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Ears to Hear
I pray none of my college professors read this late confession. I went to school in a time that valued citations and footnotes – not so much original thought. I learned this the hard way but over time figured out how to game the system. Here is the part I hope they do not read. If I had something I thought original to say and obviously did not have a recognized source, I would make one up and create a fake footnote. I knew the professor was far more likely to give credence to a published source than a student. I also knew the teaching assistant quickly grading the paper…
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Three Roads
The Beatles’ album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” begins with these lyrics: “It was twenty years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play They’ve been going in and out of style But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile So may I introduce to you The act you’ve known for all these years Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” Well, almost to the day it has been 24 years since Carol and I started teaching this class in 1997. It was not long before there was almost a complete turnover in the people attending. Early on one of the original members said to me, “Well, you’ve about cleared…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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The Crucifixion
After an earthquake, scientists work to find both the epicenter and the hypocenter. We know what the epicenter is: It is the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the initial quake. It is not the origin of the quake but the spot directly above it on the surface. The actual quake begins deep below the epicenter in what is called the hypocenter. It is the point in the crust of the earth where the rupture actually occurs. The epicenter is the visible evidence of the hypocenter. In the crucifixion, we have both. The quake of the victory over sin and death is located here – at the cross. You…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
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Talking to Elephants
I pray none of my college professors read this late confession. I went to school in a time that valued citations and footnotes – not so much original thought. I learned this the hard way but over time figured out how to game the system. Here is the part I hope they do not read. If I had something I thought original to say and obviously did not have a recognized source, I would make one up and create a fake footnote. I knew the professor was far more likely to give credence to a published source than a student. I also knew the teaching assistant quickly grading the paper…
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Some Larger Way
Some of you know I have taught a Sunday School class for 40 years. It’s my anchor as much as my pulpit. For much of that time I taught on topics or passages I chose but then I put myself under the discipline of teaching the “lectionary.” Baptists don’t call it that but that’s what it is. It is the assigned passage sent from Nashville. There are times when I would rather break out and go back to being independent but I guess this is my feeble attempt at growing in sanctification. For years, the word “sanctification” conjured up images of determined efforts to do better. You know Grant Woods’…
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Garden of Gethsemane
With the exception of John, all of the Gospels have an account of the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. While Luke has something of an abbreviated version both Mark and Matthew give us more detail. So, again, let’s read from Matthew’s account. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep…
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Jacob Wrestles With God
