Blog of FPC Lebanon

Bible Reference(s): Acts 1:1-11 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn For the rest of the world, Friday was the start of a long Memorial Day weekend, but for a lot of students in Boone County, including those in PPM, it was the last day of the school year. There were lots of smiling faces in last-day of school pictures, as well as graduation photos of seniors and their proud parents. I don't have to tell you that Friday was also a day of celebration for teachers too...after all, school is out for the summer. But for a few retiring teachers it was bittersweet. As much as they are ready to move on to the next phase of life,  leaving their classroom that one last time is very difficult.   And then there are those like my friend Teresa who teaches preschool in a different community.  Teresa has a pre-K class and says that she becomes so attached to her students every year that she cries on the last day when she has to say good-bye to them. I can completely relate to Teresa.  W...

Bible Reference(s): Acts 7:55-60 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn "When he had said this, he died."   Well, now there's a lovely way to start a sermon.  It certainly has the power to rattle a preacher's perspective on Sunday morning.  What if I say the wrong thing and they decide to kill me?   To be honest, this thought has never actually crossed my mind.  I figure that by the time we're finished up with worship, y'all are hungry and ready to get to lunch.  If you're going to get to Bob Evans before the Baptists, there isn't time to  actually kill the pastor and hide her body.  Seriously, though, what has crossed my mind...especially when I first started preaching 15 or so years ago...is what if I say the wrong thing in a sermon?  Or, more so, what if I say the very right thing, but in the wrong way?  What if I'm insensitive to the way it might be heard.  What if I offend someone in the process?   Through the years, I ...

Bible Reference(s): Galatians 6:7-10 Sermon by Rev. Terri Thorn Recently in a conversation with a local police officer about some of the struggles in our community, I heard myself say words I swore would never come out of mouth.  I said something along the lines of: "the young people these days have no idea what it means to..."  In that moment, I realized that I was not only channeling my parents, I had become OLD!  Seriously though, the officer and I were comparing stories about having grown up on our family farms.  We both agreed that the life lessons we learned on the farm were invaluable and shaped us into the people we are today. (I suppose, in a way, farm-life was our version of preschool.)  We lamented that many young people have been deprived of the opportunity to learn the lessons of farming first-hand.  Things such as...the power of bailing twine and grease to fix just about anything...the health benefits of going to bed with cows and getting up w...