sermons Bring Christ to the Valley 14 Feb 2021February 11, 2021 There are two ways to the Berry College reservoir, a beautiful, manmade, lake in the middle of the 26,000 acres of mountainous property the college owns. Those two ways relate…
sermons REFINED 7 Feb 2021February 11, 2021 I’m in the hard, annoying, part of my dissertation. In May, should everything go well, I’ll graduate with my doctorate from Emory University. I’m excited and working hard to wrap-up…
sermons Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise 31 Jan 2021February 11, 2021 Note: Resources mentioned near the end of the sermon are all linked off of eastmanfirst.com/lent Have you ever found yourself awestruck? My first semester of seminary was overwhelming. I felt…
sermons Teach Us To Number Our Days 24 Jan 2021February 11, 2021 What time is it? When we ask that question, we think of the exact time, demonstrated I’m sure by the several of you who glanced at a clock when I…
sermons It Takes Two 17 Jan 2021February 11, 2021 We had just arrived at the coast of Maine at our little bed and breakfast. It was the first full day of our marriage and we were ready to begin…
sermons Renounce, Confess, Resist | The Journey of Faith 10 Jan 2021January 10, 2021 Before the sermon, we remembered our baptism. I invite you, if you did not participate in the service, to at least read through this service, for it will shed light…
sermons I Want Baby Jesus | Christmas Eve 24 Dec 2020February 11, 2021 One night at the children’s play, a baby sister grew agitated. She was at that precarious age of being old enough to walk but not old enough to stay out…
sermons An Ordinary Human 20 Dec 2020December 16, 2020 Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. …
sermons Friendship: A Thrill of Hope 13 Dec 2020December 10, 2020 A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. Christina Rossetti sat at her home. This English poet of moderate fame had published many poems before in her life, mostly focused…
sermons Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me 6 Dec 2020December 2, 2020 Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. I bet you can hear the song in your head. Let there be peace on earth and let…
sermons Longing for Christmas 29 Nov 2020 Yet, in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. Phillips Brooks sat on horseback atop a hillside. This episcopal priest from New England had come to visit the Holy Land.…
sermons Thanksgiving 22 Nov 2020November 11, 2020 Our first married Thanksgiving, we decided to host both of our parents. At the time, we lived in Virginia in a tiny, three hundred square foot apartment. I was managing…
sermons Lead with Encouragement 15 Nov 2020November 15, 2020 There were once two brothers who couldn’t have been more different. One was always cheerful, the other always grumpy. Their parents worried about them both, thinking that they needed to…
sermons People are Talking 8 Nov 2020October 29, 2020 Who are you? Seems like a simple enough question. Until you get asked it. Consider the last time you interviewed. Almost certainly, the opening question was, “tell us a little…
sermons Weary 1 Nov 2020November 1, 2020 The election is in two days. Having heard that, what was your primary emotional reaction? Based on conversations I frequently had his week, my guess is dread, exhaustion, discouragement, fatigue,…
sermons God Works Through the Unexpected 25 Oct 2020October 23, 2020 “There is a story about three farmers whose fields were adjoined. One was Jewish, one Muslim, and one Christian. Each observed the Sabbath on a different day of the week.…
sermons God will because God has 18 Oct 2020October 15, 2020 Wine makes a lot of byproducts. There’s a cycle of destruction and transformation to the wine-making process. The yeast produces a chemical reaction that destroys molecules. That process of destruction…
sermons Boundaries 11 Oct 2020October 8, 2020 When I was a child, I had a big wheel. You remember big wheels? Those were the best. They were like a low-rider tricycle, made of plastic. I went everywhere…