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Battleground: Christmas
It’s that time of year again when Christians and Non-Christians join in our annual bickering over Christmas. It’s a culture war that won’t go away. Just type in “War on Christmas” in Google and having...
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What Are You Waiting For?
I’m not very good at waiting- or sitting still for that matter. If you call me on the phone, I usually have to stand up and pace around while we talk. But there is nothing like having to “hurry up and...
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The Absence of God
I’ve been reading Eugene Peterson’s book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, very slowly this Fall. The other day I came across a line that has been on my heart and mind ever since. He writes, “The...
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Beautiful Feet
The prophet Isaiah writes, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings Good News, the Good News of peace and salvation, the Good News that the God of Israel reigns.” Isaiah...
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Resources for Advent 2014
One of the favorite memories as a kid was the Advent Countdown that my mom made my sister and I. Each day of Advent, we’d get a piece of candy and countdown the days until Christmas. It was a way of...
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Elf on the Shelf and Discipling Children
It is no secret among my friends that I am not a big fan of The Elf of the Shelf- the widely popular little guy who gets into mischief each night leading up to Christmas. It is interesting to see the...
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The Real War on Christmas
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called Battleground: Christmas where I shared my feelings over “the war on Christmas.” While you should go back and read the post, the short end of it is this:...
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A Child’s Prayer
The other night at dinner our eldest daughter, Abbie, prayed this line as part of her dinner blessing- “Help us to be proactive in loving our neighbors.” I was caught off-guard for a few reasons....
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Awkward Family Christmas: Pt. 1
Yesterday, at Hope and Magnolia churches, we began a new series called “Awkward Family Christmas.” On the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas, we’ll be looking at some of the people in Jesus’ genealogy...
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To Carol or Not to Carol
This past Sunday, we hosted an old-fashioned Pastor’s Christmas Open House at our place where 50 people from both of our churches gathered for a few hours of cookies and conversation. We had a blast...
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Vintage Christmas Playlist: Anticipation of Hope
This Sunday at Hope/Magnolia Church we began our Advent Series entitled: A Vintage Christmas Playlist. We’ll be looking at four songs in the birth narratives of Jesus. This Sunday, the first Sunday of...
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Vintage Christmas: Sharing the Joy of Christmas
I love the Youtube video of the N64 Kids. The brother and sister are overflowing with joy as they received an N64 for Christmas. They rejoiced over this gift. If you have ever given a gift, this is...
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Why We Cancelled Worship on Christmas
Our church cancelled worship on Christmas Day. (Just hold your rocks for a moment.) I have seen post from clergy colleagues on my denominations Facebook pages who are completely amazed that anyone...
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God Breaks Through
Growing up I was always filled with amazement on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. There was a near palpable difference in the atmosphere that night and morning.I remember one Christmas Eve where...
View ArticleAdvent: The Christ Candle
*A week or so late, but I wanted to post.* Over the past four weeks, we have been in the season of Advent. Advent is not a countdown to Christmas, but a season of waiting, expectation, and...
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