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The Ministry of Hymns
I grew up in a small town in East Texas attending a church of a mainline denomination. Although I was there almost every Sunday and tried my best to listen, I never heard the Gospel and never heard expository preaching. I did not learn very many Bible stories despite regular Sunday School attendance. But God was teaching me on Sundays anyway… My mother sang in the choir (and was a world class alto) and I sat alone on the end of the second row where my mother could keep an eye on me from her perch in the choir loft. That was my usual seat until I was old enough…
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When to Break a Promise
An important part of integrity is keeping one’s word. But are there times when breaking a promise is the right thing to do? I think so. And I think God is honored when we do. We need to make a distinction between giving our word on a legitimate matter—such as wedding vows, signing a legal contract, or even promising to bake six dozen cookies for the PTA bake sale—and making promises that are foolish or sinful in the first place. I know a number of women struggling to disengage from emotionally dependent relationships with other women. Emotional dependency is putting all your emotional and relational eggs in another’s basket, so to…