Living Stones Church, Red Deer, Alberta

Proverbs 27:1-22 One of the greatest gifts in life is friendship, but what does it mean to be a friend? What does it require to have healthy relationships? What are some of the challenges in friendship? What kinds of behaviours diminish relationships with others? These are the kinds of dynamics we will be exploring from Proverbs 27.

Proverbs 26 Wisdom is the skill of healthy social interactions. It is also the ability to discern where people are coming from and how to respond wisely (with restraint). This message will be addressing three primary groups: fools, sluggards and mischief-makers (which includes busybodies, reckless speakers, gossips, deceivers (liars). When we don’t walk in wisdom we can cause a lot of interpersona...

Proverbs 25 In wisdom literature, we have some powerful insights into the value of determining what and who is influencing our lives. This is particularly critical in the realm of leadership, as leaders make decisions that impact the lives of those they lead. In Proverbs 25, we find a number of proverbs dealing with the issue of leadership and those who follow. Here we find a number of elements th...

Luke 1:46-55

Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:5-25

Acts 2:42-47  

John 3:1-6

Proverbs 24:1-11, Proverbs Series People worldwide are watching with deep interest what will happen next Tuesday, during the U.S. federal election. Our exposure to the U.S., primarily through the various American outlets accessible by Canadians, has deeply influenced our own culture in subtle and not so subtle ways. Many in the U. S. are holding their collective breath as they wonder how people wi...

Proverbs 23, Proverbs Series What are we giving our energies to? What is it that we really desire in this life? Here in the wisdom literature, we are reminded of those things that either build us and others up or tear our lives apart. We need discernment to make wise choices with the investment of our lives. Here in Proverbs 23, we find a group of Proverbs entitled 30 wise sayings. We will see tha...

Revelation 2:1-7

Psalm 98:109

Proverbs 22:17-29, Proverbs Series "Are you really listening?" We are moving into a new subsection called ‘Thirty Sayings of the Wise.’ Tomorrow we’ll be looking at the first six. The prologue challenges us to internalize God’s instructions to help guide us in our life decisions. What follows is many exhortations that urge strong moral courses of action. We will be highlighting three things we oug...

Proverbs 21:13-31, Proverbs Series The wisdom writers in Proverbs are challenging us to examine our values and embrace those that help us grow into the kind of people that reflect the nature of God. One of the great challenges is when we compromise who we are for the sake of earthly fame and fortune. Who we become as followers of Christ is more important than what we acquire. Here in the first six...

Proverbs 21:13-31, Proverbs Series The drama of history is played out along the frontiers of great belief systems as they ebb and flow. …The conflict of our day is theism versus naturalism. Theism is the belief that there is a transcendent [personal] God who created the universe; naturalism is the belief that natural causes alone are sufficient to explain everything that exists. …Is ultimate reali...

Proverbs 21:1-12, Proverbs Series The way we live determines what people will ultimately say about us. Jesus talked about two roads, one narrow which a minority are walking on, the other a very broad road leading to destruction. In Proverbs 21, we will be evaluating the characteristics and nature and outcomes of those who walk on one path versus the other.

Proverbs 20, Proverbs Series What does a person of wisdom look like? What characterizes them? People who walk in wisdom know both what to avoid and what to embrace. For example, wise people avoid addictions, alienating those in authority, creating strife and listening to gossip. So, what are the things we ought to embrace? Wisdom is diligence, concern about others, faithful, leading blameless and...

Proverbs 19, Proverbs Series Wisdom helps fashion the kind of person we will become. A person of integrity is integrated, whole and healthy. This inner development of personhood affects our relationships with others and how we see our world. What we desire is also a reflection of what is within our hearts. Wisdom develops certain values that help shape our lives. Here we see in Proverbs the consta...

Proverbs 18, Proverbs Series The power of our words is such that it can bring harmony or strife. Words can help build up people, families and communities, or they can tear them down. It’s amazing how much Proverbs has to say about speech. Last year, I wrote a master’s thesis on this issue of communication from the book of Proverbs. Out of the 886 verses found in Proverbs, there are an estimated 24...

Proverbs 17, Proverbs Series We were all shocked this week by the brutal and tragic death of one of our city’s physicians while serving at the clinic where he worked. How are people responding? Shock, fear, anger, sorrow, and grief fill hearts over this tragic episode. Some are showing their support by financial gifts for the two young daughters left fatherless. We question how this can happen in...