Category: Uncategorized
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Musings from Camp
This week our students are going to camp. This will be the second camp of the summer for our church. The first camp, Children’s Camp, was absolutely wonderful. Children playing, worshipping Jesus, and growing in Him is amazing. There is something about seeing children singing and playing their hearts out that is inspiring. They go…
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The Unexpected Power of Thankfulness
There are things which are deceptively powerful. Those tiny air fresheners for cars are not for everyone. For most of my family, they are just too powerful for us to enjoy the scent. Yet, you can’t deny their affect! In the Christian life we have such a deceptively powerful ally to our walk of faith.…
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Practice Makes Perfect
Have you ever met someone who is really good at their job? My wife and I went on a pizza tour of Chicago a few years ago. I was very impressed with the pizza (of course!), but I was also impressed with our guide. He did not just talk to us about pizza. He also…
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Tell Me Your Story
Making simple things difficult is alarmingly easy to do. Now, if we all loved hard things it wouldn’t be a big deal. However, too often hard things intimidate us. What is sad is when we make something difficult that isn’t really difficult. Talking to people about Jesus is one of those things. When it comes…
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Live the Word
Confidence. It can come naturally. It can also come from training. What about those of us who are naturally charismatic or haven’t gone through extensive training? Can we have real confidence to face either struggles or the naysayers of life? What can give everyday Christians the confidence of the apostles? Now as they observed the…
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We Can Worship
We read in the Psalms, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His…
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Being Welcomed by Jesus
Last Sunday I visited a friend’s church. He was preaching through two of the post-resurrection passages where Jesus appeared to His disciples. His opening thoughts got me to thinking. He posed this question: as the disciples wrestled with the reality of the resurrected Jesus, did they wonder how He fit into their lives now that…
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How Precious is the Crucifixion to Us?
Why does the crucifixion matter? Why do we talk about the blood? There are those in the world that are surprised that we still talk about the death of Jesus every year. However, His death is central to the message of Jesus. It wasn’t peripheral to Jesus. It should not be forgotten by us. Then…
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Thinking deeply as We Head to the Cross
For us, many things happen by accident. We have flat tires that make us late for work. We have trees that lose branches and knock out windows. We forget our keys, have to call our family, and are late for an appointment. Yet, in the life of our Lord Jesus, the cross was no accident.
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Mediocrity with Jesus?
Mediocrity. When you hear that word, what do you think about? When I think about mediocrity I think about not trying. I think about settling for less because it is easier. When I think about my relationships, especially my relationship with God, I don’t want to be mediocre.
Pastor John D Jakes 