The Consequences of Increasing Violence with Business

“Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth;...

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Jesus is Jesus, Followers or Not

Jesus is completely confident in Himself and doesn’t need followers to give Him worth. He makes all of these declarations about who He is throughout John 6, and then finishes by saying, “do you want to leave too?” to His closest disciples. There were a couple times in the desert of Exodus that God told Moses that He was going...

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Jesus: The Enemy Genius

John 6:66-71After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of...

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The Risk of Generosity and Con-(wo)Men

It’s been quite a week in our neighborhood. Tuesday night we had about 50 Jr. High kids come down and help out on our street. They picked up tons of sticks and bundled them all up and raked a lot of grass and leaves into bags. It was good to walk down the street and see them all working so hard, and then talk to my neighbors some...

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Jesus and the Ubiquitous Poor

When Jesus said, “You will always have the poor with you.” He was not giving an excuse or being overwhelmed. Many people read this like it’s Jesus’ commentary on how we should care for the poor. “Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing...

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