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Praying the Lord’s Prayer… in reverse
NT Wright’s book Simply Good News challenges the reader to look at how we pray. We often pray the Lord’s Prayer in reverse. I will be looking at Wright’s analysis on “praying as good news people” in my message on Sunday. His contention is the Lord’s Prayer helps us with priorities in prayer. They are sections that can be slapped together…
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Some respect. Who knew?
Nicholas Kristof is a columnist for The New York Times. I have admired his work when he goes to Africa and writes of the horror he witnesses constantly in that area of the world. He focused on the Sudan years ago and brought a lot of awareness to the genocide in that country. In this column he openly admits he has…
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Real life is in the vine
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)
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Imagine: A New Day
In his book, Simply Good News, NT Wright defines Christian spirituality: Christian spirituality — an awareness of the loving and guiding presence of God, sorrow for sin and gratitude for forgiveness, the possibility and challenge of prayer, a love for God and for our neighbors, the desire for holiness and the hard moral work it requires, the gradual or sudden emergence of…
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Running the way of our King
Two texts from our reading today remind me of the endurance needed in Christian life. Mark 8:31-9:1 reminds me what kind of race I need to run. I am to run HIS race. It may the race of suffering and hardship, but that is the way of the King. We always have a “better” way for Jesus to direct us. Peter did.…
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Building endurance
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do…
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Drifting into godliness
On Wednesday nights our adult Bible study group is going through a video series on Philippians led by Matt Chandler. It is simply good stuff. Reflecting on Philippians 3:12-15, Chandler said this at one point: No one has ever drifted into godliness. We need a hunger. We need a striving. We need to keep asking, “HOW do I know God…
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Book Review: Christ-Shaped Character: Choosing Love, Faith and Hope
In Christ-Shaped Character: Choosing Love, Faith and Hope, Helen Cepero begins with her story. And story is what this book is about. It is seeing the activity of God in our own story. It is about experiencing the presence of Christ in very real, tangible ways. We can take our life’s journey and follow Christ. As Cepero states, “The journey…
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Living in the supernatural
I am working my way through Romans 8 and a comment from Craig Keener caught me. I long to continue living in the presence of Christ. I don’t want to live with skepticism. I may battle doubt from time to time, but I want to be found in faith at the end of the day! Western Christendom today has imbibed…
Category: Spiritual Formation
