Maybe this horrific tale that we've tried to turn into a children's nursery theme actually does have something good to tell us about who God is. Maybe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVp0X3YvSE&t=10
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This is a text version of the story I told at the opening worship this past week's Arts, Recreation and Worship Conference. You can find video at the bottom of the post. The whole story--our story, our faith story--begins and ends with water It all begins with the spirit of almighty God hovering over the water—an inky, black, watery abyss. Water left to its own devices will create chaos and wreak ...
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While most folks have at least a passing familiarity with at least part of the story of Samson, we often skip over the his origin story. And who doesn't love a good origin story? Last week, I was looking the beginning of Judges, Chapter 13 and (as Doubting Believer regulars know so often happens), I saw something new. I realized something that hadn't occurred to me before. Check it out. Listen to ...
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Here we are in this weird almost, but not quite, post-pandemic space. Things are not as bad as they were, but we're nowhere near what we hope our new normal will look like. Vaccine rates are up, but so are COVID rates. We can see the finish line, but we've still have to finish the race. As Christians we should be familiar with this feeling. We exist in the no ...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7GFKLgjEBk Isaiah 58:1-12 (The Message Translation) 1-3 “Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins!They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me.To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people— law-abiding, God-honoring.They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ and love having me on their side.But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look ...
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This week's Bible story is all about celebrating the lost being found. The message is one I created several years back, but decided to trot out just in time for International Women's Day (March 8). Know that you will never be so lost that God can't find you. You can never be so lost that God won't find you. And because you can never go anywhere God isn't, you'll discover that ...
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It's one of the many cool things about the Bible. Even the stories we've heard again and again and again still have new things to say to us. Listen with new ears to the story of the Good Samaritan and to what I learned from it this go-round. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pLNTGD2UaSbAcEAc5i39O?si=CFVcXP79RbeqCyZgZNubmA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dxf0Jpsm6Q
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Happy Fourth Sunday of Advent https://youtu.be/eiY2n322Ewo
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This week, we looked at the story of the call of Isaiah. You can listen to it on Bible Stories for Big Kids by clicking the button below or wherever you get your podcasts. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Qy6EHNijJ42nYqbxXYpTq?si=9cGofKATQzG2Sh3LJiaIhA Here are a few of my thoughts. It's not fair to compare ourselves to Isaiah (I mean, I never got an visions of winged creatures or heard the voice of God). But even if we don't ...
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This week's Narrative Lectionary scripture passage is just what we need to hear this week. If you haven't listened to this week's Bible Stories for Big Kids, you can listen wherever you get your podcasts or at the link below. Then checkout my message below. May we all find ways to move forward together as a community and a country. Jonah and American Ninevites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0FZS-NdqPs&t=3s
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This week our story is the one about the Golden Calf--a bunch of people who got tired of wandering in the dessert and starting believing they could come up with their own god (spoiler alert: it doesn't go well). If you haven't heard it year, you can listen here. https://open.spotify.com/episode/16HoUJTjCBfjH5vijmeIQr?si=mR1qdPjcTmWCn3XyxI5hQw Here's this week's short message, but one (I think) we all need to hear. https://youtu.be/RYl60DTT1fY Our Golden Calf Stay-Away-From-Idols playlist . https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2JSFd22YC3VXQJ4h1VnKi1?si=vtkVdvZiRoyY-aMGYP_mjQ Blessings ...
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This week the Promises Kept series was all about Abraham's backstory--or the prequel, if you will. Here's a recap of all things Abraham. If you haven't listened to this week's episode of the new podcast, get the story here. Counting Stars Here's the "official" Abraham playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2XVV8cBSELvgEAcXnzjc7x?si=uuUbTHFiRU-Abh2NPtAOyg This week's message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOnExiF0DZ0 I hope you feel you know a little more about Abraham and have found some encouragement in this story of ...
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It's August, y'all. Who thought this is where we'd be...in August? I still remember when churches had to cancel in-person Easter services and I thought, "well, at least this will make for some really fantastic Pentecost services." For those of you not familiar with the church calendar, Pentecost comes seven weeks after Easter--so of course, that didn't happen. But August? Really? Here we are debating whether or not kids should (or ...
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Take a listen to this song from Kate Campbell. It's one of her best. https://youtu.be/7xkaSNQJ_3o If you check out chapter 24 of Luke (which you can do in about five minutes in this handy video from the Bible Project), you'll see that it starts with people who are looking for Jesus, then some that have given up on looking for Jesus and then are totally surprised when Jesus shows up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb24Lk1Oh5M I ...
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It's the second Sunday of Advent. The time is drawing nigh. Houses are being decorated. Christmas cards are being addressed. Menus are being planned. Cantatas and children's pageants are being rehearsed. Budgets are starting to strain, and nerves are beginning to frazzle. We swore last year that we wouldn’t do it again. We would not spend our weekends and evenings elbowing through crowds or driving around in the rain searching ...
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