Escalate Sermon Blog & Connection Point Questions

I became an owner of a charcoal grill during the summer and thoroughly enjoined using it to cook out. But I learned an important lesson a few weeks ago when I attempted to cook out on a particularly cold winter night. The cold temperatures caused the hot charcoal to die out incredibly quickly and left me with a bunch of half-cooked burgers. There I sat with no way of re...

Ever feel like you're getting 'burned out' in life? How about in faith? We begin a new series this week that we're calling "Burning Out.?" We'll be examining the New Testament book of 2 Timothy and looking to discover the biblical answer for 'burn out." We hope you'll join us along the way!...

We end our series, Great Leader, Exceptional Follower, this week studying the final chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua (chapter 24). It's a compelling chapter which (1) encourages us to reflect on the unique form of God's graciousness and faithfulness in our lives and then (2) challenges us to respond in the appropriate way. Joshua's charge to the Israelites in ...

During the Christmas season it isn't uncommon to see pictures and images of the 'Nativity' scene. Many people know that Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable and that after His birth she placed Him in a manger. But is there any significance in the manger? Or was the manger just a convenient place to lay the newborn baby to rest? A quick reading of Jesus' birth narrative...

What is it that inspires someone to be exceptional in the way they follow after another? For several weeks now we have been in a series in which we have argued that the OT leader of the Israelite nation, Joshua, was more than just a great leader - he was an exceptional follower of God. And as the OT book of Joshua draws to a conclusion, we find Joshua exhorting the Israe...

Throughout our study of Joshua so far we have noted that Joshua was a great leader. We have noted even more importantly that Joshua was an exceptional follower of God. But would we ever consider Joshua a 'superhero?' In chapter 11 of the book of Joshua the author of the text certainly paints a picture of Joshua that resembles a superhero. But for what purpose? That's ...

What would you do if on your way out the door this morning you discovered a rough and tough biker gang gathered in your driveway waiting to beat you up? What would you do? Would you just pretend they weren't there and head out the door? Of course you wouldn't! You wouldn't go out and face that kind of enemy without some kind of help! In our passage this week we find J...

Have you ever re-connected with a person from your past that you had been separated from for a long time? To past generations that was always a big deal. For our generation it's something we are starting to take lightly because it's becoming far more common through means of social media, like Facebook. For future generations it's something that they may never even exper...

Have you ever suffered consequences as a result of someone else's disobedience? How serious were those consequences? While they may have been serious consequences, I'm guessing it probably wasn't as bad as having the "burning anger of God" directed at you. Now what if I told you that because of someone else's disobedience the reality for both you and I is that God's ang...

The Old Testament story of the fall of the city of Jericho is one of many amazing stories in the Old Testament. A lot of times I hear people refer to the story as the "Battle of Jericho." But 'battle' seems to be a little bit of a misnomer - at least in the way the story is recounted in the Old Testament book of Joshua. This week we are going to examine the text of Josh...