Tending to our faith is never easy. To follow in Jesus' footsteps is very hard. Some guidance comes from Jesus' sayings about the vine and the branches.

A sermon inspired by Jesus' sayings about shepherds deals with the behavior of reliable, caring shepherds versus the sometime carelessness of hired hands.

There is a hard passage in the first letter of John, verses 6-7. "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." Does this mean that as God's chosen, as the beloved people of God, that we reject the gift if we sin? In this sermon, Pastor Frankie suggests that the passage is meant as an ideal, and as something that we must put all our effort into striving toward, but that God doesn't expect us to do it on our own. By putting ourselves in God's hands, we seek sanctification, a state in which sin remains in our hearts, but it does not rein.

Who is the most important person in the congregation? Some might argue that it's the person with the most money to contribute to church missions. Others that it's the person with the most knowledge of the Bible. The story of Thomas' reaction to the crucifixion, however, suggests a surprising answer.

Peter's words and actions around the time of the crucifixion and resurrection provide important lessons for our own spiritual journeys. Peter had gotten a little weak in the faith department because he thought he could do it all by himself. Even when the weakness of Peter's faith had been exposed, the angel still calls for Peter by name when it's time for the disciples to hear about the resurrection.

This Palm Sunday sermon explores what it means that Jesus was fully God and fully human, and asks what Jesus' suffering means for our own?

Regular confession can provide a powerful fuel for spiritual growth, especially when performed in small groups. Pastor Frankie looks to John Wesley's Journal for its inspiration as a guide for a daily attitude of confession. Wesley recorded questions for each day of the week for examining our consciences.

At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah joined Jesus on the mountaintop. This glorious image of Jesus shining in his robes is how we like to think about him all the time. Peter, one of the three apostles on hand, wanted to build a shrine to the moment. We recognize that urge -- it's the same one that prompts us to pull out phones to photograph and record sacred experiences like weddings or baptisms. Many people say they come to church to experience God. In addition to having that experience, remember that the point is not the experience itself but to be transformed by it.

Many workplace rules make no sense. Some laws on the books in the United States are completely crazy. You'd have a hard time living the rules listed in Leviticus in America (without ending up in jail). As Christians, we have a good example that not every rule should be followed. Think of Jesus touching the leper, and then telling the leper not to tell anyone. What rules do we need to break?

There's a saying among churches, "Win the lost at any cost." But Pastor Frankie argues an important caveat: We cannot misrepresent ourselves in any way in order to spread the Gospel.