04205 – Using God for Power

When a politician claims that God is on their side they are just using God to try to get you on their side. It is simply taking God's name in vain for the sake of their own pursuit of power. Turning any politician into some messiah-like figure for Christianity is...

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03494 – Church: Worth the Effort

I still love the church. I love the church universal, as well as the church local (red brick, white-columned with deacons smoking in the parking lot). With all of its dysfunction and flesh marks, with all of its confusion and humanity, it is still the best thing God...

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01934 – A Dignified Nobility in Humankind

There is a dignified nobility in humankindWe know it when we see itNurse tenderly caring for your loved one in the hospice house as she travels toward the great beyondPolitician choosing integrity, knowing full well he won't be elected againPastor remaining true to...

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01616 – You Coming?

I reject the version of Jesus who would have told the rich young ruler, “you are blessed” instead of, “give everything to the poor and follow me.” Who would have pushed women to the fringes of the narrative, instead of empowering Mary to be the first preacher of...

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00044 – It Is Finished

I am hearing this word as a word of achievement and completion. I am hearing this word as the same word Michelangelo uttered when he put his last touch of paint on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Jesus has fought the good fight, and despite what the soldiers, the...

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