Category: Meditations
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The insidious power of unchallenged sin
Our UMC District Superintendent for the Connecticut District, Ken Kieffer wrote a powerful admonition on the destructive power of sin in our lives. He uses an anaology that communicates well and writes with humor too. There is much wisdom in this article.
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Give Thanks to God
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits Psalm 103:1-2 NIV84 Today my daughter and her husband and our two grandchildren visited us. What a joy to hug them all. Even though we see them regularly, it…
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Pray for Wise Peacemakers
My heart is filled with grief at the picture of Muslims affiliated with IS lining up Christian Copts for martyrdom. My mind reels. In addition, religiously motivated shootings in Denmark and France are shocking as the specter of anti-Semitism appears. The potential in humans for barbarity is surfacing in several places. On another front, I…
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Observations on the 2011 NIV
Now they’ve done it! They changed my favorite verse, my life verse. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Co. 9:8 1984 NIV) becomes “And God is able to bless…
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A 10 point strategy for dealing with the many charitable requests we receive?
Question: One of my parishioners recently wrote me about a dilemma that is certainly common to all of us today. “I received email from 6 organizations wanting donations from me today. This is pretty much a daily happening and it’s causing me mixed feeling. The question is how do I handle this situation? I have…
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Meditation on Prayers for Healing
A thoughtful discussion I have a good friend, Eva Boswell, with whom I have a running theological discussion about God’s will concerning healing. It is a good-natured discussion between friends and I think we both learn from each other’s perspectives. Both of us believe strongly that God does miraculously heal in answer to prayer and…
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About Ash Wednesday
Some of you have been asking me for more info about Ash Wednesday. As I was researching, I ran across this web articled by former pastor, Mark D. Roberts. It is excellent and worth passing on. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/ash-wednesday-practice-and-meaning/ I also found an excellent shorter article with more historical details by a Lutheran writer, Richard P. Bucher http://www.orlutheran.com/html/ash.html…
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A Plan for Quiet Times Alone with God in the New Year
“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Mt 6:6 NIV). “The first thing the Lord teaches his disciples is that they must have a secret place for prayer; every one…
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A child’s Christmas wonder is catching
It happened in the middle of the children’s program at church — the moment that crystalized the essence of the Christmas sermons I have been preparing. Little Parker, who is barely tall enough to see over the edge of the altar table, stopped in front of the table and peered into the middle of the…
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Nursing home visitation will be rewarded as a ministry to the least of these
A friend, Phil, in Kirkville wrote me that he was joining a ministry of nursing home visitation. I thought my comments to him, might be of encouragement to others too. So here they are as a post. May God bless you in your new ministry venture, Phil, and all like you who minister in nursing…