heart (251)

Ian

Chosen

Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Genesis 9:8–17; Ephesians 1:3–6 I don’t remember elementary school sports very much. I do know that while I was never picked first, I was rarely picked last. I was neither particularly good nor bad at sports, hence being a middle pick. I…

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Ian

Missed A Spot

Psalm 84; Ezra 6:1–16; Mark 11:15–19 If you are unaccustomed to the lectionary (again, what is being used this year for the passages), it can seem odd, annoying, and definitely repetitious to see the same Psalm for multiple days. As I, too, am reading it…

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Ian

Feeling Real

Psalm 84; 1 Kings 6:1–4, 21–22; 1 Corinthians 3:10–23 Based upon the description of the First Temple, it was impressive. The structure perched on a hill made it even more so. Culturally, physically, and religiously, it was the center of the Israelite city. We are…

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Ian

Strange People

Exodus 20:1–17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; John 2:13–24 Jesus’ “cleaning” of the Temple is often focused on how the Jews “corrupted” the House of God. There is truth in it. The scary part is that it often seems to be a, “look at them”…

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Ian

Before and After

Psalm 105:1–11, 37–45; Genesis 21:1–7; Hebrews 1:8–12 “Remember the wondrous works he has done…” It would be nice to say that part of the culture and religious practices of the Jews made them different than others. Christians don’t have that luxury. We are the spiritual…

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