Reflections
When the Exiled (or Quarantined) Lived
by Karen Huber This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so…
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Faith Lived
by Jazz Becker “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.” (James 2:22, NASB) At one point while living in Hawaii, I felt that God had more for me than just the temp jobs I’d been doing for many years since graduating from college.…
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Familiarity with God
by Doug Mitts “…for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24, NAS95) Barnabas had a lead role in both the start and expansion of the church. I think the secret of Barnabas’s lived faith has to do with…
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Faith to Bless
by Lena Larsen “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1, ESV) A former pastor of mine often spoke of following Christ as a matter of mind, emotion and will—all three being equally important (Mathew 22:37). So, I know, in theory at least, that my…
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Children of Promise
by Fred Swartz “Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.” (Galatians 4:28, NIV) What exactly makes us, like Isaac, children of promise? It was through Isaac that Christ was going to be revealed after many generations. Likewise, every ancestor of Christ that came down through Isaac’s lineage is also a child…
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Irrevocable
by Gabe Bernal “Behold, I received a command to bless: He has blessed, and I can not revoke it.” (Numbers 23:20, ESV) Have you ever made a promise that you soon discover will be hard to keep? Maybe it’s because circumstances change, perhaps you find that you are unable to keep it or maybe the…
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Promises
by Karen Kurth “God appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your children.’ Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:7, The Message) Yesterday, if you had asked me if I thought that God was a promise keeper, I would have quickly retorted, “Yes.” If…
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The Promise
by Doug Mitts “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you…” (Luke 24:49, NAS95) Christ’s first advent came with the announcement of the name, “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Jesus honors that with this promise after His resurrection and shares the Father will send the Holy Spirit to us—literally…
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The Beatitudes
by Karen Kurth “He said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the…
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Refuge
by Stephen Coney “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each…
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