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Sleep in heavenly peace… HA!
There are so many myths to bust about how we view our sanitized versions of Christmas. The perfect Mary and Joseph. The clean straw. All that good stuff. We want our “meek and mild” Jesus. But Advent is a time to be reminded of Jesus coming again. And when he comes, it’s not so “quiet.” 3 Our God is coming; he…
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Eternal One
25 In the beginning, Lord, you laid the earth’s foundation and created the heavens. 26 They will all disappear and wear out like clothes. You change them, as you would a coat, but you last forever. 27 You are always the same. Years cannot change you. 28 Every generation of those who serve you will live in your presence. (Psalm 120:25-28, CEB) As humans, especially…
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The God Who Comes to Us
The beauty of Advent is the realization of God who comes to us. He has always been the One to hear the cry of his people. He has always been the One to take up the cause of those who call out to him. He is the God who hears. He will come to us. 6 In my distress I called to…
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The Message of Advent and Our Desire for Being “Neat”
Yesterday’s Advent readings included some very “not nice” language in Isaiah. Today, even Psalms isn’t safe! 3 Our God is coming; he won’t keep quiet. A devouring fire is before him; a storm rages all around him. (Psa. 50:3, CEB) Devouring fire? Where is this nice little baby in the manger? What is happening? In this season we really need our…
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The Path of Longing
4 Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth—teach it to me— because you are the God who saves me. I put my hope in you all day long. (Ps. 25:4-5, CEB) The nature of the Kingdom is to ASK. It is also necessary that when we ask… we wait for the answer. Too often…
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One Thing I Ask
I have asked one thing from the Lord— it’s all I seek— to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, seeing the Lord’s beauty and constantly adoring his temple. (Psalm 27:4, CEB) Being away on prayer retreat, this is one thing I need to keep in front of me. I need to ask just one thing. I may have my…
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The Place of Intimacy in Prayer
The first few days of this week I get the privilege of being away at a prayer retreat. Three days of coming aside and hearing from God. I am so incredibly excited! This week as a church we are reflecting on prayer and intimacy. We are reading Psalms 23-32. All of these are psalms by David and give us insight…
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Thirst For God
Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. 2 My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face? (Psalm 42:1-2, CEB) A.W. Tozer’s great book, The Pursuit of God, was one of the first Christian classics I was introduced to in college. The past…
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Triumphs and Tragedies of Life
We live in such wild swings of life. This week we welcomed in new life. Our youth pastor had her new baby, and they named the newborn after one of the older saints in our church. It was such a tremendous tribute. Then, we suffered the loss of a neighborhood boy. A 15 year old we watched grow up died…
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The Pain of Satisfaction
The other day I read a story about a man I have admired for well over 20 years. He is the top in his profession, in my opinion. He has known tremendous success in just about any way you could measure it. Not just money, but integrity, family, awards… I have not known him personally, but everything I could ever…
Tag: Psalms
