Tag: church
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Strange People
Exodus 20:1–17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; John 2:13–24 Jesus’ “cleaning” of the Temple is often focused on how the Jews “corrupted” the House of God. There is truth in it. The scary part is that it often seems to be a, “look at them” moment, rather than what it should be, “look at us”.…
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What Holy Ground?
Finding Holy ground is not (really) optional. As a follower of Jesus, we must find time and place to be with God. If we cannot find one, we must make the effort to do so.
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Before and After
Psalm 105:1–11, 37–45; Genesis 21:1–7; Hebrews 1:8–12 “Remember the wondrous works he has done…” It would be nice to say that part of the culture and religious practices of the Jews made them different than others. Christians don’t have that luxury. We are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. The wondrous works of God did not…
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Shun To Death
Shun evil. That seems straightforward. However, we human beings often make it far too complicated. Or, even worse, we make it about others.
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Face-to-Face With Jesus
Psalm 25:1–10; Genesis 9:8–17; 1 Peter 3:18–22; Mark 1:9–15 A number of years ago, I was part of a drama that was really a hellfire and brimstone (or “turn or burn”) presentation. As my theology has deepened, and my wrestlings with the Scriptures have continued, the over-simplification of it bothers me. Much of everything around…
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Get Lifted
Psalm 25:1–10; Psalm 32; Matthew 9:2–13 Have you ever carried something really heavy for a while and then put down? Do you remember that moment when you put it down? That feeling of freedom? That is should be just a taste of the feeling that the Psalmist brings out: The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven,…
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So Over It
Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:15–25a; 2 Timothy 4:1–5 For nearly a year, we’ve had COVID. For nearly a year, there have been limitations in gathering and movement. Finally, 9 months in, there was news of a vaccine. Then there were multiple vaccines. Now we wait. Still, though, we often catch ourselves asking, “when will this be…
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Beyond Confessing
Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:1–14; 1 John 1:3–10 “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong.” —1 John 1:9 Have you said those words to yourself lately or ever? The power and grace in those simple words are awe-inspiring. Daniel…