© 2024 Rod Long. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash. Used by permission.

“Familiarity breeds contempt,” so the adage claims. I suggest a parallel truism. Familiarity breeds inattentiveness. I’ll illustrate with a familiar incident in the life of Jesus, one we have read and heard countless times, commonly referred to as “the rich, young ruler.” What Must I Do?” And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must…

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© 2019 Stuart Miles. All Rights Reserved. freedigitalphotos.net Used by permission.

I decided to buy my wife, Alean, a new car. For years she has blazed her way around town in a sporty, red, Ford Mustang. It was a cute car, and it was very fun to drive, but as she and I age, our center of gravity shifts and muscle aches rise, and we have…

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Sebastien - a.k.a. "Stinker"

We have a new kitten in our home. I named him Sebastien, but we are thinking his real name should be “Stinker,” because he is quite mischievous. Sebastien was a feral kitten, being carried in his mother’s mouth as she and the family crossed a busy street in Salina, Kansas. While crossing, an automobile struck…

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© 2018 Jon Tyson. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash Used by permission.

© 2018 Jon Tyson. All Rights Reserved. UnsplashUsed by permission. I no longer do so, but there was a time when I served in full-time ministry, and the majority of that work was done in the context of the university campus, initially as the Director of the Louisiana Tech University Christian Student Center, and subsequent…

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© 2018 Cosmic Timetraveler. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash. Used by permission.

Beautiful Gardens Just to the north of where Alean and I live is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sites you can ever hope to visit. One hundred and six years in the making, the Butchart Gardens inspire awe from everyone who sees them. If you have not seen them, a trip to Victoria, British…

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© 2018 Daniel Garcia. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash. Used by permission.

I marvel, at times, regarding the various trends that seem to captivate the attention of huge numbers of people. More often than not, I have no idea how or where the trend started, or what it is that keeps it going. Consider the recent national obsession with bacon. Seriously, what is up with that? Yes,…

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© 2017 Aenigmatis-3D Rights Reserved. Pixabay Used by Permission.

My first year in full-time ministry, I worked with a small church in Ruston, Louisiana. I still recall one Sunday morning, walking into the church building and overhearing a lively discussion going on in one of the adult classrooms. With a loud slap of his hand on the table, a frustrated man shouted, “Dammit! I’m…

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© 2017 Jon Tyson. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash. Used by permission.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, ESV The word “gospel” is an English tweak of an…

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© 2017 David Charles Schuett. All Rights Reserved. Unsplash. Used by permission.

In the opening of the Gospel of John, we have a beautiful description of God incarnate, coming to “pitch his tent” among humanity. In the midst of that description is this beautiful, poetic line: “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” – John 1:16, ESV As though grace was not enough, we,…

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