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White Knuckle Christianity
Growing up in a conservative church was more about what you didn’t do rather than what you DID do. That’s just life. We all have things growing up we need to learn how to adjust. Those things may not need to be tossed overboard. They may just need to be readjusted. But when you grow up worrying about the things…
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So You Think YOU Have Problems?
Over the past several months I have taken part in two blog tours for the Common English Bible. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience because it allowed me to really dig into a new translation. I am a translation junkie, so this was a great exercise for me. I have found the CEB to be really refreshing to read…
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Rules for Writing in a Socially Unaware World
You’ve run into them. I’ve run into them. After several years of actually having cell phones, one would think some sort of etiquette would develop, but it doesn’t. I can be preaching and someone’s cell phone will go off. Instead of scrambling to get the thing silenced, everyone keeps acting like it’s not theirs. Then, inevitably, someone realizes: “OH! That’s…
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Truly Loving
1 Corinthians 13 was the most over-read Scripture at weddings for years and years. What a shock to find out it had nothing to do with weddings. It does deal with the spiritual arrogance of a group of people who were using manifestation gifts to beat up on other believers. In the middle of a discussion on manifestation gifts Paul gives…
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Use It or Lose It
I do the vast majority of my work on computer now, but I am a fan of pens. Good pens. I love fountain pens. If I take the time to journal, I try to have a fountain pen nearby. The ink on my hands is just fun for me. My “better” fountain pen has a cartridge where I draw ink…
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Freedom in Christ and Freedom from Arrogance
As I read through 1-2 Corinthians and Galatians, I am constantly struck by our impulses. As humans, we seem to strive for being “one up” on someone else… anyone else. Even in the Church, Paul battled these kinds of attitudes. With the Corinthians, it was being “one up” with spiritual gifts… or being “one up” by being able to sin…
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Our Own Foolish Desires
Reading through Galatians this morning, there is no doubt Paul is dealing with something in this group that causes him to be incredibly harsh quickly. What he sees is a moving away from the gospel and he is impelled to warn them. We have these tendencies. For the Galatians, it was a move back into the works of the Law.…
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A Picture of How We Grow Together
What happens when we get together as a church and read the New Testament together? This “tree” is a great illustration. Missy Hansen in our church made this board. As someone in our church finishes a book of the New Testament, they can put a “leaf” on the “tree.” This was our tree after two weeks of reading. The Lord…
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We May Just Be On to Something…
Our first Sunday in our journey of “Eat This Book” where we weren’t out at the lake for a baptism, and it appears we may be onto something. The “sermon” time was our church this morning was by… everyone. Our goal each week is to read through assigned New Testament books. This week was Acts and 1-2 Thessalonians. To start the…
Category: Eat This Book
