Category: Uncategorized
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Who Do We Think We Are?
“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” — Ecclesiastes 2:18 NIV People love labels: athlete, musician, medical professional, academic, etc. I went from being insecure to quite confident when, in 6th grade, I discovered I was a pretty…
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Enough is Enough!
“All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.” — Ecclesiastes 1:8 NIV I am the designated tickle monster at home. Jimmy and Hayley (8 and 2) are my willing victims. Tickle time never ends because they decide they’ve had their…
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Equality in Christ
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28 NIV For my sixth birthday my parents bought me a brand new bicycle. It was a shiny metallic blue. It was dangerously fast. Unfortunately, after possessing it for…
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Baptism of Jesus
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” — Mt 3:16 NIV As I write this, the whole world wonders if another calendar year will be consumed by pandemic-induced…
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Epiphany
“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” — Luke 2:30-32 NIV I’m not especially fascinated by Middle School drama. But when our first-born child, Audrey, tells me all about who said…
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There are 2 G’s in Thanksgiving – pt 2
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgivingto God” (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV). 400 years ago a Native American named Squanto likely participated in the very first American Thanksgiving. Famous for helping the Pilgrims acclimate to the New…
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There are 2 G’s in Thanksgiving – pt 1
“Rejoice always,pray continually,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV). 400 years ago my great great great great great great great great great grandfather (it’s actually way more than that, but you get the idea) likely participated in the very first American Thanksgiving. William…
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Let Us Demonstrate Self-Control
“Fools show all their anger, but the wise hold it back” (Proverbs 29:11 CEB). When you think of someone who is wise, what type of characteristics do they have? I tend to imagine someone who is a bit older, dressed in robes, content to be outside observing the wind or whatever, someone who is deep…
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Let Us Confess Our Sins
“Those who hide their sins won’t succeed, but those who confess and give them up will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 CEB). Moving her dresser away from the bedroom wall, I discovered what looked like a hidden treasure, hundreds of small bits of gold and silver that shimmered in the sunlight… unfortunately, these shiny nuggets turned…
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Let Us Respond to Foolishness with Love
““Even if you grind fools in a mortar, even grinding them along with the grain, their folly won’t be driven from them” (Proverbs 27:22 CEB). I recently came to a realization that turned my world upside down— most people are not very logical. For the better part of forty years I walked around this earth…
Justin Berkobien 