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Did a Shooting Happen… or not?
Yesterday the news was all over the internet in what I consider “main sources.” It was the first thing you saw when the news page would come up. When newspapers were actually printed, it would be called “above the fold.” It was front and center. I thought there was yet another shooting at yet another college campus. Seven dead. And…
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Liking the Common English Bible Bit by Bit
Teaching a New Testament class on some of the “general epistles” I keep several translations with me. I will use my Nook and the Olive Tree Bible Reader to compare, take notes, etc. While the Common English Bible certainly has a lower reading level than more “literal” translations, what continues to impress me about the CEB is it is truly a…
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Be the Hunter
If there is anything worth hunting… it is wisdom. We live life in “pursuit” of so many things, but the greatest pursuit in the ancient texts is the pursuit of wisdom. And the call is to be as tenacious with that pursuit as you would with any other pursuit. Actually, even a little more tenacious. 22 Pursue her like a hunter, and…
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What Holds You Back?
Two books I’ve read lately are stirring me from my complacency. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible The question is this: “What holds me back?” In Mark 10 the wealthy man comes to Jesus to ask what he needs to do to inherit…
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Keep It Simple
Humans are intelligent beings. We do stupid things, but that doesn’t mean we are completely mindless. Too often we focus on the dumb things people do. Overall, the human race is intelligent. While we sometimes focus on the dumb things people do, maybe we need a reminder from time to time that we try to seem “too smart.” It’s one…
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Oh, Just Let Me DIE!
That sums up Elijah’s response when Jezebel threatened his life. He had defeated the prophets of Baal, called down fire from heaven, then prayed for rain. Now, he’s in the wilderness worn out and wishing he could die. The word of the Lord came to him several times in the form of a question: The LORD’s word came to him…
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Hobbling Along
I have been part of the CEB Blog Tour for Advent and now for Lent. It’s been fun to explore this translation. There are times when how this translation turns a phrase is really great to read. 21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hobble back and forth between two opinions? If the LORD is…
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No Guts, No Glory… and It’s in the Bible!
My familiarity with the 66 books of the Protestant Canon are what keep me a bit “leery” of the Common English Bible. (Leery isn’t a good word, but there is something that keeps me from diving full into the CEB.) The familiar phrases and cadences of the Bible are with me. I have grown up with the Word. I think…
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The Beautiful Obligation
16 If I preach the gospel, I have no reason to brag, since I’m obligated to do it. I’m in trouble if I don’t preach the gospel.(1 Cor. 9:16, CEB) 16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Cor. 9:16, NIV)…
Category: Bible Study
