united (47)

Ian

Is Swearing Bad?

Leviticus 5:4–6; Numbers 30:10–16; Deuteronomy 12:29–32; Judges 11:29–40; Matthew 5:37 (read online ⧉) No, we’re not talking about bad language. We are talking about making and “taking” oaths. All elected politicians take oaths regarding following the law and upholding the respective (state or US) constitution.

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Ian

Throne of Hearts

Psalm 47; Job 23:3–12; Job 26:2–14; John 1:43–51 (read online ⧉) The Stone of Scone is a stone that supposedly all the “legitimate” rulers of Scotland were/are crowned on. After one of the many wars between England and Scotland, the English King Edward I took…

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Ian

Roads and Gates

Psalm 113; Matthew 7:13–23; John 14:1–7 (read online ⧉) “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” is often presented in the same vein as “…the narrow gate.” Yet, “the way” isn’t the same. The Greek ὁδός (hodos) is a relatively generic term that…

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Ian

Blowing Smoke Into Our Own Eyes

Isaiah 30:8–13 (read online ⧉) Hearing the truth about ourselves is often uncomfortable. We like to hear good stuff, but do our best to avoid that feels bad, or might cause us to look at ourselves badly. We are not alone. When Isaiah is sent…

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Ian

Relating Relationally

Genesis 24:1–27, Ruth 2:1–16, 1 Corinthians 7:1–9, Hebrews 11:13–22 (read online ⧉) Arranged marriages are nothing new. Many arranged marriages were and are political, financial, or just friends “knowing” their children should be together. The story of Isaac and Rebekah doesn’t quite fall into those…

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