Tag: joy
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Allowance for Lament
I have been generally struggling with many Christians seeming inability to deal with lament. I don’t know whether it is the trap of the positive thought movement or if people just fear emotions other than happiness, but I’m finding people are way quicker to condemn individuals for lamenting than for expressing happy idyllic skewed images…
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Saint Listener and Hearing Different
If you are looking for a good cry, I would suggest seeing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” the new Mr. Rogers documentary. If you’ve been wanting to feel like you’re endeavor to love and to be a compassionate human being falls far short of perfection, I’d also suggest watching the movie. What I found most…
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The Appearing Gospel: Look Who Showed Up
John 20: 1-23 – Stay in Awe When was the last time you stood in awe or wonder of something? When was the last time something left you dazed and confused? In the Gospel of John chapter 20, individuals are still living in the shock and shadow of the death of Jesus. Early, on the…
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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…
The Reconstructed 