Category: Christian Living
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“What happened next, Mary”
Luke, a middle-aged physician hired by a wealthy Roman to document the story of Jesus, sat down on a bench next to an aging Jewish woman somewhere in the Roman province of Judea. Luke’s task was to put together the story– in order– the story of Jesus and his followers. People in Rome were talking…
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Dealing with Fatigue
I’m still recovering from two months of travel. I came back from my last trip very worn out and fighting a chest cold that just won’t let go. The past couple of weeks… I’ve just been tired. Normally, a day off will do for recovery. But this has been different. Each day I get up…
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The End
I sat down in 8A matter-of-factly. The doors closed on Southwest flight 561. We reached 10,000 feet, I put my headphones on, read a book for a bit, drank a Coke, and avoided small talk with a chatty passenger excited for vacation. 70 minutes later it was over. My 6th Southwest flight of the week…
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Road Sabbath
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to church. And it’ll be about another month until I get to be home on a Friday night to go to church at Journey. For someone who used to work in the local church that appears really odd. (It feels weird to write, somewhat confessional.) I even…
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Integration versus Assimilation
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they…
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Jesus in the Spaghetti
Yesterday, while completely unique, was absolutely typical. The lion’s share of my day was spent hanging out with students, parents, and the staff at Battle Ground Academy from 7:30 AM until 8:00 PM. And by hanging out I suppose I mean that I talked all day with 5 classes of 7th graders, a 5-minute talk…
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Validation, Vindication, and Whatever
Validation I wish validation were as simple a thing as getting your parking validated at the restaurant after dinner. Validation is like helium. It’s a blast when you inhale it. And it’s present in the atmosphere all the time. But capturing it? Nearly impossible. There’s something gnarly in us that seeks validation. A desire to…
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We Can All Overcoming Our Fears
http://buzzfeed-video1.s3.amazonaws.com/video/2013/09/25/HorsinAround-624×350.mp4 source Even a great, big, hard-hitting NFL player has legitimate fears to overcome in life. I don’t know what your fears are. But I know that when I discover one I want to work through it and overcome it. Sometimes I can do it myself. And sometimes I need the help of others. But…
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To Be Like the Postal Carrier
Working from home reveals all the daily routines that happen around your house while you’re typically away. 3 different garbage trucks come on Friday. (Garbage, recycling, yard waste. Though the later two come on a secret schedule which lives on our refrigerator.) An elderly woman picks through everyone’s recycling to get cans and bottles. Our…
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God loves me when I be