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Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Sermon Notes: “Necessary Endings Lead to New Beginnings”

Over the years, I’ve written and drawn dozens of sermon notes. One of my regrets is that I didn’t create any of my grandfather’s sermons when he was active. I had not developed the skill by the time he retied. But one of my thrills was to do it today of my wife’s debut.

As recently as last year, if you asked her if she would speak before a crowd beyond presenting the kids during a special or giving the announcements, she would have politely declined. But as she has grown deeper through spiritual disciplines, something has changed within her.

Here is a copy of my notes. They are two pages since she spoke both hours. It’s interesting to me to see what I got out of one hour versus another when you hear a speaker more than once.

Sermon sketch notes "Necessary Endings Lead to New Beginnings."
Sermon Notes on “Necessary Endings Lead to New Beginnings. Sermon Copyright 2019 Paula Spear

Her topic reflected that. She has learned the value of being still as opposed to being busy, busy, busy! It has caused her to reevaluate what her calling is in this stage of her life.

I love how she has grown and continues to grow in this stage of her life. Whether you are new in your career or have been in the workplace for decades, we all need to grow. We all need to change and experience new beginnings. But as she has learned, it takes the courage to end some things.

Part of her journey has come from a book she quoted in her sermon. We recommend it. It is Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud.

I am proud of my wife because she is leaving her role at our church under great circumstances. She didn’t wait until she developed a bad attitude, or when her work began to suffer. She left under great circumstances and with a staff in place that will continue to make great strides in the children’s ministry. Now we shall see what the new beginning will be in the coming weeks.

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Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Be the Change: Sermon Notes

Sermon sketch notes on "Be the Change," by Richard Triplett
Copyright ©2017. Sermon Copyright Richard Triplett

On Sunday, September 2, 2017, at Salem Church of God, Pastor Richard Triplett preached on how to Be the Change. My sketch notes from the sermon are above.

The sermon was based on the Book of Nehemiah.

The big takeaway I received from the sermon was that in spite of the massive amount of transformation our world has faced in a few short decades, most of us still fear when things begin changing. It takes a certain amount of brokenness to make change possible. The saddest situation may be when we insist on things staying the same even when we admit it is broken. 

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Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Sketch Notes: Because He Lives, All Fear is Gone

Sermon sketch notes based on "Because He Lives, All Fear is Gone."
I took these sketch notes at Salem Church of God in Clayton, Ohio

This sketch note page is from yesterday’s sermon at my church. Pastor Steve Southards from Salem Church of God continued his sermon series based on the song, “Because He Lives” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.

I loved the tin pan illustration Pastor Southards shared at the end. His grandfather loved to garden. When Steve visited, he would see aluminum foil pie pans hung over the garden. His grandfather put them there to scare away the birds, deer and other animals that wanted the tasty fruits and vegetables. Steve observed if a bird was smart, he might look for the foil pans because that would signify something good was nearby.

Too often, what scares us could actually hide the blessing we desire the most. Great sermon, as always from Pastor Southards.

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Career cartoon Christianity

Video: Finding God in the Darkness When I’m Waiting

I was humbled when my pastor asked me to give a testimony about the waiting I have experienced for the last two years. I proposed giving a cartoon testimony. It is a tribute to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, only my version is Diary of a Waiting Guy. 

I recorded myself drawing, then wrote a script for the video. You can see it in the first five minutes of the sermon video.

If you know anything about me, you know faith is a bit part of who I am. It is the reason we left everything we knew in Indiana and moved to Arizona. It is also the reason we moved to the Dayton, Ohio area. It is the reason I hold perseverance as an important value. You cannot start anything new without taking a risk and displaying perseverance.

Pastor Steve Southards did a great job explaining the why’s of a waiting period through the story of Joseph in Genesis. My wife and I are privileged to be serving at Salem Church of God. The last two years have challenged me, but I am glad I made the leap. Taking a risk is much better than doing the same thing and wondering what could have happened if we took a risk.