Colossians 4:7-18             {Prayer}             When people hurt us … we can do what Miss Havisham did. For those who don’t know her, she is a lady in Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. Deserted by her fiancé just prior to her wedding, how did she respond? Well, she closed all the blinds in the house,…

Colossians 4:2-6             {Prayer}             In a small, little quaint town, nestled back in the heart of Germany, there once lived a skilled clockmaker named Hans. Hans was very well known throughout the region for his precision and dedication to his craft.             One day, a visitor from a distant land was passing through the…

Colossian 3:12-17             {Prayer}             So I’d like to conduct an informal survey. What is the most shocking piece of clothing in your closet? 1) An old college sweatshirt. 2) A purple and pink bathrobe. 3) A St. Louis Cardinals baseball hat. 4) A Hawaiian shirt that your wife can’t stand. 5) A T-shirt that…

Colossians 3:1-11             {Prayer}             A little refresher of where we’ve been in this series.             Chapter 1, we looked at doctrine or teaching. Christ at the Center declared that Jesus is, “Firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15). “Firstborn from the dead” (1:18). “So that he might have first place in all things” (1:18).            …

Colossians 2:6-15             {Prayer}             How do you fill in the blank? “I’m never ________ enough?” I’m never good enough. I’m never thin enough, never powerful enough, never successful enough, never smart enough, never old enough, never young enough, never educated enough, never athletic enough, never fast enough, never popular enough.             Frequently, when the…

Colossians 1:24-2:5             {Prayer}             Tony Robbins, an American motivational speaker and ‘life coach’ who created a multifaceted business empire by preaching a gospel of self-improvement can make anywhere between $300,000 and $1 million per speaking engagement. That’s not bad for a sixty-minute speech. Even if you don’t get someone like Tony Robbins, the top…

Colossians 1:15-23             {Prayer}             “Who’s on first?” Three simple words were put together and made famous in the 1930’s by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. “Who’s on first?” … it’s confusing. Is it a question? “Which person is playing first base?” Or is it an answer? “The name of the first basemen is ‘Who’.”…

Colossians 1:1-14             {Prayer}             Bob Newhart on the Bob Newhart show plays a psychiatrist. In one episode, a client arrives at his office and he explains his billing. “I charge five dollars for the first five minutes. Any time after that is free. Is that acceptable?” The woman can’t believe it. She says, “Of…