Ines Franklin

After spending three weeks in Sri Lanka and India with our ministry friends there, my husband and I were reminded of the importance of relationship. In this sermon, I share a little bit about the trip and about how important it is to seek wisdom from God through a close relationship with Him. I am convinced that the only way to discern God's will is to live in a close relationship with God. I was so excited to share a preview of the result of my nine year study about discerning the will of God: four practical ways to discern God's will even through life's most challenging seasons. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

For most of us, surrendering to God is a daily struggle. We respond to God's faithfulness in one of three ways: with faith that is willing; with faith that is willing but with conditions; and with faith that is unwilling. Thankfully, our lack of faith does not change God; but, it changes us. The story in Judges 4 and 5 is a great example of this, and thus it encourages us to increase our willingness to trust God. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

We love heroes! The Bible tells great stories of heroes and villains. In this sermon, we study the story of Samson. We soon learn that he was his own worse enemy. He was wonderfully human, like you and me. Nevertheless, God used Samson's strengths and weaknesses. This EPIC story reminds us that God can use us, ordinary folks, to do extraordinary things. It's never too late. God never leaves us nor forsakes us. Jesus is our ultimate hero. He has work for us to do. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

Jesus is waiting at the very place where we run to hide. He never forces himself on us, but he has a way of interrupting our thoughts and actions with truth and love. Sometimes our past mistakes lure us to disqualify ourselves from his love and calling. But, God’s ways are greater than ours are. The story of the woman at the well reminds us how much Jesus loves us and how far he will go to offer us new life. (Mission Lutheran Church, Laguna Niguel, CA)

It seems impossible to change the world, but what if you’ve been selected to change one life? God has called you. He gives you the authority and power. Now go! Change the life of a family member, a neighbor, co-worker, the dry-cleaning lady, housekeeper, or a friend. It is now your time. Jesus wants to be with you and to send you. He believes that you can be and do like him. Yes, you can change one world. It will change yours. Are you willing? (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

I grew up wanting to write my own story. My idea of success was owning a Jaguar by the time I was thirty and having my picture included the Encyclopedia Britannica. *Lame* Jesus called Levi, he called me, he calls you, to a bigger story. Follow Jesus. Don't settle for anything less! (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine CA)

In Luke 5, we read of a leper who does the unthinkable. He, an "unclean," unlovable, dishonored, rejected man, approaches Jesus. With bold humility he asks, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." We can learn so much from this story. All of us pray, but few of us are willing to pray boldly, and so often we do not pray with humility. Are we afraid that our requests might be unreasonable? Are we afraid that God is not able or willing to answer our prayer? Are we refusing to humble ourselves? But, what if – because He loves us – he is not only willing, but he is waiting for us to ask? (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine CA)

Communion helps us remember who Jesus is, and what he did and continues to do. At Mariners Church Chapel, we celebrate Communion every Sunday. The danger for us who take communion regularly is that we can easily make it routine and lose sight of its meaning and importance. If we do not take the time to remember, this tradition soon becomes an “empty” ritual or tradition. It’s pretty easy to take Communion for granted, to get used to celebrating it and not take the time to make sure you are going into the Lord’s Supper with the right frame of mind. Before we take Communion, we need to spend some time reflecting on these two questions: "Who is Jesus" and "What did Jesus come to do?" (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

Have you ever thought of confession as a celebration? Our personal "fellowship" with God depends on a clear recognition of our human nature, as well as a proper estimate of the nature of God as revealed by his Son Jesus Christ. Confession is a reality check. It connects us with our inability to save ourselves, with God's gracious willingness to save us, with the enormous price that was paid for us and with the gratitude that should fill our hearts. When we confess, we celebrate God's grace. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine CA)

In a world that over promises and under-delivers, where suffering seems to be on the rise, we all need hope. The Christian hope is rooted in the work of salvation completed by our Triune God. Do we understand it? Will it pass the test of suffering? Can we get more of it? In this sermon, Ines explores how it is, as Paul tell us, that we can increase our hope even when we experience great suffering. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

None of us are perfect parents, but we all have a perfect heavenly Father. We can learn from God how to care for children and make a positive difference in their lives. Ines preaches on material compiled by Doug Fields. From his thirty years of experience as a youth and young adult pastor, Doug compiled ten actions children need from caring adults. Here Ines covers the last four and also shares from her own experiences. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

We are designed by God to be in relationship with Him and each other. But, let's face it, relationships are messy and love is not always easy. We want to love people, but our love is limited, compromised and imperfect. Through sharing from her personal stories and the study of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Ines Franklin shares how it is possible to love like God loves. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

By the second week in December, we all feel the pressure of the Christmas holiday season. There is so much to do, so much busyness, that we can easily miss the reason for Christmas. Ines takes us through the story in Luke 2:22-40. Joseph and Mary are following the rules in taking Jesus to the Temple, but they have a surprise encounter with a couple of strangers, Simeon and Anna. What they offer Joseph and Mary is something we desperately need. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

No matter how you feel about the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we are all going to feel the pressure of what I call the runaway train of "more." We will see more, do more, eat more, buy more, give more, stress more and maybe weigh more. If we are not careful, this tsunami of more can do a lot of harm to our hearts. Ines Franklin seeks to remind us of the natural human tendency and danger of wanting more and to invite us to grab hold of the only antidote against it, GRATITUDE. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

At the root of any waiting lies a promise. Something was pledged or committed to us. There are two ways to wait, passive waiting or active waiting. For this message, we're going to look back at how God makes and keeps his promises. We're going to consider how we are to actively wait until his promises come true. When it comes to Jesus, some of us are deep in passive waiting. It is my desire that today's message will shift us to active waiting. (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)

It is not Easter and we are not talking about a funeral, but this message is about the Resurrection. Every day is a good day to talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it affects us here and now. Believing in the resurrection means that we can trust on God to bring new life to a dead marriage or a broken relationship. He wan restore a shattered heart and save us from our additions. This message is about leaning on the power of the resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. I gave it just a few days after my mother-in-law died of a sudden heart attack. Amazing! (Mariners Church Chapel, Irvine, CA)