Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 22, 2008
When in Ireland, I saw versions of "Deal or No Deal" and "The Weakest Link." The biggest difference that struck me was the amount of the prize money. The money that was won and the money that was accepted as a decent prize was usually a tenth of what is won here in the US. In fact the largest prize
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 27, 2008
What is the usual sense that religious things are taught? Through a Rabbi and disciple model. A young man that thinks he may have an aptitude for a particular Rabbi’s teaching goes to the Rabbi and ask to be considered to be a disciple. It was a great honor for parents especially the father for a
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 27, 2008
People would have been familiar with several options for living. They could choose to collaborate with the Romans like the Sadducees and even the tax collectors. They could choose to live according to a high standard of rules and regulations designed (supposedly) to gain God’s favor by being good
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on May 27, 2008
Jesus didn't come to burden us with a list of rules and regulations and things that holy people do and don't do. Oh, he still calls us to be holy but not according to some manmade list: don't drink, don't ever go into a bar or a pub, don't go to movies, don't play cards, don't wear this clothing,
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 3, 2008
If there is one emotion that I have been familiar with, it is anger. I lived with anger for most of my childhood and teenage years. It became quite comfortable and familiar so much as that most other responses such as disappointment and fear became masked by my anger.
Now what I am telling you
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 3, 2008
I was using pot and drinking. I gravitated toward rock and eventually into heavy metal and thrash, because this music fed my negative emotions. In fact, there were specific songs that I couldn’t hear for several years later without having a response that put me emotionally back in that place.
By
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 3, 2008
Rabbi Hillel supposed told his disciples, "Make sure that you repent on the day that you die and God will forgive you."
His disciples then asked, "How are we supposed to know
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 9, 2008
Lisa Beamer reflects on the loss of her dad in her book, "Let’s Roll." Slowly she began to understand that the plans God has for us don’t just include ‘good things’, but the whole array of human events. The ‘prospering’ he talks about in the book of Jeremiah is often the outcome of a ‘bad’ event.
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 9, 2008
Our cultural advertising motto is “sex sells.” Sex sells clothes, cars, food, beverages, even exercise equipment. “You can have the body that you have always wanted.” While they show two “perfectly” chiseled bodies using their equipment (always one male and one female), the message is that once you
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 9, 2008
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PASTOR AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL
Personally and professionally, my wife Kendra knows that there are some things that I need to be very careful of violating as her husband and as a pastor. For example, being alone with member of the opposite sex is something I am very careful about not doing.
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 26, 2008
GIVE YOURSELF RIGHT NOW
Those in recovery groups talk about seeing what he or she can “pack into the stream of life.” Many addicts and alcoholics initially think of themselves as pretty good people who just need to cut back drinking. If they have problems, they happen because of other people.
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 26, 2008
We went to the dollar theater while on vacation as we were getting our popcorn. The guy who was getting asked another young fellow who was just coming on to get some ice. This second guy didn’t seem to happy about it and didn’t really want to do it. The first guy said, “Hey if it wasn’t for me, you
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 26, 2008
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The early Church of God reformers called themselves The Gospel Trumpet family. As many as three hundred people lived, worked, played, worshipped and ate together. They came together to publish materials that would be used to spread the gospel and teach others what the Church of God believed. They
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 30, 2008
Let me share some examples. On my trip to Ireland, we visited Northern Ireland including a city called Londenderry. This was something because of the violence that tours would not have done ten years ago. The name of the town is significant because it became a symbol of people being marginalized.
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 30, 2008
Why do you do what you do? Why do you want something? Why do you want it so badly? Can you let it go? Do you want something simply for yourself? BTW, it is real easy to deceive yourself into believing that you something for others but in reality it is a selfish ambition. I told people before how as
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 15, 2008
So what does this imply as we follow Jesus? Am I expected to be perfect? Does God expect me to be perfect? Absolutely not!! When we expect this, do you know what happens? It is not holistic at all. If anything it is at best partial because people who live with those expectations hide their
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 15, 2008
a. Entirely sanctified
This idea was hugely important for the early Church of God reformers. They believed that this was one of the primary beliefs that made them as Church of God people distinctive. They believed and called people to be entirely sanctified meaning that God would sanctify his
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 15, 2008
The early Church of God reformers believed that at a second point in time after we begin believing in Jesus, God Himself sends His Spirit to guide and direct in order to surrender our entire lives into His care. They found many people believed in Jesus but then experienced God in such a profound
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 21, 2008
There are signs that encourages people to wear seatbelts by asking the question, “What’s holding you back?” It implies that seatbelts are good things to hold you back during an accident. What is holding you back? God and God alone. Anything else will keep you from
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Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 21, 2008
First of all, in the first century and probably two hundred years or so before, there were many groups who claimed that the Messiah had come. They all had a charismatic leader that usually called people to a revolution to overthrow the Romans. But this is what happened every single time. Rome came
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