Bret Hammond is the Spiritual Formation Pastor at South Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois. This podcast is a collection of his sermons.
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John and I meet for coffee every couple of weeks. We don't really plan it; it just happens. John's in his 80s, retired, and has amazing stories. He also puts up with a lot of my questions (I'm still not sure why). John is one of the kindest men I know. There's something about him that draws people in. While we sit and talk, other patrons and bookstore employees stop by our table to visit with him.…
The announcement came over the PA system at school: "We're conducting eye exams in the office today." I didn't think much about it until I realized something. The other kids could read the chalkboard from their seats. I couldn't. I failed the eye exam, a note was sent home to my parents, and before long, I had my first pair of glasses. I still remember riding home with my dad, looking out the car…
Some mornings, coffee isn’t enough. A few years ago, after a late night and an early morning, I sat down at breakfast with friends and announced, “Listen . . . I’m barely functioning. If you have anything important to say, you’re probably going to need to repeat it three times.” Honestly, exhaustion was only part of the problem. The truth is, human beings are forgetful. We miss things. We drift.…
The key was missing, and the door wouldn’t open. There weren’t many options for getting in. I suppose I could have tried to break down the door, but that would have been expensive (and probably painful). In the end, I chose to go outside and break a window instead. That turned into a $20 repair at the local hardware store, plus another $10 for a second key, this one hopefully hidden a little…
Some weeks, the loudest voice in your life isn’t God’s—it’s the one telling you what you’re not. It whispers before you’re fully awake. It follows you into the car, into the office, into the quiet moments. And most days, it doesn’t need anyone else’s help; we’re perfectly capable of discouraging ourselves. Relationship researchers John and Julie Gottman found that negative words hit us harder than…
In John 14:15–27, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as our Advocate, Comforter, and Friend—the one who steadies our hearts and keeps us focused on him. Using imagery from The Wizard of Oz, Bret compares the Spirit’s quiet guidance to Toto’s loyal presence beside Dorothy: alert, faithful, and always sensing what’s true. When fear and distraction rise, the Spirit redirects us toward Jesus and fills our…
Are you having a good morning? Let’s see if we can fix that. Did you know crocodiles can gallop like horses? They’re crazy fast! Did you know there are approximately 40 supervolwcanoes worldwide, and they are way overdue to erupt? They could go off any minute now. Did you know your cellphone has ten times more bacteria on it than the average public toilet? In a world where worries are everywhere,…
"Who was that masked man?" I must have heard that line a hundred times growing up, watching reruns of The Lone Ranger. At the end of every episode, the townspeople would stand around in awe as the stranger rode off into the sunset, wondering about the identity of their mysterious rescuer. But it doesn't take a mask to wonder about someone's identity—or your own. Far too often, we hide behind…
Hosea laments Israel's lusts for idols, but never loses sight of God's unfailing love and compassion. In Hosea 11, we hear God's constant call for his people to return to him. This sermon follows the Four Pages of the Sermon method developed by Paul Scott Wilson, a framework designed to move from trouble to grace both in the text and in our lives. It invites listeners to reflect deeply on the…
Jerry Seinfeld once noted that most people's number one fear is public speaking, and number two is death. This means that the average funeral attendee would feel more comfortable being the person in the casket than the person delivering the eulogy. Moses would have preferred the casket. In Exodus 4:10, he cries to God, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor…
