living (133)

Ian

Heart of God, Speak

Deuteronomy 18:15–20; Mark 1:21–28 Prophetic speech is not unique to the Judeo-Christian community, not by a long shot. In the current world, there are many forms of prophetic voice. A short list (i.e., not exhaustive) of prophetic voices: environmental collapse; sustainability (related, but not the…

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Ian

In All Things

Revelation 2:12–17 A conversation that I have had many times, and you may, too, is why are there so many denominations? Aren’t we all one? Don’t we all believe the same thing? There are some things that are common among Christian denominations: God “the Father”,…

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Ian

Flame Bright in the Dark

Matthew 25:1–13 The Nicene Creed (one of the statements of belief that cross all Christian denominations) is as follows (maybe even read it aloud): We believe in one God,        the Father, the Almighty,        maker of heaven and earth,        of all that is,…

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Ian

Advent Set Aside

Zechariah 14:1–9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–18 So often, it takes destruction for transformation. Far too many stories, whether Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery, Narcotics Anonymous, or others involve someone hitting rock bottom before a turn-around occurs. The opening words from this passage from Zechariah are brutal. The…

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Ian

Prepare to Prepare

Psalm 80; Zechariah 13:1–9; Revelation 14:6–13 If you’ve ever watched a professional chef (besides the competition ones), they will often have pre-cut and -measured ingredients so that when a customer orders a dish, most of the time-consuming work is completed. If you’ve ever ordered a…

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