faith
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“Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.”—Psalm 69:34 To borrow from another season, my heart sings: Joy to the world! The Lord is come!Let earth receive her King;Let every heart prepare Him room,And heaven and nature sing!—Isaac Watts Heaven and nature sing the glories and praises of…
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Pastor Mary Jones sat at her desk, contemplating the strategic-planning process she was about to present to her working team. On one side were the demographics: a community snapshot, perceived and documented needs, feedback from neighbors, and a growing awareness of the church’s mission. On the other side was the church-health report. An outside consultant…
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“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”—Exodus 20:16 I have recently published two related reflections on our responsibilities as citizens. In “You Have Been Appointed to the Oversight Committee,” I suggest that every citizen participates in the oversight of government. We cannot personally investigate every decision, attend every hearing, or examine every public…
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“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near.”—Mark 13:28 It may not be summer yet, but summer is coming. A change of season is always on the way. While we do not want to spend our lives jumping ahead…
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“He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.” — Habakkuk 3:6 KJV The nations of the earth sometimes suffer under a grand delusion—the delusion of absolute sovereignty, permanence, and omnipotence. It is a delusion because…
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When the Facts Argue One Thing and God Says Another I have been known to debate with myself. One of my finest debating partners is hope. There are two seats at the table in my mind. Occasionally, I take the seat of the naysayer—the one who insists that there is no hope. From that chair,…
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Are You Optimistic? The Online Etymology Dictionary is my friend. It often confirms my quasi-informed suspicions about words and their origins—including the word optimism. When I say that I am optimistic, I want to know whether what I think I mean is what I am actually saying. The word came into English through the French…
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Frankly, I’m Too Busy—and Too Broke We have only so much mental, physical, and emotional energy. If we spend it, it is spent. If we spend it fretting about something that will ultimately take care of itself, we have wasted a limited resource. Fretting is expensive, and frankly, I am too busy and too broke…
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Bible Chats You Might Have Missed – cross-posted to https://biblechatwithpastortom.blogspot.com/ Bible Chat is an ongoing conversation with Scripture. Some studies grow out of the daily lectionary. Others develop from sermons, questions, theological reflections, or moments when an ancient passage speaks with particular freshness to the present. Each Bible Chat begins with the biblical text but does…
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The Christ We Confess and the Way We Follow Matthew 16:5–28 Peter gave the right answer about Jesus—and then immediately tried to tell Jesus how to be the Messiah. That is one of the central tensions in Matthew 16. Christian faith requires a correct confession, but it does not end there. It is not enough…
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