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Let the Ground Shake
A message I preached on Sunday, May 24, at Victory Assembly of God in Bonner Springs, KS.
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Saul and the Witch at Endor
Spoiler alert: 1 Samuel doesn’t end well for Saul. In Chapter 28 we have the story of Saul visiting the witch at Endor. He visits a medium to conjure up the spirit of Samuel. There are so many side issues to explore in this story, which is why I like the voice of Walter Brueggemann when it comes to Old…
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The Bitter in Soul Welcome Here
2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.(1 Sam. 22:2, ESV) If there is anything I could tell anyone at any time it is this: your discontent is welcome at our church. The…
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We Get the Leaders We Deserve
I am referring to Saul in 1 Samuel, but I don’t mind the parallels it might draw to our present day politics. 😉 Israel rejected God as “king” and wanted what everyone else had. Okay, I can’t help but think of parallels to the American Church as well… Israel got the king they deserved. He looked like a king (or “presidential” as…
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Snapshots of 1 Samuel
I wanted to jot down some quick observations of the characters in 1 Samuel: Hannah — the picture of desperation. This is a woman who wouldn’t let go until God answered. We need Hannah’s in our day. Eli — a man losing control. He couldn’t get his sons in line and favored them over the duties of his job as…
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The Mark of a Leader
2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him. (1 Sam. 22:2, NIV) The mark of a great leader isn’t that they seem to be able to hire great people. The mark of a great leader is that they take the people they have…
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The days we flee to Gath
1 Samuel 21 David was on the run from Saul. There is a show on cable I’ve not watched but a friend of mine loves it. It’s called “Dog the Bounty Hunter.” This guy named Dog is a bounty hunter in Hawaii. My friend loves that plotline because if you’re a criminal who jumped bail… where do you go? You’re on…
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The Presence of God is NOT a Good Luck Charm
1 Samuel 4 When Israel was pummeled by the Philistines yet again, they turned to the ark of the covenant. They didn’t turn there to seek God. They turned to it as a good luck charm. They thought if they took it into battle it would bring them the luck they needed to defeat the Philistines. When the ark came…
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What’s an Ebenezer?
I too often get a picture of Scrooge in my head when I read in 1 Samuel about the Ebenezer. One of my favorite hymns is “Come Thou Fount” and it refers to the Ebenezer: Here I raise my Ebenezer Hither by Thy help I come And I hope by Thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home Jesus, sought…
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The Willingness to Hear
In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. (1 Sam. 3:1) The word of the Lord was rare in Israel in those days because no one was listening. Everyone was into their life. It’s not a matter of God “not speaking” in our world. It is a matter of us not listening.
Tag: 1 Samuel
