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The Gospel of Trial: God’s Verdict
John 18:28 – 19:16 – What Do You Stand for? Lately, I have been practicing withholding judgment against the inaction of individual’s. I’ve begun this practice because I’m recognizing that the inaction of others most often results from ignorance or lack of urgency, not from maliciousness or hatred. I don’t want to put someone on…
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Trading the 2nd Amendment for the 2nd Commandment
John 18:11, Matthew 26:52-54, Luke 22:49-51 Our Swords are Our Guns and It’s Time to Put Them Away I’m not writing specifically about the 2nd amendment. And my intention here is not to lobby for change in the political arena. I don’t like loud yelling, whistle blowing or things that divide people unless it is…
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The Cutting Gospel: Separating the Should and Should Not
John 18:1-27- Imagine the Divine Impulse Have you ever been disappointed in yourself after acting on impulse? Considering how frequently in the Gospels Peter acts on impulse, I imagine he was disappointed in himself often. But I am convinced that our impulsive action in ignorance does not disappoint God as much as it disappoints us.…
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The Praying Gospel: Are you Curious?
John 17 – We are all 20-year old gypsy train wrecks We made it this far. The last large exposition from Jesus in the Gospel of John is one long prayer. It is a prayer for glorification, a prayer for the disciples, and a prayer for contagious joy and complete unity among all who will…
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The Overcoming Gospel: Are you Over?
John 16 John 16 is the 3rd of 4 chapters of very long expositions from Jesus. This chapter in particular, deals with Jesus leaving. He is explaining to his followers that when He leaves, the Holy Spirit will come and fill them. The Spirit will also give them knowledge. Then he talks about not being…
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The Gospel of Grow: Tangled Up in You
John 15: I Don’t Know if This Ends The first sermon I preached during my first job in ministry was from John 15. 8 months later, the last sermon I preached during my first job in ministry was from John 15. That was 7 years ago. And since then, I’ve learned a lot about why…
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The Gospel of Go: Home is Who you Come Back To
John 14: The Many Rooms We Come To 14:3 “ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus the carpenter’s son, tells his disciples…
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The Betrayal and Denial Gospel: When you “Can’t” Control Yourself
John 13:18-38: Shared Bread Psalm 41:9 Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned (lifted up their heel) against me. The thing about betrayal, the thing about denial that allows both of them to deal damage is intimacy. Truth be told, I give as much credence to ridicule or…
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Imagination Love
The romance you require is rote it is more stable than whimsical perhaps more ideal and less physical mine does not need to emote I confuse necessity with reality whats real to me isn’t necessarily ideal. These dreams proceed warily the exact and fact don’t appeal to me I’ve held onto every fiber of…
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The Cleansing Gospel: My Favorite
Sufficiency This currency of mine it will lift you like a house hung from a balloon or a wife off her feet by her husband This urgency of time let it pass you like the drive in a car to vacation like angst before returning home This destination is a comma in the adventure where…