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  • Greater or Lesser Than Evils

    Greater or Lesser Than Evils

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    by

    Ian
    in

    Read: Psalm 119:41–48, Deuteronomy 10:10–22, James 2:14–26 ‌🔎 Focus ‌No one ever accomplishes good by means of evil, because they are themselves conquered by the evil. On the contrary, evil is corrected by good. St. Barsanuphius the Great You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. James 2:19 (NRSVue)…

  • Beautiful Words and Songs

    Beautiful Words and Songs

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    by

    Ian
    in

    We aren’t called to only enjoy well played and sung songs.

  • Wise in Whose Eyes

    Wise in Whose Eyes

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    by

    Ian
    in

    We are often presented with the wisdom of Solomon. Yet, Solomon retained his freedom to make choices contrary to God revealed instructions.

  • Enduring Soil

    Enduring Soil

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    by

    Ian
    in

    I’ve read the Parable of the Sower many times. I’ve preached on it. Heard plenty of sermons on it. Verse 15 hit me today. What struck me this time, in particular, was “endurance”. When you go back and re-read the parable, endurance makes sense. It may indeed be the point of the entire parable. Developing…

  • Laying The Bread Down

    Laying The Bread Down

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    by

    Ian
    in

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Ephesians 3:14–21; John 6:1–21 It is tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can look at society and even many churches (in particular, their leaders), and just give up. There is such a struggle against the darkness and against sin, that it can be overwhelming. At the…

  • And Now We Worship

    And Now We Worship

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    by

    Ian
    in

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:11–15; Luke 7:31–35 As mentioned previously, Amos’ prophetic mission was to the Israelites, the nation of the 10 tribes that separated from Judah and Benjamin. As part of the “rebellion” the leader of the Israelites, Jeroboam, made 2 golden calves for local worship to protect his “kingship” from reverting to Judah and…

  • Fairly Cruci-Formed

    Fairly Cruci-Formed

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    by

    Ian
    in

    Psalm 30; Lamentations 3:22–33; Mark 5:21–43; 2 Corinthians 8:7–15 Grace. Unmerited favor. Overwhelming love. Not words that would usually be associated with Lamentations. With the content of Lamentations being a result of the fall of Israel (and in particular, Jerusalem), it is peculiar to think of grace. Lamentations is poetry, lament, and theology all wrapped…

  • So Say The Skies

    So Say The Skies

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    by

    Ian
    in

    Psalm 107:1–3, 23–32; Job 37:1–13; Luke 21:25–28 One of the most useful tools invented, and also one of the most irritating is the clock. Humanity has long felt the need to measure time. Multiple cultures used some iteration of a sundial to divide the day. The Egyptians invented a “clock” that used water drops to…