Jesus
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I Need Jesus (a Christmas poem)
In Bethlehem’s quiet, beneath the starry sky,A humble manger cradled hope, where angels hovered nigh.“I want Jesus,” whispers the heart’s sweet plea,For in this Christmas tale is salvation’s mystery. Born in a stable, a King in swaddling bands,God’s gift to all creation, in Bethlehem He stands.A Savior wrapped in love, a precious gift,From heaven to Continue reading
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A Plan to Read through the Bible
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) With the arrival of December, we know that January and a new year are just around the corner. This is the perfect time to consider the commitments you want to make for the coming year. One of the first Continue reading
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Precious Death
Psalm 116:15 is one of those verses that causes people to stop and think. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” We often see death as our greatest enemy. We do all we can to insure against an untimely demise. The idea of death is frightening to most people. We may Continue reading
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The Two Exchanges
In re-reading Romans 1 today, I could not help but reflect on two major exchanges recorded in Scripture. The first one is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Continue reading
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The Church of the Least Common Denominator
When Jesus called people to follow Him, He pulled no punches. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) That’s a pretty intense calling and way out of synch with the way many people view church and following Jesus in our day. Continue reading
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Grow Up!
The Apostle Paul confronted the believers in Corinth with these words: “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2) Evidently in Corinth there were a good number of believers who Continue reading
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In the Aftermath of the Newtown, Connecticut Shooting
Our desire is for easy answers that immediately satisfy. In twenty-plus years of ministry and fifty years of life I have learned that easy answers are rare and rarely satisfy. Trying to come to terms with a 20-year-old who would shoot his mother and then go to an elementary school and intentionally slaughter twenty children Continue reading
beyond the sermon 