SHARON’S LAW by Ray Pritchard A week ago I flew to New York to spend a few days teaching at Word of Life Bible Institute. Because of dense fog that closed Midway Airport, my flight was delayed for six hours. While I was waiting near the gate, a woman named Sharon took the seat next to me. I know her name because she in…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003IS EVANGELISM A HATE CRIME? by Ray Pritchard A recent editorial in Christianity Today raises a question that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Is sharing Christ with others a “hate crime” that deserves punishment? In the changing religious landscape in America and around the world, the answer from …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003FOREVER GRATEFUL by Ray Pritchard The precise details of the following story have been slightly changed for the sake of privacy. But the lesson is eternal. The letter came from a friend whose husband is slowly dying. Both husband and wife know the Lord and both of them know what is ahead. She writes to say that her husband …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003A POTPOURRI OF ITEMS Here are few items I ran across while rummaging through my desk: 1) Last Sunday Dr. Donald Gerig spoke in our worship services. We are grateful for his timely message on prayer. What I forgot to mention in advance is that this year the three living former pastors of Calvary will be speaking to us. Dr. G…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003Monday: Safer Than a Known Way Not long ago I went to see a church member who is dying of […]
Text: VariousTHREE CHEERS FOR THE SALVATION ARMY by Ray Pritchard Would you accept a $100,000 gift if someone told you they won it in the lottery? I suspect that most of us would say yes. Probably some of us would wonder why anyone would even ask the question. Recently the Salvation Army said no and made the news as a result. The story …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003PRAYING WITH PAUL by Ray Pritchard Our 2003 church theme is “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” If you wonder how we choose the themes each year, the answer is, “It varies.” Sometimes the pastors spend a long time discussing it and sometimes the answer comes very quickly. This year the theme came very early, durin…
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2003TWO PREDICTIONS by Ray Pritchard It’s always dangerous to try to predict the future. The Old Testament offers a simple test for anyone claiming to be a prophet of God. If what he says comes true, then he’s a prophet. If it doesn’t, then he’s an imposter and should be stoned to death. That last condition …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2002DONAHUE AND JESUS by Ray Pritchard On MSNBC last Tuesday night, Phil Donahue hosted a raucous discussion on the topic: “Is the highway to heaven only open to the Christians? Some say only faith in Jesus will earn you a place beyond the pearly gates. So what about Jews, Muslims, and followers of other faiths?” The …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2002THE JAMES OSSUARY BY RAY PRITCHARD The recent discovery of the “James ossuary” has given the world a close encounter with Jesus and his family. An ossuary was a small limestone box in which the bones of a deceased loved one were placed. This sort of burial was very common among the Jews of the first century. What …
Sermon Series: Ponder This - 2002