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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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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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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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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…
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Kingdom DNA
I am using the Ephesians 5 text today rather than the gospel text for my Sunday message. All week long the Spirit has been stirring my heart. I am to BE light. Paul doesn’t say, “You were IN darkness, now you are IN light.” He says, “You WERE darkness, now you ARE light.” The Kingdom has DNA. Darkness has DNA.…
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Purposes of Lent
In The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister, there are some helpful insights into the purposes of Lent. This year I want to be more purposeful in my walk through Lent and invite my church to do the same. There is something the Spirit is speaking to us as a body, and I desire for us to hear that word to…
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The Power of the Cross
I would agree with much of what Roger Olson says about evangelical churches and a serious lack of preaching on the cross. We have stripped the symbols of the cross out of our sanctuaries (or coffee shops or worship centers or whatever we’re calling them these days). The ironic piece is that I am actually preaching a series on 1…
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120 Days
Lent begins 4 weeks from today. As we walk through this time as a church, I want to unpack more of the meaning as we prepare our hearts for Resurrection Sunday. Lent is a 40 day walk. Pentecost Sunday will come 50 days after Resurrection Sunday. Fudging numbers, that’s about 120 days. There is a stirring in my heart for…
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Taught by the Spirit — Cultivating an Ear for the Spirit
I am preaching through 1 Corinthians currently. Paul talks about being taught by the Spirit in Chapter 2. As I meditated on these verses I began to ask, “How have I learned from the Spirit? What has taught me to hear?” 1. The Word I always beat this drum. We hear best from the Word. My desire is to be…
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Refreshed by His Presence
Being refreshed by the Spirit comes several ways for me. I am refreshed by the Word. I LOVE reading, studying, and praying through the Word of God. It lifts my prayer life and calls me higher. I am also refreshed by incredible friends. Our time at the Ministers Retreat was refreshing because of great conversations with long-time friends. I am…
Category: Spiritual hunger
