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What is better than Shirley Temple goodness?
Do you know who Shirley Temple was? For any of you over fifty, you probably associate that name with a child star of the 1930s movie screens. This cute little blonde girl could sing and dance as well as act. She charmed American movie goers during the very dark years of the Great Depression. Shirley Temple played characters ranging from pampered princess to mistreated orphan. Her onscreen image was that of an everyday kind of girl who brings joy to the lives of others. Every movie in some way communicated her character as a symbol of “goodness.” That had an influence on my early life in the 1950s. Did it…
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When is Good Enough… Good Enough?
Imagine that the Christian life is like learning to walk on a balance beam. The Gospel helps us to mount and stand on His promises. Staying in balance is only possible because of Jesus. Colossians 1:27 Fall to the right and be immersed in a sinful endeavor to be good, to keep all the law of Moses. Striving for perfection and trusting in the ability to get it right. It is legalism, faking it until you feel you are making it. Working harder, self-righteousness, arrogance, pride, and delusions of glory. Here, ideas of being good guide us and our self-righteousness rules us. Fall to the left, and struggle with blatant…