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Leaving The Garden of Guilt and Shame
“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” ~~ Genesis 3:8 None of us have ever grown up in the Garden of Eden: we grew…
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Making Sense of Grief
“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”~~ Jeremiah 31:15 We crossed the Isthmus of Corinth to the Old City to hike among the ruins of Acro-Corinth. Two famous and sacred springs flow there…
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Dream, Explore, Go
“You shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.” ~~ Numbers 33:53 I overslept this morning, a behavior that seems more common lately. I did make to church yesterday. It was a grand day at Bristol-Baby! Even watching on TV, it had the makings…
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Death by China: Wesley and Barnum Meet Dr. Who
Overheard: PT Barnum & the Rev. John Wesley on the Movie “Death by China” Citizens of 1880 and 1760 usually don’t have the opportunity to visit over coffee, unless Dr. Who activates his telephone booth or we use the research tools available to us to bring their ideas together in the same space. “Free Books”…
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Gifts for Everybody!
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” ~~ 1 Cor 12:4-6 In my actively practicing carboholic years, I loved going to the mall…
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People, Politics, and Mute Buttons
“Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.” ~~ 1 Cor 11:19 Red State, Blue State. Latest polling numbers. Romney chooses Ryan—Breaking news! Pick Bump, Attack Dog, Spin Doctors, and Campaign Ads. I’m already warming up my remote and I long ago quit watching…
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Going Onto Beautiful
“Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.” ~~ 1 Corinthians 9:25 The 30th Olympics has opened in London complete with fireworks,…
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Pearls and Other Treasures: How Far Will We Go to Find Them?
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great price, he went and sold all he had and bought it.” ~~ Matthew 13:45-46 In the 1980’s, the price of oil dropped like a stone and the private school in Texas that depended on wealthy oil…
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McTemples and Lonely Prophets
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~~ Matthew 6:21 Driving home from a retreat in north Arkansas, I made a pit stop at a local McDonalds. I called a friend, for I missed an opportunity to help publicize a group of homeless veterans’ art works. One of the road riding…
