Courtney T Ball Podcasts

I preached this sermon at St. James UMC in Cedar Rapids as they approached the date when they would start sharing their pastor with another local congregation. It deals with the fear and possibilities that come with church mergers.

This sermon shares some history about conflict between the apostle Paul and James, the brother of Jesus as the early church formed. How does that conflict inform our faith today? Are we so set in our ways that we can't see the value in someone else's perspective? Are you so sure of your truth that you're unwilling to let God teach you something new?

A sermon from when I was in seminary, age 26. Coincidentally, this sermon was about the same story as the sermon "What Did We Get Ourselves Into?" which I just preached in March of this year (2015). I delivered this on March 16, 2003 at Scott United Methodist in Denver, CO. (Wow, was I young, and a little bit cocky, but it was a fun place to preach and still fun to listen to today.)

This sermon explores how wildness is a positive part of human nature. Wildness helps us to keep from being boxed in by fear or convention.

Sermon preached at Lovely Lane UMC on Matthew 16:13-28. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, but he and the other disciples don't know what they're getting themselves into as his followers. Sermon also outlines difference between the way of Empire and the way of Christ, and asks the question: By owning the empire, have Christians lost their soul?