Author Archives
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Despicable Me and the Vitriolaters
I love the Despicable Me movies. The minions crack me up. And Gru–you have to love a guy who works so hard to be so bad only to find out that he can love his adopted daughters with a heart-melting… Read More ›
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I Am an Orphan Now
Dad has left us…following Mom by just under two years. He barely made it past what would have been their 61st wedding anniversary. I had seen him a mere week before on a two-day “drive by” enroute to new jobs… Read More ›
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See Ya Later, Alligator; After a While, Crocodile
We were having dinner the other night with some very good (bestest ever) friends. The kind of friends with whom the relationship is forged in the trenches of shared ministry… The kind of friends who, when you hurt them (and… Read More ›
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Understanding Kingdom Prayer, part IV
God Knows Your Every Need: · Matthew 6:8 NAS – “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Commentary: I hate to state the obvious, but if this… Read More ›
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Understanding Kingdom Prayer, part III
Prayer: Few want to pray with faith and total release. I can prove this point by stating that, if everyone who prayed did so with faith, we’d all stop praying what we want and begin to pray God’s will… Read More ›
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Understanding Kingdom Prayer, part II
Praising is prayer as well as it is declaring promises. We commune with God (prayer), in part, by praising His holy name and lavishing honor, glory, and love toward Him with thanksgiving. We speak the promises (declaration) in the face… Read More ›
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Six Things I Hate
1. Wisest Kid Commercials. Really? Now adults are so pathetic that we can’t even pick out something for lunch or dinner? Someone, somewhere needs to put a stop to this cultural craze that has us believing that younger is wiser. … Read More ›
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Understanding Kingdom Prayer, part I
Pray(er): constant communion with God through Jesus Declare: to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms: to declare one’s position in a controversy. to announce officially; proclaim to state emphatically Decree: a formal and authoritative order,… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come
Kingdom Citizenship, part II: John 3:3-5: Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man… Read More ›
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"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is the Captain…"
One of those frustrating airline moments…we had just pushed back from the gate but then had stopped on the taxiway; as the minutes ticked by without movement toward the runway, it became clear that something was amiss. There are some… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part VII
Kingdom Covenant Citizenship: “For our citizenship is in heaven (Ephesians 3:20, NAS).” “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32, NAS).” “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and… Read More ›
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They're Stamps; They're Green; They're Not New
In the grocery store; paying for my stuff. The cashier says, “Do you want the stamps?” I say, “What stamps?” He pulls out a roll of little green stamps…which are, apparently, a reward for shopping and can be used as… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part VI
Forsaking ALL: Matthew 6:35: “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part V
Citizens have the Kingdom, man has religion. Citizens have the Holy Spirit to lead them, religion has programs to guide them Citizens have Sanctification, religion has busy works to mask emptiness Citizens have submission to the King, religion has tradition… Read More ›
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Under The Dome and Other Closed Systems
I only saw one or two episodes of the TV series. I had actually, you know, read the book: Stephen King’s Under the Dome. It’s a crazy story about an impenetrable semi-sphere that appears in the sky and surrounds a… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part IV
The Kingdom of God, the True Gospel: “But He said to them, ‘I must preach the Kingdom of God…I was sent for this purpose (Luke 4:43, NAS).” “Soon afterwards, He began…proclaiming and preaching the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1,… Read More ›
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Eight Things I Learned about Church Life and Ministry from Baseball
One: Nobody bats 1.000. In baseball, the very best offensive players only get it right about a third of the time; the rest of the time they are out (sometimes down and out). In this Christian life, clinging to the… Read More ›
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Maybe Gene was Right and Failure is Not an Option; I’m Still Not Sure (Part 2)
I have had lots of input since my last post (link here). Many, many folks have been insistent that, in Christ, failure is not an option–if (and this, I think, is a big IF) we are honoring His call and… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part III
The Kingdom vs. Salvation: Luke 17:20-21 (NAS/KJV): “Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be… Read More ›
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With Respect, Gene, Failure Is An Option
They made a movie about it; they called it, “Apollo 13.” The film dramatized the heroic and herculean efforts by the ground and space crews to get three astronauts home after a malfunction that cost the Apollo 13 crew their… Read More ›
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Owls Don't Pronounce the "T"…
So it’s “Who” not “Hoot.” I bring this up because I was at a football game the other day where the team mascot is an Owl and people frequently say, “Hoot! Hoot!” I keep pointing out that it’s “Who” and… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part II
Myles Munroe wrote a book a few years back entitled, Rediscovering the Kingdom. This book breaks down much of what anyone would need for understanding the Kingdom. He aptly describes a kingdom this way: A King and Lord –… Read More ›
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Thy Kingdom Come, part I
Created to Rule: Ezekiel 28:11-19 (NAS): Again the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had the… Read More ›
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A Girl Named Sue — "The Middle" — And Rejection
Lately, most likely due to the parched land of the television desert known as “late summer viewing,” we had stumbled across voluminous repeats of a show called “The Middle.” [I know, some of you are leaning snobbish right now because… Read More ›
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Flesh vs. Spirit: Kingdom Mindset, part VII
Galatians 5:16-26 (NAS): But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in… Read More ›
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Some Assembly Required
There are word combinations in the English language that I love: “Pepperoni, Sausage, Extra Cheese,” hovers near the top of the list. There are word combinations in the English language that I despise: “While you are up, can you…?” Note… Read More ›
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Learning to Count
2 + 2 = ?? You know the answer to that math puzzle, don’t you? And yet you hesitate because you fear there is some bloggish mystery about the equation that will result in a case of the chagrins if… Read More ›
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Flesh vs. Spirit: "God Just Wants Me To Be Happy," part V
Philippians 3:8 (NAS): More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish… Read More ›
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Flesh vs. Spirit, part IV
Hebrews 4:15 (NAS): For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Matthew 16:24 (NAS): Then Jesus said to His… Read More ›
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Flesh vs. Spirit, part III
Romans 7:24-25 (NAS): Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the BODY of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 8:1-2 (KJV): There is therefore now no condemnation to them… Read More ›