, "Wear sunscreen" had a good point. But its not a big deal if you dont. Life is short. It probably doesnt seem that way to…

Sermon 22 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Memo to the Class of 1999

June 13, 1999

This being the season of graduation, and since we are living in a age where our greatest lessons came from kindergarten, here are a few brief thoughts that may help you along the way. The woman who said, "Wear sunscreen" had a good point. But it's not a big deal if you don't. Life is short. It probably doesn't seem that way…

Sermon 20 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

The Prisoner Book Project

June 13, 1999

Last fall I was approached by a young man in our church asking if we could send my book What a Christian Believes to prisoners. On his own initiative he contacted Prison Fellowship and they agreed to offer the book (with the cooperation of Crossway Books, the publisher) without cost to prisoners through their monthly public…

Sermon 21 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Memo to the Class of 1999

June 10, 1999

Sermon 19 of 33 from the Miscellaneous series

Straight Talk About Y2K

May 30, 1999

A few months ago I surveyed my personal e-mail list regarding the Y2K computer bug. A quick scan of more than 100 responses revealed a fairly even split between those who think Y2K will cause little or no disruption and those who believe the potential problem will be greater than that. I heard from many people who work in t…

Sermon 19 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Stumbling Toward Heaven

May 23, 1999

Over lunch, a man shared how he came to Christ just a few years ago. He said that after his conversion, someone asked him to explain what it really means to be a Christian. What difference does Jesus make once he becomes both Lord and Savior? His answer was profound: "Ive learned that I can sin but I cant enjoy it like I us…

Sermon 18 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Tact: Making a Point Without Making an Enemy

May 16, 1999

"Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone." Proverbs 25:15 Someone noted that tact is like a girdle. It enables you to organize the awkward truth more attractively. A Chinese proverb says it this way: Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from a friends forehead. Both those statements r…

Sermon 17 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

The Case for Christ

May 09, 1999

It isn't often that I use this space for a book review but in this case I am happy to make an exception. Recently a friend gave me a copy of The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel, the former newspaperman who now teaches at Willowcreek Community Church. The books subtitle tells the heart of the story: "A Journalists Personal In…

Sermon 16 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Could Jesus Have Sinned?

April 25, 1999

The question in the title has been warmly debated over the years. Everyone agrees that Jesus did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 says so explicitly. He was free from sin in every form: thought, word and deed. But that same verse raises a problem when it declares that Christ was tempted in every way "just as we are." In what sense was…

Sermon 14 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Worry: The Fruit of a Divided Heart

April 18, 1999

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:19 The word "anxiety" comes from a root word meaning "to divide." That's because anxiety produces a divided mind, one which is pulled this way and that way, constantly distracted and disturbed. Here's the point: either the Lord carries the w…

Sermon 13 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Beware of False Prophets

April 04, 1999

An old adversary of mine has been much in the news lately. Although I never met him personally, I knew about the Reverend Greg Dell when he pastored the Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park. Our paths crossed briefly during the showdown at the Village Hall over the proposed Domestic Partnership Ordinance. That …

Sermon 12 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

An Evening Under the Stars

March 21, 1999

This morning someone gave me the "Preview Catalog" for the silent auction this Friday night to benefit Oak Park Christian Academy. The money raised at this gala event goes to provide tuition scholarships, to buy computers, and for other special educational programs. OPCA opened its doors four years ago with 19 students. The…

Sermon 10 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

No Fear

March 14, 1999

Let's suppose that one day as you are walking down the street, you see a huge man coming toward you. Let's suppose he's really big - at least 42 feet tall. Let's say he weighs in at about 1500 pounds, all muscle. And he's bearing down on you. As you consider the situation, only one question comes into your mind: Do I know t…

Sermon 9 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

They Call Me Coach

March 07, 1999

I don't believe I've ever mentioned my short career as a basketball coach. During the days when I served as pastor in Downey, California, our church entered a team in the Word of Life Basketball Marathon. Since the tournament was designed to be evangelistic, you were allowed to recruit players who didn't attend your church….

Sermon 8 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

The Winding Road

February 28, 1999

This week a friend sent a message reflecting on her spiritual journey over the past few years. For a long time she had been praying for a certain thing from God. It is a righteous and even noble request but so far God has not seen fit to answer her prayer. My friend commented that as she prayed for patience, she realized th…

Sermon 7 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Jerry Falwell and Tinky Winky

February 21, 1999

It occurs to me that either you know what my title means or you don't, and if you don't, I'm going to have a hard time explaining it. The story goes like this. A week ago the national media reported that Jerry Falwell had attacked "Tinky Winky" for being a gay cartoon character on the children's TV program, Teletubbies. I c…

Sermon 6 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Safety First

February 14, 1999

If you attended the 10:00 a.m. worship service two weeks ago, you know that we had a disruption during the first part of my sermon. A man who is not a member or a regular attendee walked forward and stood in front of the congregation and prepared to say something. I immediately told him to leave the service, which he did af…

Sermon 5 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Mr. Success Meets Jesus

February 07, 1999

A friend told me this story a few days ago. It seems that her daughter married a man who came from a very wealthy family. Although the young man was a believer, his parents were not. Over the years my friend and her husband did everything they could to share Christ with the other set of parents. The in-law was too busy with…

Sermon 4 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Why God Allows Good Men to Fall

January 16, 1999

Sermon 18 of 33 from the Miscellaneous series

Y2K Survey Results

January 12, 1999

Sermon 7 of 10 from the Special Documents series

Revival in Our Time

January 10, 1999

I don't know what the word "revival" means to you, but I know exactly what it means to me. It means a week-long meeting with an out-of-town evangelist who preaches every night (and sometimes in the morning) calling Christians to get right with God and exhorting sinners to be saved. It also means "cottage prayer meetings," b…

Sermon 2 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series

Are We Pat Robertson Types?

January 03, 1999

The note came from someone who serves in the legal community in the Chicago area. A few days ago she happened to join a conversation about the current impeachment crisis in Washington. “It amazes me how people feel that the President is a victim of politics and that he shouldn’t be subjected to this scrutiny because hi…

Sermon 1 of 46 from the Ponder This - 1999 series