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Throwing cold water on the ice bucket challenge
President Obama refused the ice bucket challenge. Others refuse for all kinds of reasons. There are moral ones due to the types of stem cell research done particular ALS groups. Then there are just ones where they don’t like to be “shamed.” Personally, I think the president refused the challenge because it would mess up his golf swing… 😉 I took…
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8.24.14 Abide podcast
“Abide” — Heights Church Sunday morning message Subscribe in a reader or on iTunes
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ALS ice bucket challenge
I took the ALS ice bucket challenge today. What I had planned as 5 pounds of ice in a good sized bucket morphed into about 15 pounds of ice water in a huge tub. I am looking for names on that one… ALS has the nickname “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” after the great baseball player cut down by the disease in…
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Gospel definitions
I am in the first pages of Michael Bird’s Evangelical Theology. He opens early on with definitions of gospel because all theology must be rooted in gospel. He uses N.T. Wright: The gospel is the royal announcement that the crucified and risen Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures, has been enthroned as the…
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The IMMENSE power of the Scripture
The Revelation, extending St. John’s experience (“I fell at his feet”) puts a stop to all bookish approaches to the scriptures that merely study them out of pious duty or for intellectual curiosity. The scriptures are not a textbook on God; they are access to the living word of God that speaks a new world into being in us. —…
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Chosen
16 You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. (John 15:16) Father, you have empowered me. You have chosen me. I am empowered to bear lasting fruit. What…
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The “I am” statements of John
The Gospel of John has some great “I AM” statements of Jesus. (“I am the light of the world.” “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.”) Last night the Lord had me revisit each chapter and make prayerful notes of where I am in that story. They weren’t all positive declarations. There were those moments where I knew I was…
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Why do we fear relationships?
The issues of race, ethnic divides, immigration concerns, are such hot button issues. Immediately following the events of 9/11, I immediately contacted my Muslim friends to make sure they were okay. I wanted them to know I wasn’t angry with them and I wanted, above all, to make sure no one else was taking anything out on them right away.…
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The silence is deafening
I just watched a statement from President Obama regarding the murder of journalist James Foley. With great care the president condemned ISIL for its horrendous act… and with great care once again he failed to mention ISIL’s systematic slaughter of Christians. I don’t want to dissect the president’s thinking. I want to voice my intense disappointment. Not just from him.…
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Why I love heroes
I don’t have as much an affinity for fantasy heroes as real life heroes. Real people. Real problems. Real faith. Heroes of faith are vital to my own faith. They remind me of Hebrews: So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.…
