Month: October 2020
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Testimony!
My home is decorated with family photos, capturing a moment in time. I look at one from 1976, of a very young couple. She is visibly with child, their first. Yes, I remember the setting of that picture 4 decades later! We memorialize special moments, don’t we? At family gatherings we re-tell our stories, laughing, […]
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That FIRST Step
Sometimes people ask me, “What is the hardest part of preparing a sermon?” My reply is a bit irreverent – “Getting my behind into my desk chair!” As with so many things, big and small, the first step is usually the most difficult. There is a moment when we must commit ourselves, putting our minds […]
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He knows ME!
“Daddy, watch me!” I can still hear the now decades old echoes of my little ones who wanted me to notice their latest accomplishment. Wise parents know the importance of validating their children, with sincere praise, with focused attention and meaningful affirmation. It builds confidence in that child, helps to ground her in a world […]
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Murdering God?
Is God dead? Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th century German philosopher, shocked the world by proclaiming the ‘death of God.’ This son of a Lutheran pastor rejected Christianity as a young adult and became a fierce opponent of the faith. In the second half of that century, many in Europe were leaving Christian faith, which led […]
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One way to make today richer!
Yesterday, at Faith Discovery, I spoke about Heaven. There was a time in my life when I thought that pastors who spoke about Heaven needed to ‘get a life.’ In the heyday of my 30’s, I wondered why anyone would concern themselves with that. I was a Christian, had an assurance that Jesus had a […]
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“You idiot, you hypocrite, you are a fool!”
Do you, like me, find yourself puzzled by the world in which we live? Though I work at being patient and try to understand, so much of the world I which I live is beyond my comprehension these days. One of those is the growing self-hatred of so many who claim to love Jesus. The […]
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A Divine Intervention?
When a family member or friend is in crisis with an addiction issue a frequently used tool is the intervention. A group gathers to meet with that person with the sole purpose bringing awareness and, hopefully, provoking a willingness to seek help. Addiction is a stubborn thing and often the person confronted with the reality […]
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Your inner circle, your ‘mighty’s?’
Thanking God for the blessings of my life always includes mention of those people who are ‘my team’ not in the sense that I own them, but as those who are ‘doing life’ alongside of me. Some are there just for a season, others have been part of my life for decades. Some I speak […]
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Make room for the fresh
At the border of Israel is one of the strangest ‘lakes’ in the world – the Dead Sea. It is a mineral-laden lake surrounded by barren desert. When Bev and I toured there, we watched other tourists enter the water and float effortlessly because of the concentration of salts. Around 50 miles north of that […]
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Burnt to a crisp?
On this Monday morning, a fresh week just starting, are you already looking forward to Friday? I loved those popular 1980’s Dunkin’™ commercials featuring Fred, the baker, waking up before dawn declaring – “Time to make the donuts.” Over the years, we met Fred time and time again heading for the door because it was […]
CoffeeBreak With The Word 