What Does Peace Look Like?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/What-Does-Peace-Look-Like.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 12:5-14   I.         A prize was once offered to an artist who best depicted the concept of peace             A.        One image was of a calm lake perfectly mirroring the distant mountains. Overhead was a blue sky with puffy white clouds.             B.        Another picture was of rugged, bare mountains with foaming waterfall…

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On the Other Side of the Fence

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/On-the-Other-Side-of-the-Fence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:4-9   I.         It is so easy, so tempting to look at what someone else has accomplished and think “That could have been me.”             A.        When you are in school, have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I can’t wait until I have a job. None of this homework business for…

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Expecting the Impossible

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Expecting-the-Impossible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 19:16-26   I.         With God, all things are possible – Matthew 19:26             A.        Even the saving of a wealthy man, if he desired to be saved.             B.        Yet, we must understand that some things are impossible for even God                         1.         It is impossible for God to lie – Hebrews 6:17-18                         2.         He cannot…

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The Secret of Learning to Be Content

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Secret-of-Learning-to-be-Content.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:10-14   I.         Paul faced many adversities during his life – more than most of us will see – II Corinthians 11:24-27             A.        What sort of person would you be with this sort of life? What attitudes would people notice first?             B.        Bitter? Hardened? Depressed?             C.        Yet, through these experiences, Paul learned…

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Boredom

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Boredom.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         The child has a room full of action figures, video games, cable TV, VCR, a huge collection of video tapes, every piece of sports equipment known to man, his own telephone, a fully loaded computer with Internet access — but he doesn’t have anything to do. He’s bored.             A.        Boredom is…

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Now Thank We All Our God

by Cloyce Sutton II The “Thirty Years’ War” (1618-1648) was a devastating European conflict centered in what’s now Germany. It began as a power struggle between Protestant and Catholic forces within the Holy Roman Empire but spread among various factions throughout Europe, eventually drawing in much of Central Europe, including Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, Croatian,…

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Lessons from the Mamertine Prison

by Jefferson David Tant Do you ever feel discouraged, defeated, alone, forsaken, or any other word used to describe one who is “down in the dumps?” I’m sure we have all been affected by one or more of these words in our lifetime. If you are fortunate to have escaped all these negative feelings, just…

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A Case Study in Contentment

by Jefferson David Tant “Contentment” is a word that may not well describe many people. There are many causes of discontent in this 21st Century — family discord, health issues, job stress, financial concerns, government corruption, joblessness, worries about the threat of Islamic terrorism, and sometimes church problems. These are struggles that most all of…

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The Secret of Contentment

by Kenneth W. Ledbetter Sentry Magazine, March 2001 I want to take a moment to pass along a realization that has helped me in times of great distress and personal trials … found in the words of the apostle Paul. Paul said something in Philippians 4 that has always amazed me. In verse 11 he…

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And Then I Prayed

by Forrest D. Moyer Sentry Magazine, March 2002 I really thought there were material things in this life that were important. I saw people living in luxurious furnishings. I saw their fine cars and their exclusive clothing. That seemed important, for a moment at least. Then I saw something else. I saw that so many…

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