A Fastball

August 22, 2008

It was an early ride for Mary and me. We love throwing on our biking gear and heading toward downtown Denver. This morning the miles melted away like a popsicle on a blistering hot day. My mind raced, and my legs barely noticed that I was exercising. Thirteen miles after I had mounted my trusty […]

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Embrace the Overlooked

August 15, 2008

The polls were still open, the commentators were still speculating and the candidates were debating their positioning with intensity and passion. They had spent enough time with the incumbent to mimic a portion of His behavior and lifestyle. It was simply the right moment to discuss placement. Who was leading the pack? Who had most […]

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Our Father

August 8, 2008

Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hollowed be your name ~ Matthew 6:9 As Jesus took the disciples to the schoolhouse of prayer, He positions every word with meticulous care. At the outset, Jesus defines, not only how to pray, but how to interpret the most basic of our human needs. Just hours […]

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Compassion Without Compromise

August 1, 2008

430 people. Mostly high school students. Primarily disenfranchised from a meaningful relationship with God. Some addicted. Some abused. Some angry. Some tortured with shame. Some bolstered by a worship of self. Some guarded. Some vulnerable. Some callused. Some tender and ready. On Sunday evening I will walk onto a small stage, in front of a […]

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All Means All

July 25, 2008

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” ~ Genesis 3:1 These words, whispered from the craftiest of all creatures, have cascaded through history and into the […]

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A Puzzling Relationship

July 18, 2008

And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise […]

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Radiant Grace

July 11, 2008

As Jesus embarks on a God-sized field trip with Peter, James and John, we read about the mind boggling results. They were on a high mountain, and Jesus was transformed in His appearance right before their eyes. And as this happened, even His clothing was changed: intensely white (ESV) dazzling white (NIV) exceedingly white (NASB) […]

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To the Mountain

July 4, 2008

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray. ~ Matthew 14:23 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. ~ Matthew 15:29 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter […]

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A Roundabout Way

June 27, 2008

It often seems to me that as Jesus taught His disciples an important lesson, He didn’t take the “shortest route.” For instance, in Matthew 16 Jesus warns His band of followers about the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It was clear that Jesus had a deep concern about the doctrinal stance and the […]

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I Just Want More

June 20, 2008

Do you see anything? And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” ~ Mark 8:23, 24 Uh oh. This looks an awful lot like Jesus misfired on His supernatural power and either underestimated the force of the defect, or He misappropriated His healing power. In either case, when […]

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