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50 Shades of Slavery
“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” ~~ 1 Corinthians 8:9 Twenty million copies of 50 Shades of Grey have been sold, earning author E.L. James around $50,000,000 to date—one million per shade of grey, as the wag might say. As a result, the…
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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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Generation to Generation: Handing Down Treasures
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ~~ Luke 12:15 I have way more things than I need! I have the antique pink Fostoria china from my Dad’s mother and the gold-rimmed china from my Nannie, Mother’s mother. When my…
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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…
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Hunger Games and Religious Famine
“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.” ~~ 1 Corinthians 2:12 I spent two days last week listening to my favorite seminary professor, friend, bog Irishman and…
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Mega Millions, Pie in the Sky and Perfection
“If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”~~ Matthew 19:21 I didn’t hit it big last Friday, but then I didn’t go buy the golden ticket. In fact, I bought no ticket at all. I didn’t…
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Art, Work & Breaking Out of Prison
This is a strange & dark veil of bamboo and vines that I found in Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Looking into the sun, the image was backlighted, so it seemed to be a fence guarding against my entry. I thought about the fences that keep me from progressing in my spiritual and…
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Art, Cabbages and The Spiritual Life
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit.” ~~ Luke 6:43-44a My family was known for its colorful sayings. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” and “a zebra can’t change its stripes” were two…
