EVENSONG SERMON SERIES

From Bondage to Freedom:

Breaking the Deadly Cycles in Our Lives

     Rev. Chris Sorensen and Rev. Mark Scarlata presented a series on addiction at the Evensong worship services in the fall of 2006.  Please click on the links below

to listen to these special teachings.  If you would like to share these messages with others, please visit our 2006 Sermons page, where you can download sermons

onto your computer for burning to a CD.

     If you are struggling with addiction or any other issue and would like someone to talk to or to pray for you, please contact one of our pastors.

October 1     Are You An Addict?

When we talk about addiction, we usually think of drugs and alcohol, but in today’s fast-paced culture, addictions like the Internet, shopping, eating, exercise, video games, working and sex are becoming more prevalent.  Often we rationalize and mislabel our addictions, calling them “bad habits,” or “crutches.”  But addiction is deadly.  Reverend Chris Sorensen knows about addiction first hand.  As a teenager and young adult, Chris became addicted to drugs and alcohol.  For the past 12 years he has lived a life of sobriety.  If you struggle with addiction, or someone close to you is an addict, come out to hear a message of how to gain freedom from addiction.

Listen online>>

October 8     Are You Stressed Out?

Do you ever get knots in your stomach from worrying too much? 

Do you ever get giant headaches in the middle of meetings? 

Are there times when you find yourself to have a very low frustration tolerance?  Are there times when you become dizzy from all of the different “stuff” you find yourself worrying about?  Do your friends or colleagues ever call you a “worry wart?”  Anxiety can be deadly. 

Come out to hear how to gain freedom from the cycle of anxiety.

Listen online>>

October 15     Are You A Perfectionist?

We live in an unforgiving world.  Many people walk through life

carrying the burden of shame because they’ve never known forgiveness.  Is the pain of your past affecting your relationships today?  Do you set really high standards for yourself that you usually cannot meet?  Do people in your life ever accuse you of being controlling or unforgiving?  Are you a workaholic?  Are you a perfectionist?  If you answered yes to any of these questions,

you may be dealing with shame.  Come out to hear how to gain freedom from the cycle of shame.

              Listen online>>

October 22     Are You Angry?

We have become a culture that thinks things like “road rage” are a normal occurrence in our society.  Maybe you’ve felt that kind of anger in the car or elsewhere in your life and have wondered how to get rid of it.  If you’re looking for something more than just ways to cope with your frustrations, come out to hear how we can live in the freedom of God’s love that saves us from the downward spiral of anger.

             Listen online>>

October 29     Are You Depressed?

When medical doctors are diagnosing depression, the symptoms they look for include:

• feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension
• decreased interest or pleasure in usual activities or hobbies
• loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity
• a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain
• a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, waking up early in the morning, or sleeping too much
• restlessness or feeling slowed down
• decreased ability to concentrate or make decisions
• feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
• thoughts of suicide or death

We have all heard this phrase countless times on television:  “Depression is a serious medical condition.  If you believe you are struggling with depression, consult your doctor.”   Although depression is a medical condition often treated through medicine and therapy, it is also a spiritual condition.  Come out to hear how to gain freedom from the cycle of depression.

                Listen online>>

November 12     Are You Too Busy?

Has your Blackberry or cell phone taken control of your life?  Do you find that your Day-timer or PDA is so full of appointments that you don’t have time to breathe?  Living in Fairfield County provides us with an exciting and at times exhausting pace of life which can often take control of our lives.  If your life seems out of control and busy, come hear how to gain back the peace you need.

Listen online>>

November 19     Do You Always Seem to Want More?

Do you look at your neighbor’s house… car… kids… marriage…

and think, “I deserve that…”?  Do you have more stuff in your house than you have room for?  Has life become an endless pursuit of buying nicer and nicer things?  Are you trying to “keep up with the Jones?”  Jealousy, greed, and materialism will lead only to a life of emptiness.  Come out to hear how to gain freedom from the cycle of coveting.

November 26     Are Your Relationships Toxic?

Have you ever been involved in a destructive relationship and didn’t know how to get out?  Have you ever felt like you’ve poured your life into someone only to feel betrayed?  Do relationships drain more energy from your life than you want?  Come out to hear how we can live in community and relationship with others in a healthy way that brings life rather than stealing it from us. 

                              Listen online>>