We live in a world that expects perfection. We expect it of our athletes, preachers, coaches, leaders, and ourselves. The only problem is that perfection is impossible. It’s unattainable and unrealistic.

Think about coaches. How many are second-guessed on their play calling by “fans” who sit in the stands and couldn’t coach a winning team on a video game. Coaches are called on to make split-second decisions depending on personnel, weather and field conditions, injuries, score, time on the clock, and their opponent. It’s not an easy task. Continue reading →

Be sure to download this month’s FREE monthly sermon series through Sherwood’s online bookstore – The Radiance of His Glory.

In this 4-part series, pastor Michael Catt walks through the passages in Hebrews which focus on the person of Christ. Who is Jesus and how do we focus our hearts and lives on Him?

To download the free series, click here. Once on the series page, please check the box next to “MP3” for each message, then click “Add to Cart” for each message. After adding the messages you want, click on the shopping cart icon in the upper right corner of the screen next to “Quick Links”. Choose the option “Checkout”. Follow the prompts through the check-out process.

If you create an account in the bookstore, it will keep track of all your purchases. So, for example, if you download these MP3s to a laptop and then lose your files or change computers, you can come back to your bookstore account and download the messages again! It’s free and easy!

(The following article is an excerpt from the upcoming Bible Study for Life from LifeWay, ReFinance: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Money Management, written by Michael Catt)

We’ve talked extensively about hard work, but what do we get for our efforts? Many people work long hours with very little production to show for it. On the other hand, the woman in this passage recognized that both her wares and her profits were good. Continue reading →

I hate time change Sunday, even when I gain an extra hour of sleep. First of all, why on Sunday? Why make us lose an hour before worship? Why not Monday when everyone has to get up anyway? Why not Saturday when we have a day to adjust? Better yet, why not just keep the savings time year round? Most of us never know what time it is anyway.

Come to think of it, these days remind me of many believers. I love to meet a new believer before he starts meeting a lot of religious people. Religious people can kill enthusiasm in a nanosecond. Normal, New Testament expressions of faith seem so odd that the engaged and energized believer has to backslide to have fellowship with half the church. Continue reading →

I have to be honest. The political climate today disgusts me. It grieves me. It makes me ashamed of the state of our nation. The slander and lies, the mean-spirited, vicious, angry attitudes of candidates on both sides is sinful. I’m ready to vote for “none of the above.”

I have never endorsed a candidate, and I won’t today. I don’t believe everyone who claims to be a “Christian.” Jesus said that you would know them by their fruit. Looking at the fruit of some of these candidates, I’d say they’re the product of a crab apple tree – the fruit is certainly bitter. Continue reading →