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Remembering that It Happened Once
It has become a tradition for us to publish a poem for the Christmas blog. So much Christmas poetry has either romanticized the day or, especially in modern poetry, found despair and resignation. What I like about this poem of Wendell Berry’s is his expectancy in the ordinary. It’s unfortunate that the word “mundane” has come to mean dull and lacking interest or describing something unremarkable because so much of Wendell Berry’s writing is about the mundane. It is about this world. The daily rounds of chores and long relationships. The routines and tasks that are uneventful – at least on the surface. But that is both the setting of this poem…
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Words for Bob Garrett
We came to Tyler 30 years ago. Not long after we arrived, I had the privilege to meet and know men and women who had carried public and charitable responsibility in this community for a long time and did so until they died. Men like James and Wilton Fair. I don’t know if all of them would have described it this way but to me they had a call to this community. They had wealth and they had an ingrained sense of caring for others. They had allowed this community to have a claim on their lives. Allowing others to have a claim on your life is what money is…
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The Invisible Man
This week we heard the news that Invisible Children is shutting down, which brought back memories of founder Jason Russell’s time with us at The Gathering in 2005 – just one year after he and two friends had completed the original film. Everyone in the room at The Gathering that year was in disbelief at what these young people had done in making a documentary in a war zone in Uganda. It began as an idea to actually film the war in Darfur. The friends bought a used camera on eBay and headed to Darfur but were threatened by the Lord’s Resistance Army and were detoured to Uganda where they ended…
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The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit: Mark 9:14-32
1. I think every retreat I attended concluded with this story and the warning that returning from a mountain top experience we were likely to face the reality and frustration we had left to get away for a few days. We leave the mountain and return to the valley of real life. It’s true but especially true for Jesus and the three disciples as they have just experienced not merely a retreat but a transfiguration and revelation of God himself. Why even return? Why not stay there? But, like Moses, Jesus returns to find everyone in confusion and uproar. It’s not worshiping a golden calf but an argument. While…
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Psalm 148
1. As we get older we tend to focus on what matters most. I have several friends who tell me they have stopped reading business magazines or current events. Instead, they have started reading Shakespeare, Ecclesiastes, Job or other classics whose themes and wisdom are more fundamental and tested. I’ve thought about that when I look at the last six psalms David wrote. All of them begin with “Alleluia” or “Praise The Lord”. They all are reflections on the larger themes of life and the faithfulness of God through it all. “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the…
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Created To Rest
Last week we talked about our being created to work. And we talked about the purposes of our work not just being to provide for our families but we listed several “so that’s” about work. So that we will not be a burden to others. So that we may win respect. So that we can live a productive life. So that we can provide for our families. So that we can share with those in need. So that our generosity and lives will result in thanksgiving to God. This week we are going to talk about God’s creating rest from our work – not just so we can recharge for…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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The New Centaur
The Imitation Game is a new movie that tells the story of Alan Turing and his near miraculous breaking of the Nazi “Enigma” code during World War II. Historians believed that by cracking that code, Turing may have shaved two years off of the war. The movie’s title comes from the “Turing Test,” another one of the mathematician’s genius achievements. To put it simply, the Turing Test is a test of a computer’s ability to imitate intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Is it possible to develop an artificial intelligence that can not only imitate but replace human intelligence? Don’t be too quick to say…
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False Witness: Exodus 20:16
There is probably more Scripture about lying than any other sin other than greed – and they do go hand in hand more often than not. The first lie is in the Garden when Satan causes Eve to question the goodness of God. In fact, in John 8:44 it says that Satan is the Father of Lies. It is the one thing he does – the only thing he does in fact. He lies. Scott Peck says that the source of all lies is fear and the primary motive of the cover-up is fear. The central characteristic of the liar is the willingness to sacrifice everyone for their cover-up.…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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Semper Fi
What happens to a dream deferred? Caleb didn’t forget his dream or give it up. He lived a true life.
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Caleb
A couple of things have happened this week that started me thinking about Caleb. The first was an email conversation with a young friend. In last week’s blog I had quoted a poem by Wendell Berry that said: “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it.” My friend had coffee with one of his friends and part of the exchange sounded like, “That’s all well and good but not for those of us who live in the real world. Those options are not open to…
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