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    Cutting Teeth

    There’s a reason why “cutting teeth” became a popular phrase to describe a newcomer struggling to learn a task. Cutting teeth is hard—as any momma and her child can attest. Swollen gums. Sleepless nights. Endless fussing with no relief. Weeks of waiting for a single tooth to painfully push itself through.  Our first foray into leadership often feels like those early infant days of cutting teeth. We work countless hours, often on little sleep. We muddle through conflict, navigate bureaucracy, and endure opposition. We question our purpose. We struggle and strive and stress for what feels like years with seemingly little to show for it. Where’s that beautiful pearly white…

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    Thanks Be To God – For What?

    Thanks Be To God – For What? Thanksgiving is one of the most precious times of the year because we have so much to be thankful for: our nation, family, life, health, opportunity, the list never ends.   But what if you’re in a season of uncertainty, if you’re asking what God is doing in our nation or your family is struggling or your health is questionable or you’re unemployed? What if you’re living in confusion and fear and don’t know how to respond to what is happening to you? How can you be thankful?   The apostle Paul faced that exact situation. He had written a letter of rebuke…

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    Resilience – Honoring And Learning From

    Paul had it. The Russian women in a training project over a period of 10 years have it. Cross country runners who compete in hot, humid 90 degree weather have it. Against all odds and with a strong temptation to quit these ones persevere with God inspiring resilience. Paul had plenty of reasons to quit but he kept going… “in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and dishonor, bad report, good…

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    Immigrants Among Us – Praying for the Stranger

    Whatever your political opinion is of illegal aliens, immigrants or legal foreigners, the fact is there is an invitation in their presence. Let me explain what happened last Sunday. My husband was due back Sunday afternoon to DFW from Turkey via Frankfurt, Germany. While waiting for him at the International Terminal I observed the various groups of people arriving many obviously from other countries. Some had family or friends waiting for them; some connected to a person holding a sign with their name on it; some looked like they knew exactly where to go as if this is a repeated experience. Three Africans loaded with luggage approached the welcome visitors’…

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    God’s Not Dead (The Movie)

    “Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me.” – God (Isaiah 57:11). I remember the apprehension I felt when I registered for Philosophy 150, World Religions Class. I knew what I was potentially getting myself into. (Out of the frying pan and into the fire.) I expected to be tried and tested in that class, but I signed up anyway. Thus six months ago, when I saw the preview for the movie “God’s Not Dead”,[1] I was very interested in seeing…

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    Philippians and the Big Story

    For this post I’m delighted to have as my guest Dr. Lynn H. Cohick, author and Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. I require Dr. Cohick’s terrific work, Women in the World of the Earliest Christians, for students in my Role of Women in Ministry class at DTS.  Today Zondervan released her latest book, a work on Philippians in The Story of God Bible Commentary series. I'm enthusiastic about this new series because of its emphasis on narrative. Before we talk specifically about your writing on the book of Philippians, what can you tell us about this new The Story of God Bible Commentary? The commentary…