Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

Living Successfully In Perilous Times

Every day, we read horrifying news stories regarding man’s inhumanity to man. For example, in New York City, a policeman was stomped on and hurt badly after being knocked off his scooter. And we’ve all seen on television, protesters, not only with foul language on their shirts, but issuing it out of their mouths as […]

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Mistakes And Good Intentions

The sins I see in other folks Are the only ones I mention —

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Using God's Power Instead Of Our Own

During a picnic on an extremely hot day at a Wisconsin lake, Norwegian-American Inventor Ole Evinrude’s future wife, Bess, told him how much she would enjoy some ice cream. So the young man gladly made a five mile round-trip by rowboat to bring the ice cream to her.

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A Proven Remedy For Depression

According to health care professionals, one of the most important things a mentally depressed individual can do for themselves, is to get out into the sunlight. Additionally, sunlight has other physical benefits as well (see article).

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On Being Humble And Lowly

The Lord reserves a special place in His heart for those who are humble and lowly (Psalm 138:6; cf. Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6-7). Those He deems lowly, are not necessarily folks who are standing on street corners begging for a handout; nor or they the ones pushing grocery carts all over town.

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The Awesome Ruler Of Sea And Sky

Having visited South Padre Island several times, my wife and I have immensely enjoyed viewing the Gulf of Mexico, experiencing the sand between our toes as we walk along its beaches. In the aftermath of recent hurricanes, it seems the water takes on an ominous dark blue color, nearly

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Living In A Stressful World Successfully

Push, produce, succeed, get ahead, get the job done — that pretty much defines the fast-paced world we live in today. The burden of continually producing, creates stress — either by self-motivation to get the job done, or by pressure exerted by someone else to perform.

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Managing Anger — Seven Biblical Keys

The following are seven biblical keys in managing the anger that we all experience from time to time in our lives: 1) Resolve To Manage Anger — The Proverb writer tells us, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32 NIV).

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God Has A Great Concern For The Poor

Here in El Paso, I see folks on the street corner every day, begging for money. They are poor and desperate for a little cash to spend on food and other necessities of life. They are not alone. More than one-half of the world’s people live below the internationally defined poverty line of less than […]

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Being Slaves To Emotions

There’s no doubt that emotions motivate the masses. In fact, we see impressive evidence of just how strong emotions can be when such things as truth, right, justice, and good judgment are often made subordinate to their prompting. But perhaps nowhere is the narcotic-like effect of

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Not By Our Power

As Christians, we need to write ourselves the following note and stick it on our bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, or any other prominent place so we can view it every day of our lives:

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On Finishing The Race Of Life

Fox’s Book of Martyrs contains detailed accounts of Christian martyrs — those who were told to deny their faith but refused — thus suffering horrific deaths.

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There's No Fast Food In Bible Study

Have we ever noticed cows lying in the field chewing their cud, and wondered why they spent so much time chewing it?

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Favorite Non-Biblical Quote

One of last week’s “Nudges” from The Fellowship Room was, “What is your favorite non-biblical quote?” My favorite non-biblical quote is from William Wordsworth’s, “The World Is Too Much With Us” – especially the first four lines:

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Living Lovely

From his blog, “The Morning Drive,” Brother Scott McCown, preacher for the church in Parrish, Alabama, offers us three thoughts on “living lovely.”

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We Are In Control Of Very Little

Have we ever thought about how many things we have control over? There are many things over which we have no control at all. For example, genealogy records were important for the Jews to keep but in A.D. 70, the nation of Israel and its genealogical

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Elvis Presley And God

On Saturday, January 8, 2011, millions of people around the world will remember and celebrate the birthday and life of Elvis Aaron Presley, an American music icon, who would have been 76 years old had he lived (see death of Elvis site and this article).

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Fear With A Proper Perspective

The story is told of a soldier who waved to one of the spectators as he was standing at attention during a parade drill. The drill instructor saw him waving and immediately went over to the young man and scolded him by saying, “Soldier, don’t ever wave while in formation again!”

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God's Family Life Center

Over the past 30-40 years, we’ve seen an influx of Family Life Centers cropping up among churches of Christ as an adjunct to the Lord’s church. However, the New Testament is silent regarding Family Life Centers being an approved adjunct to the purpose and function of the Lord’s church (Luke 19:1-10 – focusing on vs. […]

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The Certainty Of Death And Our Preparation For It

The story is told of a man who decided to move to a warmer climate because of poor health. Wanting to make sure he would choose the area best suited to his needs, he visited several Western State locations.

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