Across Church Street

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It would be just like him

The God of the Bible looks like Jesus, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. It would be just like him to go to the cross.

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Practicing Our Scales

Imagine if our walk with Christ, representing his kingdom in the world, were as practiced and pure as Hania Rani’s fingers on the piano keys.

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Rescue

I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.

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Your Roots Are Showing

The life that I bring to the world can only be found in my attachment to Christ. His presence with me is essential.

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Connection

I live in a U.S. county with traffic problems. It's a peninsula, and what's not swamp land has been developed. Building new roads is difficult and expensive. Making things worse, roads that could connect don't.

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What's in the Bowl?

During a spring trip, my wife and I purchased a glass bowl. It's colorful and handmade. When I turn the bowl upside down, nothing falls out. Does that make it empty?

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Define or Describe

Humans seem to like to define, label, and categorize things. Good definition requires perfect perspective. We can have confidence in definitions like “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) and “Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.” (John 17:3) These definitions come from God. Rarely is my perspective so exhaustive. But even when I can’t define, I can describe. And I can be confident in my descriptions provided I’m humble enough to consider a new insight or another person’s different description. Defining closes the knowing venture, while describing opens it up. That can be endlessly rewarding!

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Whois

Being before doing. True for individuals and groups.

  • Knowing God (intimacy) is eternal life. (Jn 17:3)

  • Jesus is eternal life made manifest. (1 Jn 1:2)

  • To know Jesus (intimacy) is to know the Father (intimacy). (Jn 8:19)

  • God is other (holy). Be distinct as he is distinct. (Lev. 20:7)

  • Be immersed in God's name (his character). (Matt 28:19)

  • Do not misuse God's name (his reputation). (Ex 20:7, Lev 21:6a)

  • Jesus is the vine of eternal life. Live from that vine. (Jn 15, Rom 11)

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Happy Thanksgiving!

God's manifold grace. A day to be grateful and to accept responsibility.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17

Two gauges of spiritual maturity to consider today. The first is gratitude. Do we recognize that everything we have is a gift from God— his grace? Can we show him our gratitude? Another gauge is responsibility— faithful stewards of the many forms of God's grace. We enjoy his gifts as we share them with others.

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