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Hearts of Mercy
What is “mercy”? What does it mean for us as Christians to be merciful? “And hath made for one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…” (Acts 17:26) We are interconnected as a humanity. We are here with each other on this earth and…
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12 Friends, 12 Stories
Think of the 12 people who know you best. They’re not necessarily your best friends. Some may know you well because they’ve been connected to you since you were young. They’ve seen everything from the curious toddler to the awkward teen and the confident adult and, thus, can easily identify the personality traits and core…
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Imperfect Help Still Helps
When I was young, I was always nervous at the thought of Jesus saying, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). I had this image of a Divine finger pointing at me, much like the strong, albeit arthritic, fingers of the nuns who taught at my grade school,…
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Shaken Unstuck
For the past couple of months, we’ve been talking about spiritual stuckness, releasing unhelpful spiritual habits and embracing those that will grow our relationships with God, the world, and each other. Well, nothing like a whack on the noggin from the unpredictable and unwelcome to shake us out of our complacency and into, into what?…
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Desert Temptation: Reflection on Focus (part 2)
The second temptation caused me to wonder about the attitude of faith. Could our attitude of faith possibly be even more important than the strength of our faith? In the second temptation, the enemy ups the stakes by quoting scripture: “Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the…
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Desert Temptation: Reflection on Focus (part 1)
In this week’s Sabbath School lesson, it discussed the temptations of Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, He went into the desert to fast and pray. Jesus communed with His Heavenly Father for forty days in the wilderness. And when He was hungry and tired, the enemy approached. There were…
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Reflection on 2 Peter 1:19
Part of this week’s Sabbath School lesson was a discussion on the trustworthiness of scripture. This is because the source of scripture is divine. It is from God Himself. One of the key texts examined was 2 Peter 1:16-21. Peter clearly states that he did not make up a myth (v16). He lived and journeyed…
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Connecting Deeper with Christ
God wants a close and dynamic relationship with us. He isn’t looking for some passing acquaintance or mundane and mediocre affiliation. Intimacy with God is being aware of His presence in a way that stirs us. Connection with God creates a togetherness that changes us at our core; it breathes new life into us and…
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Let Go and Lose Control: A Tale of Two Horses
Many years ago, a younger and in some ways braver version of me decided to explore a dream I’d had since childhood. I wanted to learn to ride horses. At first, things went well. I was paired up with Shahara, a stubborn, but sweet mare who knew how to handle a newbie. She simply knew…
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Praise First: Getting Back to the Source
What’s the first thing you do when you feel spiritually stuck? Do you think about how it feels to be stuck? Scan your life to see what you’re stuck in? Make a list of alternatives to being spiritually stuck and try to activate one of them? While all of these options may produce some positive…
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Getting Spiritually Unstuck
Have you ever gotten your car so utterly stuck in the mud that there was just no getting it out? The more you revved the engine─ the more you tried to get unstuck─ the deeper the ruts became. No matter how determined you were to get on with your plans, you weren’t going anywhere. When…
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Joy to the World
The last several weeks we have been studying God’s judgement and the Second Coming of Christ. We’ve journeyed through confronting our negative views and fears about what the final judgement is like. We’ve discovered that it full of hope and assurance because it is based on God’s love for us and His goodness. God wants…
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Discussion of Alter Call
Our group finished watching the last Alter Call Video Series last week. A quick summary follows. Part 1: Dr Gane demonstrated how the Israelite sanctuary explains the process of salvation. Detailing how the sanctuary and its services are all about Christ. He connects the earthy sanctuary to each facet of its fulfillment in Christ. Part 2:…
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Alter Call DVD Series
A Four-Part Presentation: To many Christians, Christ’s prolonged absence since He ascended to heaven is a mystery. But the Bible reveals that He is continuing to save us, and it invites us to get in touch with Him where He is now – in His sanctuary in heaven. By becoming acquainted with what He is…