<font color='black' size='4' face='Times New Roman, Times, serif'><table width="600" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" width="100%"><table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman, Times, serif; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; TEXT-DECORATION: none" rowspan="1" colspan="1" width="380" align="left">February 5, 2012</td><td style="color:#FFFFFF;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;text-decoration:none;font-size:12pt;TEXT-ALIGN: right; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px" rowspan="1" colspan="1" width="180" align="right"><br>
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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 1: 29-39 - <strong>"Sandbox First, Soapbox Second"</strong> by Leonard Sweet</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 1 <font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">- </font></font>the sermon title "Everyone Is Searching For You!"<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"> <br>
</font></font></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The great architect
Frank Lloyd Wright was fond of an incident that may have seemed
insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of
his life. The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered
field with his reserved, no- nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached
the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own
tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow's flight, and then
young Frank's tracks meandering all over the field. "Notice how your
tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and
back again," his uncle said. "And see how my tracks aim directly to my
goal. There is an important lesson in that."<br>
<br>
Years later the
world-famous architect liked to tell how the experience had contributed
to his philosophy in life. "I determined right then," he'd say with a
twinkle in his eye, "not to miss the things in life, that my uncle had
missed."<br>
<br>
Frank Lloyd Wright saw in those tracks what his uncle
could not: It is easy to let the demands of life keep us from the joys
of living. <br>
<br>
We all recognize that any goal in life worth
achieving demands a great deal of our energy. If you are a doctor you
must spend vast hours alone and in residency studying the human body.
The life of your patient demands it. If you are a teacher you must live
in the library researching and preparing for your lecture. The mind of
your student demands it. If you are a carpenter you must patiently
measure the building before you drive the first nail. The integrity of
the structure depends on it. If you are a mother you must sacrifice your
life for another. Your children require it.<br>
<br>
We could not live if
we did not set goals and work to fulfill them. No sane person would
argue otherwise. But here's what young Wright discovered at the tender
age of 9, and what some don't learn until 59: The objective in life is
not the goal but the journey on the way to the goal. The whole city had
gathered around the door, pressing in to see Jesus. The demands on him
were already piling up. He cured many, cast out demons, and taught
constantly. And his disciples didn't help matters. When he left in the
morning early to pray, they went searching for him. And when they found
him they said, "What are you doing, everyone is searching for you?" <br>
<br>
How do we enjoy the journey when everyone and everything is searching for you, wanting a piece of you, and demanding your time?</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>1. Hard Work Is Required.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>2. Do Not Let Others Define Your Goal.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>3. Remember to Pray!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1791137319__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1109181819576&s=45429&e=001avM0zG1vNVR93gBIEnKOfDE6j2YI4CmHpUbI8rYXKl45sjXNsRmvZ4hW-wpKBQu5bNMs1O-CrlzmGtvebcdnrCk3cpWcUlg7FGntZCdpkg3BEaZ7snW0fjycpfYeFWsd">http://www.sermons.com/signup</a> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span></span><span>_______________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 1 <font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">- </font></font>the sermon titled "Sandbox First, Soapbox Second" by Leonard Sweet<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"> </font></font> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>This sermon has a very simple, but very difficult, message: Faith is a social practice, but one that requires solitude. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Genesis 2:18 reads: "It is not good for man to be alone."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Daniel 10:8 reads: "I was left alone, and saw the great vision."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Sometimes society,
sometimes solitude. Sometimes it is not good to be alone. Sometimes we
need to be left alone to see what God has for us to see. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The most talked
about movie at the time of this sermon's composition is "The Artist," a
2011 French comedy-drama film shown in black and white and mostly
silent. In January 2012 it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role.
The story takes place between 1927 and 1932, and revolves around the
relationship between a declining film star and a rising actress. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The most celebrated
movie star of the "Silent Era," however, was Swedish actress Greta
Garbo (1905-1990). She famously declared her own life's desire in her
epic film "Grand Hotel" (1932), when "Garbomania" reached its peak: "I
just want to alone." True to her word, Garbo "retired" at age 36 and
went on to be a renowned recluse, living paradoxically as a hermit in
the social center of New York City until her death at age 84. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>"Loners" are, in this age of social media, an increasingly rare breed. Consider how often in your day you are actually "alone." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>When are you alone? </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are at work. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are on the phone. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are on-line. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are awaiting a return text-message. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are watching TV. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Not when you are listening to the news. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>How often are you
really intentionally cut off from all outside influences and are
genuinely alone? Actual aloneness is about as available as imported
glacier water, volcanic artesian water, and Cuban cigars. It is a
commodity you can get</span><span> - </span><span>but only at a very high price.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>So why is it so many of us suffer from desperate loneliness while we live very busy lives with rafts of responsibilities?...</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span><span>The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__1791137319__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=aelnpceab&et=1109181819576&s=45429&e=001avM0zG1vNVR93gBIEnKOfDE6j2YI4CmHpUbI8rYXKl45sjXNsRmvZ4hW-wpKBQu5bNMs1O-CrlzmGtvebcdnrCk3cpWcUlg7FGntZCdpkg3BEaZ7snW0fjycpfYeFWsd">http://www.sermons.com/signup</a></span></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>____________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>All Our Strength</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The story is told
of a little boy and his father. They were walking along a road when they
came across a large stone. The boy looked at the stone and thought
about it a little. Then he asked his father, "Do you think if I use all
my strength, I can move that rock?"</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The father thought for a moment and said, "I think that if you use all your strength, you can do it."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>That was all the
little boy needed. He ran over to the rock and began to push on it. He
pushed and he pushed, so hard did he try that little beads of sweat
appeared on his forehead. But the rock didn't move - not an inch, not
half an inch. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>After a while, the
little boy sat down on the ground. His face had fallen. His whole body
seemed to be just a lump there on the earth. "You were wrong," he told
his dad. "I can't do it." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>His father walked
over to him, knelt beside him, and put his arm around the boy's
shoulder. "You can do it," he said. "You just didn't use all your
strength. You didn't ask me to help." </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The world in which
we live tells us that it is all up to us. It tells us that we have to be
strong and independent. It tells us we can't and shouldn't count on
anyone or anything else. And yet, what faith tells us and what Jews and
Christians have known forever is that we have a ready resource in God,
strength for those who ask.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Donald M. Tuttle</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>___________________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
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