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The Candidate- S6E14

“Would you like to get well?”…”Now you are well; so stop sinning or, or something even worse may happen to you.”- Jesus, in John 5:6 & 14. This morning I was watching S6E12 of Lost- “The Candidate.” In the alternate universe where there was no plane crash (at least no Oceanic 815 crash), Locke’s been run over by Desmond and in true Lost-style, Jack is the surgeon who operates on him. Following…

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False Prophets/ False Hope

Over the past few months, I listened to the book of Jeremiah as a part of our Daniel series. Jeremiah takes place before and during the Babylonian Exile. The next book in the OldTestament is Lamentations. Also written by Jeremiah, it’s written to fellow Jews at the beginning of the exile, lamenting (get it?) the destruction of Jerusalem. 2:14 reads, “Your prophets have said so many foolish…

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"We remember the potholes, and forget the straight paths"

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It's pronounced "vil-da-bee-asst"

Wednesday we left Vaalwater for Venda, an area about 4 hours north. There are a number of daycare and after-school centers that Aletheia has connection with through a pastor named Walter. We were staying at a small lodge just south of town, so our first stop was there to drop off our bags. Well, that’s what we thought. Due to all the rain, we were unable to drive up the mountain in our sweet…

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"A shanty town, outside of Johannesburg"

We’ve been in South Africa for a few days now and have been introduced to “High/Low/Buffalo” which is the Aletheia International Ministries version of what I used to call “Happy/Crappy.” Here’s where we are at this point: High- As I posted earlier, the Sunday gathering here was incredible. The church got so much bigger. We’ve had some incredible meals. The shower at “the farm” where we are…

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Wide Open Doors

Like a lot of people, Anne and I had grown up in “the church.” We’d both been through the rituals and the rites. We’d both been through variations of “Confirmation.” We met at a strict evangelical Bible college in 1989 and our experience there was less than satisfactory. To be honest, much of that is our own fault. But that’s another post for another time. We left that college, were married,…

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Get Well

“Do you want to be well?”What a dumb question! Why would Jesus ask it?For 38 years, the man was lame. Day after day he’d be by the pool at Bethesda waiting for the water to stir, indicating the presence of the healing angel, an angel who would heal the first person in.But he was never able to get in first.Jesus walks up and simply asks the question, “Do you want to be well?”The man pushes back…

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Who, Then, Should We Welcome?

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. This is my covenant with you: I will make you the farther of a multitude of nations! These promises are found in Genesis 12:2-3 and Genesis 17:4. This…

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Look to Jesus

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"The only reason we're all here is because of Jesus"

Many years ago, I was part of a group of youth ministers, pastors and workers who were assembled together to shape the lives of other youth leaders in a Jesus-Centered way in the hopes that we’d all faithfully make disciples of the next generation. We all came from different backgrounds across the spectrum of Christianity- many denominations were represented, some came from large churches,…

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Love Your Church

I recently discovered this three-part (soon to be 4) book series on social media. In 2021, author Tony Merida wrote a book entitled Love Your Church. This series of books written to further elaborate on how to best demonstrate love within their church family. The publisher is The Good Book Family. I’m going to begin with “Welcome” by Jen Oshman. According to her bio, Jen is, a wife, mom, and…

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Unity

The role of the church in our community is to demonstrate the love and unity of God.

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one–as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me”- Jesus, praying for his disciples that they would be unified, in John 17:21. Recently, a post from a local restaurant his my Facebook feed. They’ve been in town for a long, long time, and a new restaurant had recently opened.…

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"How can I know my gift?"

Some thoughts on serving in the church:

That question came on Thursday night in Small Group. We had been talking about the previous Sundays’ sermon, the of which was, “Generous Giving & Humble Service.” We had began our small group time by talking about all of the different ways that the generous giving and humble service of others had an impact on our own discipleship. Each person shared from their own experience how others had made…

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Psalm 119:81-88

When reality collides with the goodness of God

Kaph 81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue,    but I have put my hope in your word.82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.    When will you comfort me?83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,    but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.84 How long must I wait?    When will you punish those who persecute me?85 These arrogant people who hate your…

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Psalm 119:73-80

Yodh 73 You made me; you created me.    Now give me the sense to follow your commands. Just because we have been created BY God, we do not have the capacities to fully KNOW God or obey God. This ability (let’s call it “revelation”) only comes from Him. We can ask Him for this sense. 74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,    for I have put my hope in your word. The Bible Reading…

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Psalm 119:65-72

Wisdom, knowledge, and transformation.

Teth 65 You have done many good things for me, Lord,    just as you promised.66 I believe in your commands;    now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I love how this verse speaks to the difference between wisdom/knowledge and transformation. There is a world of difference between having intellectual knowledge and intellectually assenting to what God’s word says and actually being changed and…

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Psalm 119:57-64

Heth 57 Lord, you are mine!    I promise to obey your words!58 With all my heart I want your blessings.    Be merciful as you promised.59 I pondered the direction of my life,    and I turned to follow your laws. This is the power of honest self-reflection and self-examination. So many of us take the first step of pondering the direction of our lives, but then we turn to any and every thing…