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Month: February 2016

The Foundation of Your Life

The Foundation of Your Life

Is your faith an accessory or an addition to your life? Or is it the foundation of your life? Too often we push God and his will in a corner. Faith is nice and God makes us feel good but we leave it there. We go on with our lives without God and radical faith. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words…

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By Loving Forces

By Loving Forces

One of my favorite hymns is the one made from the poem “By Loving Forces” written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in prison. He sent it to his family for Christmas to bring hope and assurance. And this hymn still does it every time. So if you’re in dire need of encouragement in the midst of hardships, this song is for you. I’ve always loved the Finnish hymn made from the poem. Today, I fell in love with the newer German version…

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Deep Connection with God

Deep Connection with God

Do you feel small? It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Especially, if you remember feeling small before the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is awesome that God Almighty loves us as we are. We are small but God cares and even wants to form a deep connection with each and everyone of us. When I look up at your skies,     at what your fingers made—     the moon and the stars     that you set firmly in place—          what…

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Where Your Treasure Is

Where Your Treasure Is

What has been on your mind lately? What (or who) is the center of your attention these days? Is it a new car or ? marriage troubles? Or lack of a dating partner or job opportunities? Or are you very excited about new travels or hobbies? Your answer tells a lot about you. These questions lead you the very things on which your life centers. The answers will tell you where your treasure is. “Do not store up for yourselves…

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Stay Firm in the Faith

Stay Firm in the Faith

Lately, I’ve grieved over friends (and everyone) who have once known the joy of salvation and then chosen to forsake Christ for the world. In some ways, they’ve forgotten the good God has done for them. They’ve forgotten how good God really is and how much we need him. They’ve forgotten how to stay firm in the faith. When I was younger, it was great to fellowship with other young Christians. But the ranks have thinned out considerably. I used…

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Exchange Blame for Grace!

Exchange Blame for Grace!

Isn’t it so easy to see the wrong in others? Since Adam and Eve, we’ve tried to blame anyone and everyone but ourselves. Sometimes we even blame God in order to make ourselves feel a bit better. But it does not work in the long run. We don’t get any cleaner by taking mud baths. Maybe it is time to exchange blame for grace? Look! Listen! God’s arm is not amputated—he can still save.    God’s ears are not stopped up—he…

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Spiritual Shades

Spiritual Shades

I just love this time of the year. The days are getting longer and soon we need – even here way up north – some sunglasses to protect us from the bright rays of the sun. Have you ever heard of spiritual shades? I hadn’t either. But, believe me, spiritual shades make sense in more ways than one. You see, just this morning I was discussing with my children about mirrored sunglasses. Our discussion started when my son said that…

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Lent and Our Limits

Lent and Our Limits

We are only a couple of days into Lent but we feel like we’d been trying to do this for weeks, right? It is hard to realize how dependent we are on some of our habits or sugar or something else we’re trying to stay away from. It really has been only a couple of days and we already feel like we’re fast approaching our limits. What to do now? No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the…

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Ash Wednesday Thoughts

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

It’s Ash Wednesday, folks! How do you feel about it? What do you think about Lent? Is it Biblical? Just this morning I was reading the ninth chapter of the gospel according to Matthew and just loved how Jesus said “…then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15). According to Jesus, there is time to feast and there is time to fast. Yesterday, on Mardi Gras, we feasted. Today, on Ash Wednesday, we begin to fast. Fasting does not get us to…

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When God Feels Distant

When God Feels Distant

Are you feeling right now that God is way too silent or, at least, the connection is static at its best? Don’t worry. Help is near. God is near. Even when God feels distant. As Frederich Buechner has said “There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize Him or not recognize Him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly.” There…

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