APPRECIATING YOUR PASTORS!

As I made my way around the church Wednesday night, meeting people, answering questions, directing traffic, and hugging necks, I was blessed by the sounds I heard all around me.  I could hear the sound of babies in the nursery, the sound of children worshipping, and the sound of teenagers gathered in small groups asking [...]

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I WISH THAT WASN’T IN THE BIBLE

There are verses in the Bible I sometimes wish weren’t there. James 5 contains one of those verses.  In James 5:17 we read: Elijah was a man just like us… My frustration with a verse such as this is it leaves me without an excuse.  If Elijah was a man just like me, then nothing [...]

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EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY

Every person has a story. Every story has potential for a happy ending. Every story has a villain. Every villain is creating conflict. Every story has a Hero. Your life is an amazing story. Your story is continuing to unfold. Your story is not over. Your story is interwoven with the stories of others. You [...]

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THE STORY OF ONESIMUS

Who is Christianity for, anyway?  Who do its rules apply to?  Who do its promises apply to? Are there those in this world who are above the Christian faith?  Above laws, consequences, and accountability?  Are there those in this world who are beneath the Christian faith?  Those who are too dirty?  Those who are too [...]

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A WEST-TEXAS DIAMOND MINE

“What do you see?” was the foundational question of the prophet Jeremiah’s ministry.  Over and again, Jeremiah’s life would be filled with visions that he would in turn communicate to nations and kings, and what he saw would be the key to the message he delivered. That same principle of vision is an essential factor [...]

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ELISHA: HONOR AND THE SMELL OF SMOKE

Some things you just can’t hide.  Like standing by a fire, you’re gonna end up smelling like smoke.  Honor is one of those unconcealable qualities of life, because honor doesn’t flow from the lips, it flows from our lives.  Our Lord Jesus nailed the essential aspect of honor when He said, “These people honor me [...]

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WHOLEHEARTED

Visiting with people as they were heading out of the service Sunday, I had an interesting conversation with one of our local tattoo artists.  Responding to the morning message, he said, “Your heart can be wholly, holy, or holey.”   Now that’s a profound thought.  As near as I can tell one will lead to the [...]

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SON OF THE COVENANT

Do you remember the scene from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” where Indie is over the edge of the cliff and the Holy Grail is right at his fingertips?  Indie is at that crisis moment where everything he has ever been looking for is jjuusstt wwiitthhiinn rrreeeaaaccchhh, but his life is hanging by a [...]

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THE VOICE OF WISDOM

I am convinced that life would be so much easier if it came with a sound track.  The music would give us the clues we needed not to miss the big moments.  We’d know when it wasn’t safe to head down into the basement, and when to stay out of the water.  We could clue [...]

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