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LIVE DEAD SCRIPTURE
Through the fall I will be preaching through a series called “LIVE DEAD.” Live Dead is a call to missions in our movement, but I also believe it is a call our church needs to hear as well. As we move through the fall, these are the texts we will reflect on and the dates I will be preaching: Sept.…
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You bunch of Sabbath breakers!
John 5 gives us the story of the lame man healed at the Pool of Bethesda. The real problem the Jewish leadership had was… horrors! … Jesus healed on the SABBATH. They were so concerned about Sabbath breaking they missed the larger point of actually helping someone. Each of us, regardless of our theological leanings, have this temptation in us. We cut…
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The poverty of soul
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Cor. 8:9) We spend a lot of time thanking the Lord for his gracious mercy. We are thankful he DID become poor for us. And we spend so…
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The shallowness of our thinking
We don’t hear modern versions of this too often: Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the…
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We need a thirst to KNOW God
There are those places, those authors, that continually take my breath away. I can’t hustle through their work. I am beginning the slow journey through the classic Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Third page in: Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding…
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The year on the bus
It was about a year ago I was challenged by the Spirit to simplify my life a little more. Because we live in a metro area that has decent transportation alternatives, I knew it wasn’t a huge sacrifice. To that point I rarely used the old car I had, trying to utilize the bus as much as possible, as well…
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Get your soul in gear
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— (Ps. 103:1-2) We can speak to our souls. The deepest seat of our deepest emotions is like the “control center” of our being. And there are times we need to speak out and get it in gear. We can choose to recite the…
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Random Weekend Thoughts
We had a fast and furious trip to Duluth to see our son in the musical “Pippin.” As I drive I have a lot of thoughts tumble through, none of which I can remember for very long. To develop them is a lot of fun… but maybe for another time… and privately. Some thoughts along the way: — We heard…
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The surrender of discipleship
I love the phrase I learned years ago: As a leader you have to give up to go up. As a leader you give up “rights” and “privileges” so you can keep growing as a leader. The whole point was to keep “rising” as a leader. Over the years I’ve realized that “rising” as a leader has a lot of…
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The root of discipleship
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2) Thoughts on discipleship come to mind every time I study John 15. “The growing disciple in whom the Father and Son live through the Spirit is…
Category: Spiritual Formation
