You Can Go Home Again

My friend Phil is a former pastor who had been forced to leave his church ten years ago because of mistakes he had made in the aftermath of his daughter’s death. Many people, if they knew of the details of his story, would say that reconciliation would be out of the question in his case. Conventional wisdom says there are certain things that are unforgivable and unrecoverable. But conventional wisdom often undervalues the power of the cross.

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Busybodies

What was your first job? Mine was at a coffee shop. I sold coffee beans and cups of coffee and cappuccinos. I loved that job. My boss was a terrific lady and I enjoyed helping people find just the right coffee for their tastes. There was always something to do, like redesigning store displays, packaging and shipping orders, or tidying up the store when we weren’t busy. At this first job I also had my first encounter with a lazy co-worker. This co-worker was certainly busy. She was busy talking and it seemed she knew everything about everyone. The Bible calls these people busybodies, and cautions us about spending too much time with them.

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Stumbling Blocks

The Church-on-the-Corner of Anytown America offers several electives for the adult education hour. The “Stepping Stones” class is for those new to the faith. “Building Blocks” is for those maturing in their faith. Have you seen the sign for the class called “Stumbling Blocks”?
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A Fearful Queen

In a recent Bible study I was reminded again of the Old Testament story of Queen Esther. When faced with the choice to reveal her real identity and go to the king to protect her people, she was afraid. After all, anyone who went before the king without being summoned could be put to death, and it had been thirty days since he’d last sent for her. She knew her life stood in the hands of a king’s whim. Mordecai’s reminder that “who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this,” helped her to gather her courage.  For three days she prayed, fasted and called her people to do the same. In spite of her fear, she stood before the king to beg him for the lives of her people. God did intervene for Esther and the Jewish people because of her obedience.

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Skin Deep

I had something wrong in my body. Nobody knew exactly what it was or why it was causing these particular oddities to occur. Even after the routine test, examinations, lab work, surgical consults, we still had no conclusive evidence. Our next step was to surgically remove the suspected tissue for examination and testing. After the results from the surgery came back, there was still no conclusive answer to the cause of the problem.

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