Bret Hammond

A man once told me I was taking communion wrong. "It has to be one loaf," he said. "If it isn't, you're sinning." I countered by asking him, "What if it's a really big church? How do you make one loaf that serves a thousand in worship?" He explained to me that was why there shouldn't be any big churches. "A church should never be bigger than one loaf can serve," he said confidently. I realized tha...

How far away is heaven? There are days when it feels very close, aren't there? I've often returned to the words of the preacher Arthur John Gossip. He was about my age when his wife suddenly and tragically died. The following Sunday, he was in the pulpit, preaching a sermon he titled, "But When Life Tumbles In, What Then?" Given the freshness of his grief, he spoke words I've only begun to feel wi...

I awoke yesterday morning to the news that Jimmy Buffett had died. I've long enjoyed his music, but more than that, I've always been struck by his ability to build community. There is no particular type of Jimmy Buffett fan ("Parrotheads," as they like to be known). Instead, you find people from every stripe of life: doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, motorcycle riders, preachers, and young and old...

My ears perked up yesterday as I heard the unfamiliar phrase "Post-Traumatic Growth." "That's not right," I thought. "They mean 'Post-Traumatic STRESS,' right?" Our painful and traumatic experiences leave us overwhelmed and weakened, living with the stresses we'll carry for the rest of our lives. That's all I've ever heard about, anyway. But no—there is the possibility for greater blessings ahead!...

You've probably heard the old joke before. "How do you know when a politician is lying?" The answer is, "His lips are moving." Psalm 12 seems to be written to point fingers at political figures. Verse 3 speaks of "flattering lips" and "tongues that make great boasts." In verse 4, they stand defiant to God's judgment, saying, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master ove...

Paradise is burning. The news and images of the wildfires on Maui have been heartbreaking. This morning's news brought the death toll up to 93. A place renowned for its peace and beauty is experiencing loss and fear that I cannot begin to comprehend. Let's all pray for Maui. It was startling to read how, as the fires overtook the community of Lahaina, around one hundred people sought refuge in the...

My son Connor loves music, and he's got some great taste in the songs he plays on his iPad. The only problem is he stops songs before they're over. "Click!" They're done when he's done! Sometimes he moves on to the next one; other times, he starts the song over again, never letting it finish. This drives Daddy nuts (no worries, it's a short trip). I need a song to resolve, come to its conclusion,...

The image on the thumbnail of this message is the result of focusing a telescope for over twelve hours on an area of space no bigger than a grain of sand held at arm’s length. This “deep field image” revealed that even the blackness of space is filled with creation. Those stars aren’t stars—they’re galaxies! The warps and swirls are caused by intense gravitational forces so strong they are actuall...

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me." We learned that one on the playground, and we learned it isn't true. Even the Bible declares it false! Proverbs 12:18 warns, "Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword." Ephesians 4:31 instructs, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." Words hurt. We'v...

Did you celebrate the great American holiday last week? I'm speaking of Prime Day, of course. I managed to snag a few deals through Amazon; a gift for my daughter's birthday, some shirts for Connor, and a replacement for a recently broken kitchen gadget (that I promise I won't break again). The deals were too good to pass up. Then I went to my order page to see how soon they would ship and found m...

I've heard there are two kinds of people in the world. Some wake up and say, "Good morning, Lord!" And then some wake up and say, "Good Lord, it's morning!" I know which kind I am. Which kind are you? It might surprise you that King David appears to have occasionally been with us in the latter option. Psalm 5, a morning prayer penned by David, begins with the words, "Give ear to my words, O Lord;...

Did you say your prayers before bed last night? In "A Light in the Attic," Shel Silverstein offers his own skewed view on bedtime prayers, offering one that is honest, hilarious, and a little demented (as only Silverstein can do): Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my toys will break. So none of the other kids can use 'em….Amen....

I attended a small concert Thursday evening to hear my favorite band, Dawes. Just about everyone there was a longtime fan, like myself. We all knew their songs well and anticipated that they would play our favorites. Three songs into their set, a very familiar guitar riff started. The entire audience was instantly on their feet. I, for one, let out a "WOOOOO!" (I confess, I'm one of those people w...

We had an early Father's Day family outing to the zoo yesterday. Grandpa had a great time watching the animals with Ruby. It was a good thing we had Gracie along; she read the plaques to us, giving us essential information about the various animals. For instance, she told us we shouldn't smile at the spider monkeys because they take bared teeth as a sign of aggression. "Who cares?" I thought. Ther...

I've joked that the only reason I keep going to school is to maintain my Spotify student discount. Spotify is a service that contains a massive collection of music. It's introduced me to new songs I've fallen in love with and allows me to build playlists of my old favorites. So whatever mood I find myself in, there's a Spotify playlist that speaks to it. This summer, we're going to the Psalms, tha...

A Funeral Message for Darrell Short by Bret Hammond

I was an hour away from home, looking for some relaxation on a beautiful summer day. My destination was a rails-to-trails project where I could walk, think, and pray. As I approached the parking lot for the trail, my old vehicle balked! It didn't want to turn! With great effort and a lot of trouble, I steered into the lot and assessed the problem. My power steering was out. An hour from home. Jack...

Tim Keller passed away Friday, three years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Keller was a significant voice in the Christian faith, often confrontational, always kind, and always pointing people to Jesus. I followed him on Twitter, where, among the short rants offered by way too many, Keller presented grace, reason, and Christ. A week ago, Tim Keller posted, "If the most powerful perso...

"Trouble won't kill ya." In his song, "La Vie," Billy Sprague tells the story of his grandmother Myrtle and the trials she had lived through, outlasting two husbands, all of her sisters, brothers, and cousins. Myrtle was left to wonder why she was still alive. I can't help but think of Mom today and all she lived through. She came from a family of nine children, but she buried most of those siblin...

Dad taught me always to carry a spare tire and jack in the car's trunk. That served me well until I found someone with a flat one day, and my tire iron didn't match their lug nuts. That's when I started carrying a four-way. Then I found someone with an easily fixed tire puncture, and that's when I started carrying a patch kit. Then I started carrying a tire pump. And then . . . Be Prepared. That's...

There are movies we've watched so often that certain lines have burned themselves into our memory and found their way into everyday conversation. So, for a number of you reading this, all I have to write is, "Tis but a scratch!" and, well . . . if you know, you know! As a kid, watching the Black Knight suffer injury after injury, losing limb after limb, all the while maintaining that he's "had wor...

In 1927, following the sudden death of his wife, Arthur John Gossip preached his sermon, "But When Life Tumbles In, What Then?" This sermon continues to impact us as we search for a faith that will take us through the troubles of life. The full text of this manuscript can be found at https://www.brethammond.com/2023/04/but-when-life-tumbles-in-what-then/

Of all the words of faith and devotion in the Bible, I find myself reflecting on three spoken by Daniel's friends before the fiery furnace. "But if not." When faced with the choice of either bowing down and worshiping idols of gold or submitting their lives to the fire, these men spoke with conviction about the power of God and faith in his ability to save them. In Daniel 3:17, they declare, "Our...

Mom had a cute little nickname for all of us when we were growing up, including Dad (maybe especially Dad). She liked to call us “hard-headed Hammonds.” Apparently, the ability to stick to your convictions despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary was not a quality Mom valued as much as the rest of us. But, of course, she was likely the one who had to clean up the messes that resulted from our...

Confession time: In my first year of preaching, I had no clue what Palm Sunday was. I didn't grow up in the church, and while I knew about Easter (even beyond the bunny and eggs), I had no idea there even was a Palm Sunday. I had never shouted "Hosanna!" and had never even seen a palm tree, let alone waved a branch! It's worse than that, though. I remember doing the research, reading the Gospels b...