Category: Uncategorized
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A New Year’s Immanuel Choice
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20But as he considered…
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Auto Repair and Prayer
9If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.–Proverbs 28 I used to own an 1985 Chevy Astro Van that I called “The Beast”. The Beast always had something wrong with it. And at some point, my more mechanically-minded friends told me to pick up a Chilton Manual…
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A Quarantine Memory
20Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.–Proverbs 16 I recall during the quarantine of 2021 being a substitute ‘teacher’. I oversee support groups at my church and during that season, we ran them on zoom. I recall that our DivorceCare men’s leader had a…
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Counter-Cultural Leaders
1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all…
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Rejection
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to…
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Exclusive
3And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4So the people of…
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Divine Battle
1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground…
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Talk to God, Not About
1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field…
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What’s in your hands?
6Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.–Ecclesiastes 4 The word for quietness is linked to both peace and rest. This tells us that there is a peace and quiet that doesn’t really bring rest. Some pursue peace and simply escape their issue or never deal…
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Intentional Speech
28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.–Proverbs 15 I played a season on my college’s improv team. I was encouraged by friends who were current team players to try out, and I had just enough Chris Farley-esque physical comedy skills to make an…
Joel M Bradshaw 