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Christian Living

What Do You Expect When You Pray?

When some people pray, they pray expecting God will answer their prayers and good things will happen. When other people pray, they pray expecting there’s only an outside chance God will come through; bad things are bound to happen. When you pray do you expect God to say “yes” or expect him to say “no?” […]

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Bible Insights

More Thoughts About Holy Spirit Power

The Bible writes that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and the result of this spiritual/physical union was Jesus—it was a virgin birth. This supernatural impregnation was the spiritual superseding the physical. And if God can do that, he can certainly heal our bodies and restore us to health. He has the power to […]

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Christian Living

The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Great Three in One The prophet Isaiah gives four descriptive names for Jesus. They are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. However, I tend to think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and so forth, but not so much the names Isaiah gives. In fact, to me, Wonderful Counselor seems […]

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Bible Insights

Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say?

Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say? Did you know there are multiple versions of the Lord’s Prayer—the prayer Jesus used to teach his followers how to pray? Matthew records the most common version, which goes something like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be […]

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Christian Living

Adopting a Jewish Affinity

I was recently on LinkedIn and a familiar name from long ago popped up as someone I might know. At least it was a most familiar name, for in this instance my friend’s name was preceded with the word Rabbi. I was intrigued. I knew him through work and hadn’t seen him in twenty years. […]

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Bible Insights

Ungodly Men in the Church

The book of Jude—which I’ve blogged about quite a bit—addresses ungodly men in the church, not those outside the church. Jude’s key passage is verse 11, where he compares ungodly men in the church to Cain, Balaam, and Korah. It’s noteworthy that each of these men has an overlooked connection with God, as do ungodly […]

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Christian Living

The Birds Are Singing

I’ve worked at home for over twenty years. With a home office, it’s critical to have a professional, work-like environment. This is especially true when you are on a phone call (or video call). There can be no household noises, such as blaring TVs or radios, crying children, barking dogs, or talking spouses. These sounds […]

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Christian Living

What Does an “Unspoken Request” Really Mean?

At a church I recently visited, members shared prayer requests as part of the service. One lady raised her hand and simply said she had an “unspoken request.” Though I’ve not heard that phrase in a long time, it was a common utterance at a church I once attended. It was almost always said by […]

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Bible Insights

Who Were the Sons of Korah?

Several of the Psalms are attributed to “the sons of Korah.” These sons of Korah could have been the writers of those songs/prayers or perhaps the ones tasked with sharing them with others; that would effectively make them performers. It makes me wonder if the group called “The Sons of Korah” ever performed to standing-room-only […]

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Christian Living

The Festival of Faith and Writing

The Connections Between Faith and Writing Last weekend I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the words “faith” and “writing” both appear in the conference name, I expected the benefits of attending to be primarily writing related. While my expectations to learn more about the art and craft […]