Barry Haynes

The Hardest Words to Say

  [179 words] I must have been sick on the day they taught phonics in school. If I don’t recognize a word by sight, I can find some amazing ways to mispronounce it. I cringe when I have to use certain words because no matter how much I practice, I’m not sure how it will…

The Church of Me

[278 words] Sometimes people will ask me about my church. They assume since I am a minister that somehow I have some ownership or say over it. We do that too. We remark ‘at my church’ or ‘come to my church.’ It might just be a slip of the tongue but we need to work…

It’s Best Said In What You Do

[190 words] There are times when we find those around us suffering. When a friend gets the call no one ever wants to get, the diagnosis comes back worse than expected, when tragedy strikes those around us. It can be a very helpless feeling to try and provide comfort to those is the midst of…

What Gossip Says About You

[160 words] Many people think gossip is a harmless diversion. However, a study on gossip found out that it indeed hurts someone, one you might not expect. Researchers set up a test where subject watched a video were actor talked about a third party. In the videos, the actor would either say something very negative…

I Know What Love Is…

[371 words] You may have seen the recent commercial by the Ad Council that tells us love has no limits. It shows people behind an x-ray screen embracing only showing their skeletal outlines. The people emerge from the behind to reveal they are a same sex couple, to a cheering crowd. The scene is redone…

It Is a Lot of Garbage

[280 words] What the biggest man-made structure? You might be thinking the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or One World Trade Center. However, those are all wrong….maybe. What do we mean by biggest? Tallest? Widest? Takes up the most area? Even the term ‘man-made structure’ is problematic. What if we really weren’t planning on…

Oh, It’s Nothing

[302 words] It’s greater than God yet also more evil than the devil. The poor have it, and the rich don’t want it. If you wear it you show everything, if you speak it you remain quiet and if you buy it you save money. The blind see it, the deaf hear it but if…

Those That Are Sick Of Our Church

You hear people make the statements; “I want Jesus but not the church,” “Jesus is my personal savior but I’m not into organized religion,” and “I find my spirituality in nature, not in a pew with other people.” It’s an emphasis that while Jesus is desirable, his church is not. Can you have one without…

Putting The Fun Back In Funeral

[221 words] Would you rather go to a party or to a funeral? Pretty easy choice you might think. Now before you answer let us consider the scriptures. Ecclesiastes 7:2-5 says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of…

Why The Ship Is Sinking

[257 words] In 1628 the Swedish warship Vasa was set to take its maiden voyage. The ship was built upon completion was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However the maiden voyage didn’t go that well. Less than a mile offshore the ship encountered what was described as a slight breeze…

What Are You Singing?

[269 words] Over the years I’ve had song leaders that will ask me the topic of my sermon so that they can pick an invitation song that will fit. The invitation song that flows along with the message can be that tipping point that might make someone respond. However, I noticed that many already have…

She’s Got It?

[287 words] One of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite stories was about a horse that was about sold near where he once lived. He told it as follows: The horse was supposed to be fast, and quite a number of people were present at the time appointed for the sale. A small boy was employed to ride…
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