Rev. Stu Smith 3-21-21 at CCU in Anaheim. The fifth through seventh chapters of the Book of Matthew make up the Sermon on the Mount. Where much of the synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—describe the life and actions of Jesus, that section of Matthew is almost exclusively made up of teachings attributed to Jesus. Whole…

Rev. Stu Smith at CCU in Anaheim, CA. 3/14/21 The title of my talk this morning is ‘Off the Hook.’ I’m sure that’s an expression we’re all familiar with. But in my preparations, I recognized that there are multiple uses of that phrase. One meaning of ‘off the hook’ is a dated reference to leaving…

Rev. Stu Smith at CCU in Anaheim on 3/7/21 I want to talk about control issues this morning, and more to the point, who is in control of our lives. I recently watched a miniseries on Netflix called Unorthodox, which is based on the autobiography of a woman named Deborah Feldman. The full title of her…

Before I get into my talk this morning, I’d like to try a little bit of visualization. If you feel comfortable, please close your eyes for a moment. I want you to think of someone who gets on your nerves. Someone other than me, Nina. Someone who gets on your nerves. Picture their face if…

Talk given by Rev. Stu Smith, 2-21-21 I want to share with you how I came up with the title for this morning’s talk, ‘Work in Progress’. I recently binged all three seasons of a tv series called ‘Designated Survivor’. A designated survivor is a member of the president’s cabinet that stays in a secure…