On My Heart to Talk About at Church

Several weeks ago I was asked to speak this Sunday evening at our church. And I can talk about whatever I think I should talk about.

I have so many subjects and themes tumbling around in my head! But I’ve decided that more than anything else, I want to focus on that which is most foundational and essential. Perhaps I’ll tell you about it later.

Now for the list I compiled last week and the week before (so it’s bound to be incomplete). As you will see, I could be blogging for years to come. 😯 😀

1. congregational commitments for the new year
2. my vision for my home congregation for 2017
3. my long-range and short-range vision for the work of our Mission Board
4. my visions for “our” work in Mexico
5. purposes and visions for my Anabaptists web site
6. why do I post to my blogs and social media?
7. seven traits of a healthy church
8. seven evidences of Christ-likeness in a Christian church
9. how to row upstream despite the drift around you
10. Christian leadership for homes and churches, schools and boards
11. the Biblical use of position, power, and authority
12. meekness and humility
13. resolutions
14. decision-making and the will of God
15. in Jesus’ name
16. Christians taking Christ’s name in vain
17. building up another in the eyes of another
18. “come into us” “be with us”
19. generational sin and confessing the faults of our forefathers
20. the ordinances of the church
21. repentance and forgiveness
22. unity and diversity
23. living life on the Rock
24. nonresistance in the church
25. of kingdoms and citizenship
26. God’s armor for God’s people
27. be warmed and filled
28. I hate failure
29. suspicious concepts making inroads into the church
30. privacy and security in digital communications
31. critical thinking
32. how to prepare and present a topic, devotional, sermon, or Sunday School class
33. KJV and me
34. The joy of the Lord is your strength
35. objectives and motivations for nonconformity
36. of motes and beams
37. what are you building on the Rock?
38. judging with righteous judgment
39. exploring the edges of brotherhood
40. decision-making, discernment, and God’s will
41. bearing one another’s burdens
42. power for victory
43. book and authors to beware of
44. when nonresistance substitutes for something greater
45. evil reports
46. false Christs in the second decade of the twenty-first century
47. denying and crucifying self
48. the perils and purposes of wealth for the Christian
49. forgiveness
50. Christian men presenting a unified visual witness with Christian women
51. The three phases of Christian courtship: dating, engagement, marriage
52. purity amidst the normalization of perversion
53. What should be our response to injustice?
54. first things first
55. Has our congregation truly left our first love?
56. why do you do that?
57. “To me to live is Christ” — what does that mean?
58. “In all thy ways acknowledge him” means…
59. What is the meaning of church membership?
60. What is the right response to hearing someone declare an evil or negative report about another?
61. How did you fulfill your Christian duty and calling in the recent Presidential election?
62. What does the Bible say about the duties of deacons?
63. What does the Bible say about the role of the bood of Jesus in the life of the believer?
64. What does the Bible say about resolving conflict?
65. Some common misuses of misunderstood verses
66. Dangers and opportunities on the Internet
67. Did You Miss Seeing Jesus?
68. Christ and the Gospel in the Old Testament
69. Just who is Jehovah?
70. responding to error in the assembly
71. What it means to be a disciple of Jesus
72. Cautions using cell phones, email, and the Internet
73. What constitutes laying up treasures on earth and how do we avoid it
74. Guidelines for relating to civil authority
75. Why I Am NonresistantWhat’s the Bible Good For?
76. Did You Acknowledge the Lord Today?
77. Anabaptist Solutions
78. What We Owe the Protestants
79. Are You Building on the Rock? What?
80. Treasures in Psalm 119
81. Mining the Book of James
82. Real Living for 2017
83. As Culture Collapses Around the Christian
84. The Sinister Specter of Socialism
85. Communism, Caliphate, Church: The Day We Live In
86. Do You Live As Though Jesus Were Still a Baby?
87. Christianity Sensualized and Sexualized
88. Being Holy in a Society Wholly Depraved
89. Tips for Your Beam Removal Project
90. God’s Call in Our Life
91. Resilient, Rewarding Relationships
92. Why I Do Not Keep the Sabbath
93. Why Do We Keep Sunday?
94. Peer Pressure
95. Identifying and Dealing With Offenses
96. Godly Use of Material Wealth
97. May a Christian Be Wealthy? (When a yes or no answer won’t do)
98. Why Am I Not Harvesting?
99. Why I Believe in Eternal Security
100. What Does It Take to Satisfy Me?
101. Youth’s Role in the Church
102. How to Avoid Becoming an Ex-Christian
103. Expectations
104. Sports
105. Is This Church a Body?
106. Is There a Brotherhood in the Church?
107. The Priesthood of the Believer in the Community of the Church
108. Nonconformity: Holiday or Holy Day?
109. Of One Accord
110. Respect for Civil Authority
111. “And I Will Make You Fishers of Men”
112. What Is Our Focus?
113. Why I Accept the Genesis Account of Creation
114. Nonconformity in Education
115. Commitments: God and the Church
116. Stewardship of Treasures
117. What Is the Difference Between an Anabaptist and a Protestant?
118. Striving for the Mastery
119. Justification
120. Abounding in Knowledge
121. Christians Responding to Current Events
122. The Sovereignty of God in World Events
123. My Friends Withdrew from My Congregation
124. Fight…
125. Outward Adornment vs Inward Adornment
126. I Went to Town With a Covered Head
127. Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:44-52)
128. Avoiding the Temptation of Patriotism
129. Avoiding Deception from the World
130. Communing With the Lord All Day Long
131. Relating to the World’s Holiday Practices
132. Personal Attitudes That Contribute to Brotherhood
133. A Cautious Approach to Change
134. Longsuffering
135. Boards With Foresight
136. Respect for Peers: Why
137. When a Congregation Breaks
138. Can You Thrive in a Withering Church?
139. Whatfer Fruit Have You Got?
140. What Motivates and Powers Your Life?
141. Where Was Jesus in That Meeting?