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Long Distance Connecting
Technology and the millennial generation are joined at the hip! Capturing these innovations to aid personal and spiritual growth is a key aim of the women’s section of bible.org. If you haven’t perused the postings under curriculum check it out. Not only are resources available for group members, but many supplemental resources for the leaders and teachers as well. This fall several of our women created a blog in order to study together from a distance. Most of the women have small children and this enables them to study at times they can manage. They chose the curriculum “Footsteps of Faith, Following the Call” from this portion of this website. …
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Cleaning up, again!
It’s that time again. Monday, trash day. This week it fell my job to roll our large trash bin to the curb anticipating an early morning visit from the rumbling truck with it’s robotic arms ready to clasp my trash to it’s bosom. I had just been reading about spiritual disciplines and the ancient practice called “Examen of Conscience.” As I journeyed out the driveway rolling my trash bin I was struck with some amazing parallels. Every week, without fail, we clear out the wastebaskets, kitchen garbage, and other unnecessary things around the house dumping them with abandon, ready for our faithful garbage collectors. But I wonder, am I as…
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An impossible dream?
Living God’s way in our chaotic world sometimes seems like an impossible dream. Yet Micah the prophet summarized God’s intents this way: “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.” Micah 6:8 NET. Or, from the NIV, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Our country is embroiled today in divisive debates about what it “looks like” to act justly, love…
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A forgetful people
God knows we are a forgetful people. Jesus commanded us to “remember His death” every time we share the bread and wine. Throughout the Old Testament God instructed His people to build memorials to remind the nation of His faithfulness and to inform new generations about sacrifices and victories of the past. Memorials are appropriate.
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Power Outage?
We take for granted the many invisible sources of power surrounding us daily. Wi-Fi signals power our smart phones and tablets. Electricity empowers everything from lights to garage doors. Soon the summer sun will remind us of the enormous energy in solar power.
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Death and Taxes
Two things said to be certain: death and taxes. As April 15th approaches (here in the U.S.) most of us confront the latter reality with a groan. If we are employed, each paycheck reminds us of the certainty of taxes. However, we often successfully ignore the first, more final reality, death. We avoid it, speak with about it with euphemisms or clichés, or worse yet ignore it all together.
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Betrayed!
Most of us have experienced the wrenching pain of betrayal. Psalm 41:9 echoes this from the life of David, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.” How do we deal with this kind of disappointment, this painful experience, this broken trust in a way that doesn’t damage God’s kingdom nor our relationship with Him.
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Why did you do that?
Assuming motives is a common injustice most of us commit without realizing it. Something happens, someone offends us, decisions are made without us and we find ourselves looking for a narrative that explains this painful experience and answers the question “why” did this happen.
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Need Extra Energy?
“Beauty creates energy.” A quote received recently from a good friend. Perhaps that explains how energized we often feel during the Christmas season. We enjoy the red and green, lights, sights, smells and sounds of one of our favorite holidays even as we scurry about with our lists and wrapping.
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Torn in two
Torn in two. That’s the feeling of several friends currently in what has been called the “sandwich” generation. While continuing to parent their own children, at the same time they are more and more needed to care for aging parents. With a great desire to honor their parents they feel torn between competing priorities. Most often this is complicated by distance and travel.