Month: March 2012
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50 years from now, what will they say about you?
About 75 years ago, Walter Scott walked down the sawdust trail at a tent revival in Truesdale, Iowa to accept Christ. A Danish immigrant who was fond of his liquor and quick to swing a fist, he was changed! His conversion was solidified a few years later when a terrible automobile accident left him unable […]
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So, you want to be spiritual?
Eugene Peterson, best known for his work in bringing us the paraphrase of the Bible called The Message, was a pastor of a small church in Maryland for 3 decades. He observed, “The people who give me the most distress are those who come asking, “Pastor, how can I be spiritual?” Forget about being spiritual. […]
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I won’t get caught
Ed and I were talking about his choices. “There are two ways to look at your behavior,” I said. “You can make me act like a policeman to monitor you, or you can choose wisely for yourself, for the sake of your integrity.” He’s 11, so I do not know how much of that he […]
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Slimed
Slimed! Up until last week, much of the ground beef sold in these United States included an ingredient called, “finely textured lean beef.” It is made from the trimmings leftover after the more readily accessible cuts are removed. A nutritionist concerned about the process used to produce it nicknamed it ‘pink slime’ and the story […]
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Burger King’s philosophy- Have it your way
Burger King’s philosophy – have it your way! People, including me, love to do things ‘our way.‘ Americans are consumers who like personalized service. All of this comes at a cost to cooperation, which leads to the destruction of our community structures – government, neighborhood, and Church. Individualism is not a bad thing when we […]
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A Singer of Love Songs
Jeremiah had a problem. God gave him a message for His people, which he was taking faithfully to them. Those people werehearing it, but not the way they needed to listen. “As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying […]
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Stop Talking Badly about God’s Wife
The man said, “I really do believe in God and Jesus, but I hate church.” The irony underlying the conversation hit me hard. How could I, a man who has spent his entire adult life working for a church, speak honestly about his statement? I understood what he meant though, for I, too, have found […]
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Cowards and Confrontation
Cowards and Confrontation “What do I say to my friend who is wandering spiritually?” Answers are much easier in the abstract than to practice in reality. What do you say to that fellow Christian who starts missing church every other week to sleep in? He says he needs the rest because of all the overtime. […]
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A Wild Swing, a bloody mess
A wild swing, a bloody mess If you corner a animal it is likely to respond with hostility, bared teeth, claws, or fangs. Sam, my Irish setter, is the most docile creature you could imagine, but her hair will rise and a deep growl will rumble from her throat if she feels that she has […]
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It’s just karma, isn’t it?
It’s just karma, isn’t it? A man recently was comparing his life to mine. He bemoaned his circumstances and pointed out my blessings. With more than a little envy, he side-stepped his responsibility for his situation: “It’s just karma, isn’t it?” In fact, I knew him well enough to know that he had made some […]
CoffeeBreak With The Word 