God

Speaking the Truth in Love

The Good News
9 Sep 2014
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“You’re not cute,” she said as she pointed a well-manicured index finger at my chest. Wide eyed, my peers glanced at me, looked at our mentor, eyed the box of tissues and waited. I drew in a deep breath and smiled. “You’re not necessarily headed to the stages where you think you are headed,” she continued. “But, you have a stage. You’re not one of those ‘cutsie’ girl speaker types. You’re powerful. Unique. Dramatic. Inspiring. She demonstrated each word as she spoke them and made her point, “You have your audience.” As my heart filled to overflowing, the resultant tears […]

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Days of Awe: Understanding Jewish High Holy Days

Terry Morrow
1 Sep 2014
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Later this month many Jews will recognize the ten-day period referred to as the “Days of Awe” or “Ten Days of Repentance” starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and commencing with total fasting on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In the Jewish tradition, the High Holy Days are an opportunity to consider what needs to be transformed in our lives and actively realign our priorities. It is also a good time for Christians to join our fellow Jews and reflect on our lives, the parts that we often do not want to confront and look to God […]

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Taking Israel Out of the Bible

Dr. Susan Michael
4 Aug 2014
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New Christians struggling to study their Bible are often taught to read the scriptures as though they were written personally to them, even reciting the scriptures using one’s own name in place of the verse’s subject. While it is important to apply scripture to one’s own life, it is equally important to not ignore the original context of the scripture and the original recipient of that particular promise. For example, a special verse that brings comfort to a person who may be experiencing difficulty is Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” This […]

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Strength In Weakness

Jeremy McKeen
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How do you view your weaknesses? Do you boast in them? Weaknesses and hardships are not typically something people boast about, but they can be. You wouldn’t naturally think that your weakness is an asset, that your trial is a gift or that your problem can actually make you more effective in life, but it’s true. The Apostle Paul once had a “thorn in the flesh,” some weakness that was harassing him, but he learned how to boast in it and be content with it, and you can too. The problem of weakness One of the problems of weakness is […]

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A Lion For The Lazy

Dr. Tommy Boland
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lion

Do you know what the world’s greatest labor-saving device is? Tomorrow! That’s right; tomorrow. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? But this is not for you! The sluggard says, “There’s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!” (Proverbs 22:13 NLT) Notice that it is not the fearful who cry, “There is a lion out there,” but rather the lazy. Why? Because they’re lazy! The sluggard creates all sorts of reasons in his mind for his inactivity and living a life of ease in Zion. Rebellion always finds its reasons, and […]

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The Grace of a Great: A Farewell to LeBron James

Tullian Tchividjian
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What is it about LeBron James that generates so much raw emotion and passion among his fans? Is it because of his two NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award? His pure athletic greatness could be the reason he has so many die-hard followers. But for me, as of yesterday, he’s come to represent something much more. It wasn’t until he decided yesterday to return to his hometown and play once again for the team that drafted him […]

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Give Up To Go Up

John Hawkins, Sr
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What do you want out of life? The standard answer is something like, “I want to be happy, or I want to be successful.” With these answers people can be focused on different areas of life — relationships, career, finances, spirituality or significance to name a few. Since no one consciously starts life with the goal of being a failure, why do so many feel like one? What does it take to move your life upward in a positive direction? This would seem to be a desire that is consistent with the theology of being created in the image of […]

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How to Trust God More

Norm Wise
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I was asked an important question. “Can you tell me how I can trust God more? Is there a book that would be helpful?” Psalm 9:9-11 tells us: “ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds” (NLT). What is trust? To trust someone means that we feel we can depend on their competence and character. We have […]

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Faithwalker

The Good News
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The smell of buttery popcorn filled the living room as the microwave announced its readiness. On cue, I procured the bag, ripped it open, shook it into a bowl and with a quick spritz of I Can’t believe It’s Not Butter, headed back to the couch to start the movie. It was “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and Bilbo Baggins was the unlikely brave hero. In this prequel of the classic Tolkien tale, Bilbo and his team were on a destiny quest. A journey of bravery into a land of danger to reclaim what was stolen: the right to […]

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The Privilege of Partnering with God

Dr. Susan Michael
10 Jul 2014
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God in His sovereignty has chosen to partner with man in the execution of His will. What a humbling and convicting thought that is. He is certainly not limited by man and can execute His will quite on His own, yet He has elected to work through and in partnership with us. C.S. Lewis once wrote concerning this partnership with God: “For He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye.” This helps to […]

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Partnering with God