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Joyful, joyful
A few years back, I put up a sign on my office wall, with the words “Attitude Check” and a much-needed reminder from Paul: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this...
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The Lord is my shepherd, part 1
Ask someone spontaneously if they know what the Psalms are. Then ask them to quote one. I would guess that the most popular response would be Psalm 23, the beloved Shepherd Psalm attributed to David....
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When life gives you lemons…
We’ve all heard the peppy, upbeat saying: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Nice sentiment, as far as it goes. But not everyone appreciates that kind of sunny, bumper sticker optimism. At...
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Joy in the morning: A Thanksgiving meditation
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Ps 30:5, KJV) Not everyone is equally thankful on Thanksgiving Day. Implicitly or explicitly, we have expectations of how life should...
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Grattitude (part 1)
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:16-18, CEB) I hate to say it, but I can be a grumpy person (I get...
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Grattitude (part 2)
Thanksgiving Day. For many who have the means, it’s become “Turkey Day,” a holiday that’s functionally all about the food. The bird isn’t the only thing that gets stuffed, and we may even plan in...
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Distorted joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. –Galatians 5:22-23, CEB When life is lived in cooperation with the Spirit of...
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Real joy
There’s an old joke, one that originated in ancient Palestine. It goes something like this: Three men walk into a campsite. A 99-year-old man is sitting in front of his tent; his 90-year-old wife is...
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From desert to garden: A Thanksgiving meditation
Listen to me, you who look for righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry where you were dug. Look to Abraham your ancestor, and to Sarah, who gave...
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Abounding grace (part 2)
Jesus sits across from the collection box, where people are donating to the treasury of the Jerusalem temple. Rich people are putting in significant sums of money, and one can only assume that the...
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Hoopiness
I love the feel of a basketball in my hands. Recently, I was reminded of how much I’ve missed it. I was on the road, teaching a seminary course in Phoenix. When one of the students came to pick me up...
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Sowing blessing
I’ve never been a farmer. But I have planted grass. From seed. Proper preparation is everything. I carefully planned where the lawn would go, mapping out the sprinkler system on graph paper. I dug the...
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What’s new?
What is there to look forward to in a new year? We’ll have to get used to writing “2016” instead of “2015,” but what else is truly new? The older you get, the more your perspective shifts. Hopefully,...
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The punch line
I think we’d find a lot more humor in the Bible if only we’d allow ourselves a little imagination… Jesus is in Capernaum, the village in Galilee which has become the base for his ministry there. He’s...
View ArticleBirth pangs
Here’s a winning evangelistic strategy for you. Imagine that someone walks up to you and asks what the Christian life is like. Your response? “Well, I’m glad you asked. The Christian life is like a...
View ArticleThe gift of pain (Third Advent 2018)
Christmas gifts. Buying them can be a chore. Giving and receiving them, however, can be a delight. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of seeing someone you love beam with joy over receiving...
View ArticleCrank up the volume
Concerts. Clubs. Parties. There’s something about loud music that sets the tone for a cut-loose kind of celebration. Every so often in our own neighborhood, for example, someone will pack their...
View ArticleJoy to the world
The family I grew up in didn’t have elaborate Christmas traditions. In the early years, we hauled out the artificial tree (first plastic, then aluminum) and ornaments; only later did we switch to a...
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