Fading at the Finish | Genesis 19:30-38

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If I say, God is good, you would likely respond with the words, all the time. And then if the chant is reversed and I say, All the time, you would likely respond with the words, God is good. Here at Countryside we sing uplifting songs like: God is good all the time. He put a song of praise in this heart of mine. God is good all the time. Through the darkest night, His light will shine. God is good; God is good all the time. Most likely, there is not a person reading this blurb who would disagree with those lyrics as penned by Don Moen. Yet, is that the whole story? Lot and his family may have had a different view. Perhaps, you do as well.

You’ve Got to Be Joking! | Genesis 19:15-29

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Do you believe in catastrophic judgment on cities and/or nations? No, really? Have you ever believed that utter destruction is imminent? My guess is that the society in which we reside does not. Neither did the society in which Lot resided. Check out verse 14 in Genesis 19: Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law . . . and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD is destroying the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be joking. Would you have quickly lined-up behind Lot, or would you have joined his sons-in-law in a raucous belly-laugh? Here’s the reality: This is no joke!

Move Over Pompeii | Genesis 19:1-14

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Could anything be of such importance to a father that he would actually surrender his daughters to men bent on sexual violence? I just can’t get my head wrapped around Lot’s course of action. Can you? How can Lot’s life philosophy be defended? It can’t, can it? And even if could be defended, what can it possibly mean for twenty-first century man? Maybe, we should simply apologize for the inclusion of this text in the Old Testament canon and move on as quickly as possible

Praying for Joe | Genesis 19:27-29

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There may be times when we simply do not know what to pray, times when words simply will not come. Yet, praying specifically is always a more effective way to pray. General praying receives general responses and makes for less energetic conversations with God. That may be one reason for dull prayer lives. Abraham had the audacity to ask God for the incredible, and he actually believed that his praying would make a difference. What about you? Do you pray for the incredible and believe that your praying actually makes a difference?

Good News/Bad News | Genesis 18:22-33

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There may be times when we simply do not know what to pray, times when words simply will not come. Yet, praying specifically is always a more effective way to pray. General praying receives general responses and makes for less energetic conversations with God. That may be one reason for dull prayer lives. Abraham had the audacity to ask God for the incredible, and he actually believed that his praying would make a difference. What about you? Do you pray for the incredible and believe that your praying actually makes a difference?

Making a Molehill Out of a Mountain | Heb. 12:7-15

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Has anyone’s success challenged you to the point of anger? Have you ever felt that someone owes you something? Have you ever been weighed down because the circumstances of life have been unfair? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” you may be struggling with anger and resentment, a condition that the writer of Hebrews refers to as “the root of bitterness which springs up and causes trouble.” If you want to be free from the ball and chain of emotional rancor, this message is for you.

Winning Forever | 1 Cor. 9:23a, 24-27a

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Winning Christians answer these kinds of questions: When life is over, what have you got? When the moment comes for stepping into eternity, is there anything you can take with you? When the horn sounds, does it really matter whether you were a winner or loser as a believer? If you have asked these questions, how have you answered? It’s not too late to change the answer or to improve the answer. Paul shows us how.