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This is what we do
The power of the Kingdom of God can have an impact in so many ways. The kingdom is seen in a store line. Last night at Target as we were checking out, a man in the express lane was buying milk. Something with his transaction didn’t work. A young couple behind him noticed he couldn’t pay right then so the…
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Not All Valleys are “of the Devil”
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1) Not every trial, not every test, can be blamed on the devil. The Lord can put us in tough situations to bring testing, to put fire to our faith… to forge the steel of faith in our lives. It is never comfortable, but when the Lord…
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Great Translation on the Proclamation of Jesus
“Change your hearts and lives. Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” (Matt. 4:17, Common English Bible) Get ready… the King has entered his realm and when he acts, there is a response called for. The best response? Change your hearts and lives. The power of the Kingdom of God is unleashed. It is time to pay attention.
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Contentment or Complacency
Too often in my own life I think I’m content, which is a biblical virtue… when I’m just complacent. It’s a huge difference, and I also found I don’t like discovering I’m on the wrong side of that ledger. Lord, help me be content in you, but never complacent in my pursuit of you.
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Being an Apprentice
Jason B. Hood in his book, Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern, gives a description of being an apprentice that easily describes why I use the blog name “Apprentice2Jesus.” “As apprentices, disciples follow an expert and absorb their master’s mindsets and practices until they become capable on their own. Jesus’ disciples do not graduate from apprenticeship to perfection…
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Mentors, Coaches, and Apprentices
Being a “life coach” is a somewhat recent trend. The terminology has been around for some time. The reason I use Mentor/Apprentice is the image. The image of a “life coach” isn’t mentoring. It’s a consultant. It’s telling someone else what to do. Maybe you’ve done it… maybe you haven’t. But, it seems to be the solution in the “player’s”…
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Is it YOUR vision or GOD’s vision?
Preparing for my message today out of Zechariah, this thought occurred to me: You can’t analyze your way to the fulfillment of a vision. It is GOD who fulfills the vision. We need God-sized thoughts and dreams that just can’t be fulfilled in our own power. I am praying for breakthrough in our lives for something so incredible, we will…
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Imitating the Character of God
“God’s image require far more than the imitation of God’s rule; it requires that in all things we reflect the holiness by which he does all things. Christians who focus on the imitation of the love of Jesus may need to coordinate that imitation with the pursuit of holiness and purity.” — Jason B. Hood, Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a…
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Worship and the Image of God
As I work my way through Jason B. Hood’s book, Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern, I am continually struck by his boldness in the view of humanity. We are created in the image of God and that means something. I grew up with “worm theology.” That old gospel song, “At the Cross,” had the line: “Would he devote that sacred head…
