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The Main Event…Lessons Learned and Embraced from the Ark
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been Noah and his family on the Ark? Do you think it might have been a bit noisy? Perhaps a bit smelly, hot, dark, and uncomfortable? Living on the ark for months would have been an experience and a memory no one would forget. Yet only Noah and his family were chosen to experience God’s saving grace during the main event of judgement that God poured out upon the earth and mankind. Noah’s experience must have been an adventure of a lifetime. Last week my husband and I, along with our two grandsons, had the opportunity to visit…
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The Greatest of The Big Three is Love
During February we emphasize love. Even though Hallmark has turned love into a marketing campaign Scripture agrees that it is worth celebrating. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Since the big three* are often grouped together, we can’t speak of love without its companions—faith and hope. The Apostle Paul describes how they intersect when he greets the church at Colossae: We heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard…
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Beware Lest You Teach Another Gospel
Of course, there is only one true Gospel message but to misconstrue it in any form is to turn it into something that it is not.
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Christmas Is God Saying “I Love You”
She’s an independent small town business woman jaded by past relationships. He’s an engaged, rich guy from a big corporation trying to take over her struggling enterprise. They meet two days before Christmas. He’s impressed, her heart melts, a miracle happens, and they kiss under the mistletoe. This common trope of sentimental love promoted on every channel and streamed into homes worldwide is not at all the love of Christmas that Scripture describes: This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 Christmas is God saying, “I love you. I’ve…
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For the Love of Mothers and Others
If upon meeting you for the first time I asked, “Who are you?” How would you answer? (Para español, lea abajo.) Perhaps you’d say: I am a teacher. I am a student. I am a wife. I am a business owner. I am a missionary. I am a homemaker. With the recent celebration of Mother’s Day, you might also identify with one or more of the following: I am an expectant mother, a new mother, an adoptive mother, a single mother, a stepmother, a divorced mother, an empty-nester mother, a widowed mother, a grandmother, a mentoring and disciple making, spiritual mother, I am a caregiver of my mother. Research A…
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Meet Me at the Cross: A Poem
Looking to redeem your guilt and your shame? Hoping for a way to relieve the pain. Meet me at the cross. Seeking shelter in the storm, frail and worn. Fighting a battle you can’t seem to win. Longing for love that knows no end. Meet me at the cross. Trapped in a cycle of doubt and fear. Aching to know the comfort of peace. Meet me at the cross. He makes all things new. He is waiting for you. Meet me at the cross. Gather at the cross, it’s a compass for the lost. I’m just like you, so I’ll be there too. Meet me at the cross. Though…
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The Next Generation
No wonder it has been said, “Children are the largest most forsaken mission field on earth” Think about the implications of reaching people when they are most reachable! An adult who believes is a soul saved but a child who believes has their whole life ahead of them. If they are discipled and become disciple makers, theirs is truly a life saved!
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Insightful Things Ignorant People Said
Insight: to apprehend the true nature of a thing Ignorance: lacking in knowledge or information; unaware Holy Week is just two weeks away and our thoughts are turning toward the passion of Christ. In preparation for that season, I usually read through the gospels, seeking fresh insights and trying to step into the story. There is no missing the drama and high emotion of that week before Jesus’ death and like most believers, it never fails to touch my heart. The gospel writers’ accounts of the last days and hours of Jesus’ life recall the ominous tension that filled Jerusalem that week before Passover. At least three players…
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On the Anniversary of Dad’s Death
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, “that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3). Today is the anniversary of Dad’s death. Dad was a complicated man, to say the least. Recently I was talking to a Christian brother and, essentially, said that when we die it might be said for any of us believers: “He was a Christian… and he was a mess in many ways.” We never outgrow our desperate need for Christ. Anyone who knew my dad knew he had struggles, but they also had no doubt…
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Declaring God’s glory
Psalm 96:1–13 is part of the lectionary readings for the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, which is October 18th. This ode is a royal hymn that celebrates God’s universal reign. The song seems to have been composed for use in public worship, most likely in the Jerusalem temple. The fact that it is quoted almost entirely in 1 Chronicles 16 points to its Davidic character and origin. The Septuagint version of the hymn also links it to him. The historical context included David bringing the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem to unite the religious and political life of the nation. Specifically, Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, set…
