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Prepare Your Hermit’s Heart
Those are the words given to me by a leader at Pacem in Terris, a prayer hermitage center where I will be taking a silent retreat next month. I was on my cell phone walking to my van at the time and I almost burst into tears hearing those refreshing words. The wonderful people who run this prayer center have…
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Holy Week — The Hour
John’s gospel doesn’t give us any doubt as to who Jesus was in his ministry. Jesus had no doubt. There is an assurance all the way through the story that he is fully aware of what the Father is doing. From the first sign it was clear Jesus had a grasp of what was going on. His mother asked him…
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Living in Risk
I was reading through Matthew 25 and came to the parable of the talents. In the margin of my Bible I had this note written: “You can bury your talent or you can go for broke. Take the risk. Not living in risk is being unfaithful.”
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Coming to Our End
At the Last Supper there is the accusation from Jesus that one would betray him. All the disciples are asking, “Lord, is it me?” I’ve found that odd at times. Don’t they know if they’ve done this or not? Judas had to have been a bit comforted that so many other guys were confessing to things they didn’t do! He…
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Holy Week — Passion for Christ
This is a week given to meditating on the passion OF Christ. Yet, Philippians 3:1-14 is a reading for today. Here it is passion FOR Christ. Everything must pale in comparison to my thirst for knowing him. Any accomplishments, any desired accomplishments, any distractions… those need to drop off. I must know HIM. It is surpassing worth. Nothing even comes…
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Holy Week — The Power of the Gospel Story
“So Jesus deposits on public record, available to all, the most beautiful teachings about God and his world that have ever been given. At the same time he embodies and modes this teaching in his own life. With his public death and resurrection, Jesus’ name an face are inscribed on the drama of world history, and ever afterward he becomes…
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Renewing the Mind — The Case for Humming
We need more humming. I’ve advocated this for years. The main reason I have done so is make sure I’m not the only one. Another reason, though, is humming adds a song to my heart. Or, it brings the song in my heart out. Over the years I have inadvertently learned hymns and worship songs, or at least the tunes,…
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Renewing the Mind — What are you reading?
To set our minds on the things of the Spirit we need to be taking in what is good. If we allow our minds to be open sewer grates and give no regard for what goes in, we will have no control on how we think, or what we think about. One of the great ways to bring the mind…
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Reading the Word Well
As we need to be People of the Book, we need good tools to read the Bible well. This video features Gordon Fee and his books are incredibly helpful for anyone really wanting to dig into the Scriptures!
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Renewing the Mind Through the Word
In Romans 8 Paul talks about the mind set on the things of the Spirit. One of the best ways to set our minds on the things of the Spirit is to soak in the Word of God. It is not about reading a passage and checking it off your list. It is carrying that passage in your heart. It…