go ahead. be a sheep.

As much as I would like to believe that I am not a sheep, I am one. Not, I suppose, a blind follower of a random mindless herd. (Unless that’s what all followers of Christ are). I like to believe that I have the capacity to think with some originality. I like to believe that […]

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It’s not perfect

(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday.) Life down on this planet can be frustrating. Nearly everything we deal with has its problems. Even when we relax with a cool drink and look out at the perfect sunset, a mosquito is probably buzzing around our ankles, ready to bite. Paul wrote about some of the […]

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Waiting for mansions

In the King James version of John 14, Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” Many people have read that and thought, “Sweet. I’m gonna get me a mansion. I’ll be living good then, after I’m dead, in heaven.” Somehow, I’m thinking that Jesus wasn’t thinking about heaven being a place where everyone […]

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do why I do.

We look for punishment.  We want to know what the penalty will be if we don’t do something. We want to know where the boundaries are, how far we can go before we get hurt or scolded or destroyed. I understand that feeling. I get a phone call and think, “Oh no, what did I […]

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Pride in the name of respect

Peter is the only one who responds when Jesus washes feet. Maybe no one noticed it was Jesus. His point wasn’t to call attention to himself, after all, but to call attention to the hearts of the disciples, to the opportunity to serve each other that is always present. So it could be that he […]

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