Month: May 2007
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All grown up!
Each time we see our kids these days, it becomes more real that they are all grown up! The youngest is 25, and they have all been out of our house for 5 years or more, so perhaps I’m just slow to recognize the obvious. What I mean is that they are fully into their […]
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The best you can be
Over the years I’ve read dozens of self-help books- how to be visionary, how to be a good parent, how to lead a church, how to be a better spouse, etc. Many rehash the obvious. Others are one person’s experience re-packaged. A few are truly helpful. Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, is […]
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"Why bother? Who will even notice?"
Philip Yancey’s use of words on the printed page is a thing of wonder. Bill Hybels’ creativity in leadership is enviable. Dallas Willard’s insights on Christian discipleship are so deep! Billy Graham’s influence for Christ is amazing. Were I to focus on the gifts these men bring to the work of Jesus in the world, […]
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Oxygen for my soul
Without oxygen our bodies begin to die in minutes. If our air supply is cut off, within seconds, our brain notifies us to remedy the situation for, in a very short time, unconsciousness and death will follow. Remember when you went swimming as a kid and each kid attempted to be the one who could […]
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Gotta love ’em!
There is somebody who sets your teeth on edge, just the sound of their voice as grating as finger nails dragged on a blackboard! Human relationships are complex. Some people, for reasons beyond our ability to fully understand, just push our buttons. When they appear, our blood pressure goes up along with feelings of anxiety […]
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Do you really accept God’s Amazing Grace?
In our Bible class last night, we surveyed the book of Grace. Never heard of it? It is usually called the Epistles to the Galatians. What a letter it is. A key phrase is this – “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right […]
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Freed by the truth!
On Friday evening, I attended a special presentation at a local church. A 4 year-old girl who knows me from Good Shepherd Christian Academy saw me there and came to sit with me. Since she had seen the program before, she kept me briefed about what was coming next, much to my delight. She made […]
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And I know, yes, I know!
When I was 25, I was certain about many things. Making a quick decision was simpler then, not as complicated by nuance. With regret, I now understand that my certainties were often born more of ignorance than information! Life is shaded in more grays now that I am twice as old. I am much less […]
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A Perfume; A Stench!
When, as a Pastor, I am invited into another’s life to bring comfort in times of sadness or stress, I consider it a privilege. When I have the opportunity to help a family cope with loss, or to offer hope to a person who has lost sight of tomorrow, I am most thankful for the […]
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A bowl of red soup, a cup of laughter
I belong to a group strangely named – P.I.P. – which stands for Pastors In Prayer. We gather a couple of times each month with no agenda other than to spend a couple of hours talking to each other and to the Lord. Most meetings are relatively small, just 4 to 8 middle-aged white male […]
CoffeeBreak With The Word 