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The Feasts of Israel – Dedication (Hanukkah)
(18) These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time. (Leviticus 23:4 NET)
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The Upward Call of God
“Not that I have already obtained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). I started the year 2024 with new goals and plans. That was six months ago. The thing is, I also began the year bringing along everything from the…
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Adult Children and Blame
Author: Lucille Williams Why is it so hard to live by grace for ourselves as a parent? As I was raising my children when they had behavior that was, let’s just say, “unbecoming,” my first instinct was to blame myself. Did I not teach them right? Did I not model good behavior? Is this because of the fight I had with hubby this morning? Is this my fault? And now that my children are all grown (and they seem to be struggling in an area) it can sometimes morph into self-blame, again. Did I totally miss the mark on my parenting? How can this be happening, didn’t I teach them…
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Responding to the Lack of Statesmen
Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The men who led the independence of the United States were men of courage and valor. They knew that separation from Great Britain would be for the good of the country. Lately, I have been contemplating the type of men who founded our country and those that lead our country now. The term statesman comes to my mind. I researched statesman and found some interesting things. A definition is a good place to start. A statesman is: a respected, skilled and experienced political leader or figure. In most respects a statesman is the opposite of a politician. Politicians are thought…
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Authentic Relationships: Being Kind, Compassionate, and Sharing with One Another
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Mother Teresa
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Wimpy, Weak, and Woke (Book Review)
“We think that for a general about to fight an enemy, it is important to know an enemy’s numbers, but still more important to know the enemy’s philosophy” (G.K. Chesterton).[1] Imagine living in a world of chaos, complete irrationality, and histrionics, a world where reason, history, and reality do not exist or no longer matter. Imagine living in a world where people who claim to be “oppressed” and “powerless” can riot in the streets with impunity and use their “marginalized”[2] status to get you fired or charged with hate crimes and dragged through court for years. Wait, we do not need to imagine this. Ever wonder what the heck[3] is…
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Fear of Consequences Can Motivate Obedience
How do you respond to a command for obedience? What motivates you to obey? Your gut reaction to the word “obedience” is reflected in your attitude toward authority and in the resulting behavior. And this inner reaction certainly affects your relationship with God. Do you trust Him enough to obey His commands, even those that make you personally uncomfortable? “Obedient trust”1 is a huge part of living out our lives as Christians in today’s world. Knowing that our God is completely trustworthy and realistically fearing the consequences of going against Him can motivate you to obedience. Or you can give lip service claiming you are a Christian and then choose…
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Of Noah and Her Sisters
Noah—that’s the number-one boys’ name in the USA in the year of our Lord 2024, according to BabyCenter.com. I find this particularly interesting considering that “Noah” is also one of the names of the five daughters of Zelophehad found in the biblical book of Numbers. Does her name ring a bell? I hope so—it shows up multiple times. We first read about Noah and her sisters in the text that records two censuses of the people of Israel. God calls for these countings of the people forty years after the exodus from Egypt as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Oddly enough, the story where we find the women…
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You Can Always Say Sorry
Sunday School Chronicles Me: So when we last left off, Jonah was telling the Ninevites they had 40 days to get right or get gone. What do you think the people of Nineveh chose? Kid 1: To get right? Kid 2: To get gone! Me: First answer obvi! They chose to do the right thing. Did God force it? Kids: No! Me: No. God gives us choices but He will never force or make us do anything we don’t want to do. That’s not who He is. That’s not how He rolls. Through Jonah, He gave Nineveh choices. Luckily for Nineveh, they chose right. They didn’t just apologize, they showed…
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What Results When Women Exhort Men in the Bible?
I joined a Facebook accountability group of Christian online course creators a few years ago. Two of my fellow content creators and I live within driving distance, so we arranged to meet for dinner. As we discussed our upcoming online course launches, Julie had a question about her Bible literacy course. She asked, “What do I do if men sign up for my course?” The foundational question behind Julie’s concern is, “May women exhort men?”