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Why We Need Sermons

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I’ve heard a lot of bad sermons in my day. Have you? I remember growing up in church and sneaking out of the sanctuary to play in the hallways instead of hearing the pastor preach. When I grew older, I would sometimes try listening to a podcast or watch a video on Youtube of preachers, only to become distracted by Saturday Night Live clips. Why is it sometimes so difficult to listen to a sermon? I think part of the reason is that we know there are bad preachers. Preachers who aren’t entertaining enough. Preachers who deliberately lie to manipulate people. Preachers who claim that they are speaking on God’s behalf but they really seem to be only giving their opinion. Preachers who tell bad jokes. These can be legitimate reasons to avoid preaching. In fact, when we call a person “preachy”, it’s usually as an insult. But does the fact that there are bad sermons and preachers out there mean that we should avoid sermons altogether? I don’t think so, and h
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Why Christians Should Invest Their Money

“Investing”. The word probably conjures up several different images. A greedy banker. Dollar signs. A small business that your uncle suggests you “invest” in. But what exactly is investing? “Investing is the act of committing money or capital to an endeavor (a business, project, real estate, etc.) with the expectation of obtaining an additional income or profit.” -Investopedia.com Of course, probably the most common form of investing is through the purchase of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The Motley Fool writes, “Over the past 70 years, the S&P 500 advanced 1,100-fold. That's enough to turn a single, modest $1,000 investment into more than a million dollars. It's extra meaningful when you consider that this massive gain happened despite many double-digit market crashes, recessions, and even the Great Depression. The lesson is that over the long haul, the stock market tends to rise -- just not in a straight line” (January 2016). One
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How You Can Help a Refugee Before the End of the Year

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During this political election, refugeeism was a hot topic. How could America help people from foreign countries who were displaced from their homes? Should America help them? Political parties - and the American public- remain deeply divided over this issue. A refugee is “ a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc. ” J. Calvin Holsinger writes about immigration in the last century (many of whom were also refugees): “Europe is a much more compacted area than the United States, and in the postwar [World War II] period, governments had to adapt to the strenuous period of reparations and recovery in an intense multinational climate. Government spending drove up national debts, leaving each nation to determine how it would pay back those debts. When Germany had to cut jobs, it found it far easier to send immigrants home than continue to accommodate them and risk laying off its own employment force. It was a successf
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Three Benefits of Suffering for Christians

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Have you ever thought what it would be like to suffer as a Christian in America? Many media stories invoke fear into the hearts of conservative evangelicals. The implementation of gender neutral bathrooms, the seemingly unchristian moral qualities of politicians running for office, the apparent hostility of colleges toward Christian thought, and the decline in church attendance all spell doom for Christians. “This is a sure sign of the End,” many Christians are saying. Other Christians are more optimistic. They do not see the LGBT community as threatening. They like the “Tell is like it is” demeanor of some leaders. They do not view church attendance as necessary but feel instead that, now more than ever, people are open to spirituality. Whichever side you lean on, suppose for a moment that there will come a time where Christians will be persecuted in America the same way believers are persecuted in anti-Christian countries today? What would you do if you were put in jail  or
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