Clark's Compelling Catwalk

2 Peter 2 is about false teachers.  This chapter is a wake-up call that there are some really, really bad people in the world.  Peter gives us a long description about all of the evil things these people do.  He tells us about God's appropriate judgment on them.  But, he also tells us that God knows how to rescue godly people from their trials.  Are you going through some...

This is Episode #1 of the Pandemic Podcast.  I am going to be sitting down with various people around the community to talk about what's going on with the corona virus pandemic, how it is affecting us, and how we can move through it in a positive way.  Today, I begin with State Senator Jon Ford.  Jon has served in the Indiana State Senate for the last six years.  He has a great...

2 Peter 1 talks about the promises of God.  Peter tells us that God has given us everything we need for a godly life.  Do you feel that way?  Do you feel like you have everything you need?  Some people have a scarcity mentality - they never have enough.  But, the Bible encourages us to have an abundance mentality - you have everything you need.  Peter says respond to...

I thin a lot of people today are looking for hope.  People are tired of social distancing and quarantining and hearing lots of news of the numbers of people infected with the corona virus.  Where can we find hope today?  The Bible is a story of hope.  The Bible gives us all kinds of hope for the future Kingdom of God - the life that we will experience after this life is over, i...

1 Peter 5 is about 3 things:  1)Humble leadership.  Don't lord your leadership position over others.  Lead willingly.  Serve others gladly.  2)Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.  Don't be surprised when he comes to pick you apart.  You can stand firm against him.  3)You can survive your sufferings.  People al...

1 Peter 4 continues the theme of suffering from the previous chapter.  Peter is telling us not to be surprised by our suffering.  It is to be expected.  Because Christ suffered, and we are following Christ, we will suffer as well.  We need to have the same attitude towards suffering that Jesus did.  And yet, in the midst of it, we need to continue to live out our calling....

1 Peter 3 is about the transformative power of suffering.  Peter talks about the example of Jesus.  Though He never did anything wrong, though He never sinned, He suffered a lot in His life, and He suffered when He died on the cross for you.  In our culture, we think suffering is to be avoided at all costs.  We think it's unjust, unfair, and always bad.  The Biblical idea...

1 Peter 2 tells us that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of God's temple.  He is the only appropriate foundation for your life.  If you get the foundation of your life wrong, everything else will be off.  If you believe in Him, you become a living stone, building on what Jesus did.  You become a priest in God's temple.  This is the idea of the priesthood of all believers. &n...

Today, we begin the book of 1 Peter and look at chapter one.  He talks about two problems and two answers.  The first problem is that the people are scattered.  They have lost the sense of community they used to have.  They are not in touch with each other anymore.  They are isolated - like many people are today.  the second problem is that the people are going throug...

Nehemiah 13 is the last chapter of the book.  They have finished their major building project, but now the people have fallen back into some of their problems from the past.  Nehemiah has to "call them out" and "call them back" to God.  After this corona virus situations passes, what happens if we just go back to the problems we had in the past?  We happens if we don't carry fo...

The main idea of The Big Story of the Bible is the Kingdom.  And yet, a lot of people seem unfamiliar with the concept.  In this talk, we explore three key aspect of the Kingdom of God.  1)It is Abundant.  2)It is Cosmic.  3)It is Spreading.  We talk about what this means, what this means for you, and why this is important.  If you have any questions or comments,...

Nehemiah 12 is about the dedication of the wall.  The Israelites have completed their big project.  The re-building of the wall has now been finished and now it is time to celebrate.  When we come to major milestones and important events in our lives, God wants us to pause for a moment and celebrate.  It's good to have joy.  It's good to thank God for where He has brought...

Nehemiah 11 is a chapter with lots of names that we typically skip over.  But, what is interesting is that it tells us that 3044 people were willing to move to Jerusalem and start life over there.  These people were willing to engage in adaptive change.  We typically don't like to change.  We resist change.  We try to preserve the status quo.  But, our biggest opportu...

Nehemiah 10 is about giving God your best.  The people promised to give God the best of the work, the best of the income, the best of their children, and the best of their land.  Have you been giving God the best of your life?  Have you been giving God your leftovers or a second-best effort?  How would our lives be different if we gave God our best?  Part of re-building so...

Today's devotion is a summary of Nehemiah.  It's about a solemn assembly, reflecting on how God has helped you through the struggles of your life, and what the next promise is that you need to make to God.

This is the first of a series of 6-7 episodes on the The Story of God.  In this series, we are going to be looking at the big ideas of the whole Bible, and particularly, what is says about the Kingdom of God, the Church of God, and the Mission of God.  We are going to look at questions of identity and purpose.  Who are we and why are we here?  We are going to be talking about w...

The Story of the Two Boats is an Easter story.  You might not think of this as an Easter story, but it is.  This is the message I gave on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020.  Most of you probably have heard some of the story of the first boat - the Titanic.  But, you probably have not heard the story of the second boat - the rescue ship that braved its way through a field of dangero...