Tag: identity
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Perspective and Significance
Psalm 144; Ezekiel 19:10–14; 1 Peter 2:4–10 (ISV) In the fictional universe housing the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (written by Douglas Adams), there is a machine called the Total Perspective Vortex. Originally built (per the fictional universe) to provide beings a comparison of themselves to the infinity of creation, it became a torture device…
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Rubble and Ruin
Psalm 142; Amos 9:1–4; Acts 23:12–35 I don’t know about you, but I’m a little jaundiced about earthquakes. I grew up in Northern California. Earthquakes were…normal isn’t the word…to be expected. So much so, that the first earthquake my wife experiences was in the middle of the night. She woke me up in a panic,…
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Promising Places
…formative episodes often become dramatic retellings of identity. They form identity. Often, however, the dark sides of those events are often glossed over. Many patriotic events gloss over crimes against humanity, war, bloodshed, death of innocents.
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Lamentable Change
Psalm 30; Lamentations 1:16–22; 2 Corinthians 7:2–16 The might of God both obvious and not-so should provide comfort for all who follow God. We should also be aware of it such that we do not wander far away. We read the triumphant story of Joshua yesterday, and today we read lament. This lament is that…
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And Now What?
Psalm 98; Isaiah 42:5–9; Acts 10:34–43 It is not, by far, unique to American Christianity to be tied to a country. God fought for England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, and plenty of other places supposedly, as leaders quickly pulled God in their plans of military conquest (or defense). God, and in particular the…
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Take the Message Forward
Psalm 150; Jeremiah 30:1–11a; 1 John 3:10–16 We have a lot in front of us. The end of the COVID-era seems to be approaching. Although there seems to be a step back for every step forward, at least we are moving forward. This doesn’t mean we’ll be going back to normal. In fact, the normal…
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The New Communal
Psalm 133; Daniel 1:1–21; Acts 2:42–47 Most of us have at least one food dislike. I read this story of Daniel and I’m not sure how I would do living with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Only vegetables? Eventually, I suppose, I would get accustomed to it, but…just ew. Vegetables. At this point in my…