<font color='black' size='4' face='Times New Roman, Times, serif'><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1" width="100%"><table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; MARGIN: 5.5px 0px" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><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" align="left" width="380">July 15, 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" align="right" width="180"><br>
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</tr><tr><td style="background-color:#E6E6E6;" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="center" bgcolor="#E6E6E6" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="1" colspan="1"><hr size="1">Mark 6:14-29<span> - <strong>"</strong></span><strong>How Life's Pressures Affect Good Judgment"</strong></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; DISPLAY: table" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman, Times; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt" rowspan="1" colspan="1" align="left"><span>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Mark 6:14-29 <span>- <strong>"When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter"</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 6,<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"> </font></font>the sermon title "</span>How Life's Pressures Affect Good Judgment<span>" </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>In the opera Faust,
there is a fight to the finish between Satan and the young man
Valentine. During the course of the fight, Satan breaks Valentine's
sword and he stands poised to slay him. But the young boy takes the two
pieces of his sword and fashions them into a cross. Confronted with this
symbol of faith, Satan becomes immobilized and Valentine is saved.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>It is an
interesting concept: A dramatic demonstration of faith. Unfortunately
such resolution of faith does not always save you. In fact, it might be
your deathbed. It was John's. Take a look at the story with me. John has
been arrested by King Herod. And why? Because John kept reminding Herod
that even the king is not above the law. He said, "It is not lawful for
you to have your brother's wife."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>So this was the
king's egregious sin. He had stolen his brother's wife, Herodias. Now,
it would be understandable if this were where the story ended. The king
didn't like a desert preacher calling him a sinner so he had him
beheaded. Simple enough. But life is not always simple...</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__1673153888__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001HaRPtrPfdZ9lFW4dcu0_f1XOSHkcZV-LvX6qJ1djEo8W3Ihrx8CQch3IrzrS3lv_UqlP-q9iLFsjmcQ2pAgRfW70wh-yoAU0yZuGQ1i_Y7cqQDnPxd5tE2NEIMCM-sLL">http://www.sermons.com/signup</a> </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> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Mark 6 the sermon titled "When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter" 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>This summer saw the
"resurrection" of an old tale of family rivalry and betrayal. The show
that started an industry of prime time "soap operas" is back on the air.
Do you know show I'm talking about? . . . . Dallas. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The ever-evil
"J.R." Ewing and all his battling, back-biting, embittered family have
returned, with new generations, all of whom are admirably carrying on
the family tradition of unabated greed and hatred. Added to yet another
season of "Kardashians" and the History channel's presentation of "The
Hatfields and the McCoys," "family life" is looking pretty grim. That is
not even to mention the recent scientific study that put a question
mark over the value of nightly meals together as a family. It found that
eating together on a regular basis could be bad, not good for
teenagers, if the family is dysfunctional. The family routine of eating
together is very good for you if the family dynamics are good, very bad
for you if the family dynamics are dysfunctional. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>But all air-wave
examples of families operating at "dysfunction junction" cannot hold a
candle to the massive relational meltdown that was taken as "normal"
within the first century ruling family of the Herodians...</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__1673153888__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001HaRPtrPfdZ9lFW4dcu0_f1XOSHkcZV-LvX6qJ1djEo8W3Ihrx8CQch3IrzrS3lv_UqlP-q9iLFsjmcQ2pAgRfW70wh-yoAU0yZuGQ1i_Y7cqQDnPxd5tE2NEIMCM-sLL">http://www.sermons.com/signup</a> </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> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Who's the Boss?</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The boss was
complaining in our staff meeting the other day that he wasn't getting
any respect. Later that morning he went to a local sign shop and bought a
small sign that read: </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>"I'm the Boss!" He
then taped it to his office door. Later that day when he returned from
lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said:
"Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>John loses his head
but gains the kingdom. Herod saved his face but lost his soul. Here
there is another triumph in the midst of suffering. John's martyrdom is
not a defeat. Twelve more preachers are sent in his place. Ironically
even Herod suspected that John would ultimately triumph when he said,
"John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Soren Kierkegaard
said, "The tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule
begins." God raises the dead and raises new witnesses to take their
place. </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Jim Hammond, Christ Rules, Herod Drools!</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span>___________________________<font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><br>
</font></font></span></div>
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