The Good Life or Just Running in Place?

Excerpts from sermons to be delivered around Orange County on Sunday:

RUNNING FASTER: “As the good life is dangled before us, we try harder and harder to attain the elusive dream and wonder: Does the church have anything to say to us as we run faster and faster just to stay in place?”

--The Rev. Stephen J. Mather, speaking at 10:30 a.m. services at First Presbyterian Church of Anaheim, 310 W. Broadway, Anaheim. (714) 535-2176.

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COPING WITH CONFLICT: “Because we are human, conflict is inevitable in our dealings with one another. Whether a conflict is destructive or constructive depends on the attitudes of those involved. If the conflict causes them to forget their common cause and focus on the negative, it will be destructive. If it moves them to clarify their vision, it will be constructive.”

--Senior Pastor Chris Bennett, speaking at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services at First Baptist Church of Laguna Hills, 24521 Moulton Parkway. (949) 837-2435.

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UNIVERSAL RULE: “For a healing or anything worthwhile to take place, there is a cost great enough to be felt even by Jesus. . . . That’s a universal rule of life. No one, including Jesus, ever produces anything worthwhile unless they’ve put something into it.”

--Pastor Victor Bogdanoff, speaking at 10 a.m. services at First Congregational Church of Santa Ana, 2555 Santiago St., Santa Ana. (714) 639-0311.

The Message highlights excerpts from sermons to be delivered in Orange County in the coming week. Submissions should be delivered by noon each Thursday to Orange County religion editor Jack Robinson.