[excerpt from
“Collateral Damage”] “ . . . He [the dog’s owner] took a leash, sort of like this
one, and tied it to a bench . . . For some reason, this dog got startled . . . and he
took off with such force . . . that he ripped the bench out of its supports! He
ran into the street towards this SUV . . . and the bench swung into the SUV. BAM!
Parts were flying . . . ”
Then
I related that event to the message and series’ central theme:
[excerpt from
“Collateral Damage”] “ . . . A lot of us are a lot like that Doberman. A lot of
us are leashed up to anger, resentment, and unforgiveness. We don’t really
realize it, but we are dragging this bench of unforgiveness around through
life and it’s . . . smashing up the potential that God wants us to live out in this
one and only life.”
Advertisement
Series
Title: Multiple Choice
Message Title:
“In-Tense”
For
this series, we divided the stage in two with a huge white line that went from
the ceiling, down the back wall, and all the way to the front of the stage.
The line represented the separation between good decisions and bad decisions:
[excerpt from
“In Tense”] “You might be wondering why we have the giant line down the middle
of the stage . . . This line on stage represents (the difference between) a good
decision or a bad decision; ethical behavior or unethical behavior; morality
or immorality.”
I
then talked about the reality that most of us make “dumb, what-was-I-thinking
decisions” because we walk the edge and ledge of this line of compromise.
[excerpt from
“In Tense”] “We walk right on the edge of righteousness and sin, right on
the edge of good decisions and bad decisions, right on the edge of morality
and immorality, right on the edge of what is ethical and unethical, and we
rob ourselves of the amazing life that Jesus wants us to live. Christ wants
us to live over here (the righteous side of the line). He doesn’t want us
to walk on the ragged edge of compromise.”
Series
Title: Espresso Yourself
Message Title:
“Is It In You?”
Espresso
is one of my favorite drinks. During this message, I related enthusiasm to a
cup of espresso. I brought my own espresso maker on stage and made a cup of
espresso while speaking:
[excerpt from
“Is It In You?”] “We are going to make a double shot of espresso. Are you
ready? Just stay with me. I am going somewhere . . .
As this espresso pours into the cup, you are going to see . . . three parts
formulating right before your eyes. The bottom part is the heart. The
middle part is the body and the top part is the crème . . . Espresso — it’s concentrated coffee . . . It’s
small, but it’s powerful.”