Some people are confident—we kind of admire them. Some are over-confident. Confidence isn’t a bad thing—quite good, actually. We need confidence daily, even when we don’t think about it, as…
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The sermon on the mount—Matthew tells us that Jesus spoke to the people on a mount, a big, high hill. Maybe that would remind Jewish listeners of Moses on the…
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Mark presents what’s happening over these Sundays as a consecutive series of encounters, sharp arguments and stunning responses, all in the Temple, in the course of a single day, just…
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Bethany is even closer to Jerusalem than Jericho, about two miles: a good walk. Each step brought Jesus closer to Jerusalem and all that would happen there, happen to him,…
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There’s just enough distance between Jesus and his followers as they walk along that, though their words aren’t distinct to him, Jesus can tell they’re arguing. The church continues to…
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General, later President Eisenhower and, a few years after, General Douglas MacArthur were both honored by ticker-tape parades. And no wonder—both had been at the strategic epicenter of bringing terrible,…
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“Of what terrible things is the human heart the source! From self flow impurity, dishonesty, wickedness, knavery, deceit, lust, haughtiness, blasphemy, senselessness, and everything that is evil. These things are…
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While my residence for many years was elsewhere, my hometown was Portland, Oregon. Should I say my hometown is Portland? I prefer was. The novelist wrote you can’t go home…
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For the past two Sundays, our hearts have been turned—gloriously, graciously turned—to the observance and celebration of the biggest week of our church year. Back on March 17th, the last…
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