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image by Aliane Kramarik
Before beginning, or getting immersed, in a relationship, we're better off knowing as much as we can about a person's nature, character, values, and beliefs. Haven't we all been hurt, or betrayed, by someone we thought we knew? Or, pleasantly surprised? For us, who want to follow Jesus, knowing who he is becomes even more critical. Our lives, our eternal destinies, depend on that.
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The time arrived to sell my first car, a yellow 1964 Falcon Futura, much like the one above, so to save every cent for the next vehicle I consulted a friend in the car business. I wanted a dollar figure on its worth, but he surprised me, "Tim, the car is worth as much, and no more, than you can get a person to pay for it." The implications of that concept have followed me for decades, and they directly impact the level of our intimacy with God. Our intimacy directly connects to the depth of our connection.
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image by dreamstime.com
OK, it's time! A few weeks ago I did a humorous tongue in cheek rant about how early some began to celebrate Christmas. Two weeks before Thanksgiving is too soon for outside lights and Facebook posts! So now that we've finished the Thanksgiving weekend, it's time for Christmas to begin. But why now? I mean, why do we celebrate thebirth of Jesus on December 25? Most of us know ...
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pilot whale image by whoi.com
Jesus statements often haunt me. Particularly "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). Not should, might, or may. Will. Why was that word so definite? Because loving Jesus means loving his life, loving what he wants us to become. Realizing that comprises the heart of a loving relationship: he is both Savior and Lord. The reverse seems obvious--if we have no desire to obey Jesus, we...
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This post comes weighted with a significant amount of trepidation. First, in our two years together, posts that focus on how faith touches current affairs tend to draw the most interest. This one will not directly do that. Second, readers who love action-filled and fast-paced stories, or those who have no interest in fly fishing, might not get grabbed right away by our central story. But I encourage you hang in there, because our topic has tremendous relevance to our walk with Jesus. The pic above comes from the movie A River Runs Through It, taken from
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I never realized tuning a guitar had such complicated principles behind it! Of course, my tonal ability ranks with a paramecium, or likely lower, but this site, one that described how the right tension is set for a guitar string, based on the type of guitar, the style of playing, the diameter of the string, the amplitude of vibration and more, amazed me with the technical details. To summarize it, though, the correct and appropriate tension on a string allows beautiful music to be played by an excellent guitarist. But proper tuning requires two fixed points, the tuners and the tailpiece, connected by the string. If you want to confirm this, check out frudua.com/guitar_strings_tension.htm. Following Jesus compares to that--we must accept the tension between...
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We do this every day, especially when Facebook discussions veer into politics. We hear what was said, evaluate it, see which position has the most weight, and call that correct, our stance. But often wise people, including sincere followers of Jesus, see the same situation and evidence and reach different conclusions. Why?
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Image by successandfailure.net
Most of us have heard the line, "When you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember your objective is to drain the swamp."
Good advice for life. We don't have to allow the present to dominate our thoughts and emotions. Let's not get so obsessed by enjoying the present that we ignore saving for retirement. Let's not get so obsessed with our current problems that we ignore more serious but less immediately urgent ones. I struggle with that, particularly in the world of the spiritual life.
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