Sefab is a famer and shepherd in rural Haiti, living in the Grand Anse River valley on the southern peninsula. He lives in poverty, even by many Haitian standards. Much of his day is spent moving his sheep from one grazing area to another. One of the challenges is that there is no land whichContinue reading “The Lost Sheep: A Haitian Parable”
Author Archives: David A. Larson
Edinburgh 1910 and Protestant Missionary Expansion
As Henry Ford’s Model T first began rolling off the assembly line and down long stretches of American roads[1], planning was underway for the World Missionary Conference to be held in Edinburg in 1910.[2] But the man who said “history is bunk”[3] was far removed from the Conference’s efforts to learn from shared histories ofContinue reading “Edinburgh 1910 and Protestant Missionary Expansion”
God Loves You
If you’ve had an abortion, God loves you. If you’re “pro-choice”, God loves you. If you’re “pro-life”, God loves you. Yesterday, the nationally protected right to have an abortion was removed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization etContinue reading “God Loves You”
Self-Appointed Judges
What follows is a lightly edited written account of a sermon recorded and broadcast on May 13, 2021. We’re in the book of James right now in this series called The Intersection of Faith & Life, and our reading this morning is from James 2:1–13. And it reads: My brothers (and sisters), show no partialityContinue reading “Self-Appointed Judges”
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
What follows is a lightly edited written account of a sermon recorded and broadcast on September 2, 2020. This morning, we are renewing our message and discussion series on the parables of Jesus. These parables are simple, illustrative stories and were used by Jesus to teach spiritual and moral lessons. They were used to tellContinue reading “The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard”
Solitude: All Oneness
What follows is a lightly edited written account of a sermon recorded and broadcast on February 3, 2021. We’ve talked about prayer. We’ve talked about fasting. We’ve talked about Bible study, and today, this morning, we’re going to talk about solitude. Now, each of these we’re treating as fairly distinct spiritual disciplines. However, there’s notContinue reading “Solitude: All Oneness”
Blessed are the Merciful
What follows is a lightly edited written account of a sermon recorded and broadcast on November 6, 2020. Beatitudes — that term comes from the Latin word beatus, which means blessed. All of these statements start with the word blessed. There is a series of them that will bring us from where we started inContinue reading “Blessed are the Merciful”
Thoughts on a Christian Nation
The United States of America is not a Christian nation. For many Christians, that statement makes their blood boil. They recount much of what they’ve learned about the faith of the Founding Fathers. They also have specific interpretations of things like the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which reads in part, “Congress shall makeContinue reading “Thoughts on a Christian Nation”
The Mess This Week
It’s been a mess for a while (see this other post). The mess has existed for a long time. Why did it happen? To be clear about what “it” is, why did the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol occur on January 6, 2021 as a joint session of Congress was in the process of certifyingContinue reading “The Mess This Week”
False Messengers, False Prophets
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:16) “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguisesContinue reading “False Messengers, False Prophets”
David A. Larson 