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Our faith can be reduced to a point where we no longer expect God to do something amazing in the cosmos that would dramatically change our world. We can accept dogmatic interpretations of the end of time that remove the possibility of cosmos-shifting events occurring...
I saw a news clip where reporters were all declaring the same phrase. It started with one reporter appearing on the screen, then a second one appeared followed by more reporters until the screen became a concert of images all saying the same prepared line. There was a...
The life of each believer is marked by the blood of Jesus Christ. When evil passes our way, His blood covering becomes our shield of protection. Of all the things that cause the devil concern, the blood of Jesus Christ is at the top of his list. The blood marks us as...
Dear Anonymous You have visited all our lives from time to time. You come shrouded in the perceived safety of anonymity to deliver your comments of dissatisfaction and dishonor. Your words find a way into the comment section of blogs, websites or get...
Whatever happened to the spiritual response called feeling? Some people think our feelings are never accurate and cannot be trusted. These same people are afraid if we allow a person to get in touch with their emotional response to God and life that...
The greatest damage to our lives doesn’t come from the onslaught of hell or the evil plans of another human being. The greatest damage comes from self-inflicted wounds. In my own life, I don’t need the devil or an ornery person to cause me harm. I can do a...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #22 Just Show Up Some of the greatest things in life happen when you simply choose to show up. Choose to show...
When I was a young cop, I was working the midnight shift as a rookie. My training officer and I received a call to respond to a domestic dispute. These calls carry the potential for violence because people release a lifetime of pain in a single, unscripted moment...
On June 4, 1851, three men laid a stone in the west hills of Portland, Oregon that would later become known as the Willamette Stone. The Willamette Stone was used as the initial point of reference for all future land survey measurements taken in Oregon, Washington and...
Today, I saw the image of a tsunami approaching the West Coast of the United States. This is not a natural tsunami, but a tsunami of answered prayers. When this tsunami strikes our coastline it will break upon our communities with supernatural power. At some...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #21 Arguing In Absence One of the most devastating things you can do is to allow an argument to take place in your...
When scripture tells us a peace is available that “exceeds anything we can understand” it means peace is available even when what is causing our lack of peace is still present and active in our life. This is a God-peace that comes in the middle of the turmoil and...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #20 Avoid Early Criticism Make the choice to not align with the first critical voices that demand your alignment...
(“Thoughts I Want To Leave Behind” is a collection of thoughts and impressions I want to leave behind as I begin to make my final pastoral transition.) #19 Trusting Your Team When I was a young police officer, I was part of a SWAT team. On these special...
#18 Lessons Learned From A Dry Lake This week, I learned that one of our local lakes was drying up. Emigrant Lake is located on the outskirts of Ashland, Oregon. It was first created in 1924 and then expanded to its current size in 1960 to service the...