Month: November 2018
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Read the last chapter!
Spoiler alert! You see this warning in a review of a book or play when there is about to be a revelation of a critical turn in the plot. If you don’t want to ruin the story for yourself, you stop reading, right? Occasionally a writer will show you the end of the story and…
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Living to your God-given Potential
On that Sunday morning in 1977 when Bev and I dedicated our first-born son to the Lord, I sang to him: “You are a promise, You are a possibility… you are a great big bundle of potentiality.” (Bill Gaither) My head was full of questions that day 4 decades ago. What would he become? What…
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Feeling guilty, like a convict?
Sleep eluded me, my mind a whirl of thoughts of regret and guilt. I lay there wondering, “Why did I say that, act in that way?” You probably know that middle of the night awareness of failure, too. The guilt can serve a good purpose in me, bringing me to change, causing me to open…
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The not so fuzzy and warm side of Advent
(Don’t miss the hymn at the close of this meditation!) My adult children have made their travels plans. My house is decorated with the brightly lit tree in the living room and the various Christmas trinkets scattered around. It is a “most wonderful time of the year.” Next Sunday we will begin the season of…
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A Wretch, No longer!
The beloved hymn, Amazing Grace, includes this phrase – “that saved a wretch like me!” So, what’s a wretch? The dictionary defines the word as “a despicable person, one who is miserable.” John Newton, who penned those famed words was not just being poetic! Born to a godly mother, he was taught the Scripture. When…
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A Way of Life, not just a day
The day after Thanksgiving, someone complained that their trip to shop was a waste because there weren’t any real deals this year. It made me laugh. I think I understand something of that frustration but wonder- Is it really worth it? Those who do this early Christmas shopping thing, Black Friday and all, expect to…
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What is YOUR story?
I love a great story! Last night on CBS news they reported on a single man in Melrose, MA who runs a small vacuum cleaner repair business. Not wanting to be alone for Thanksgiving, Scott McCauley put an ad in the local paper inviting up to 12 people to his home for Thanksgiving dinner. 33…
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You Owe Me!
Want to kill any hope of feeling thankful this week? Convince yourself that you are being short-changed by life, that the world owes you something. It’s called – entitlement. The thing is that it creeps up on us stealthily, starting with grievance, fed by disappointment. It grows like a weed and turns into a black…
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Three funerals on Sunday morning
Yesterday, in our worship gathering, I was privileged to baptize 3 individuals. There was a time when I did not value baptism in the same way that I now do. Back then, I saw baptism as a kind of ‘after thought,’ something that people did just to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior.…
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When you feel that they just don’t care
She felt invisible. A good Mom, she has loved and cared for her family and seldom receives even a word of appreciation. Her heart is wounded by their thoughtlessness. He is aged and cries often, not because of physical pain, but because his family is so busy that they forget to include him, in spite…
CoffeeBreak With The Word 