CONTAMINATED
I'm all thumbs when it comes to band-aids. I know you're not supposed to touch the pad, the part that compresses the wound. If you do, then you contaminate it, and you run the risk of infection. And, of course, you don't want to do that. So, every time I use a band-aid, it's something
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
A SAFE PLACE
Some years ago, I used to see Project Safe Place signs. Perhaps you have seen them too. They were most often displayed on houses along residential streets, or on fire stations, or even on public library buildings. They are diamond-shaped with a yellow background and a black logo,
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
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Today is February 14, Saint Valentine’s Day, of course. What do you know about Saint Valentine, or, to use his Latin name, Valentinus?
It is difficult to know anything for certain. In fact, historians claim that the details of this man’s life are lost in obscurity. About the only thing they’re
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Those who love each other want to be together always. And God wants to be with you always. That in itself is proof that he loves you. And you and I cannot resist such love. Or, if we can, we shouldn’t. God’s love ought to melt away
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
I have never been a boxer, but ever since I was a child, I have heard that, in the ring, you lead with your left. That is, you position yourself opposite your opponent in such a way that your left glove is out in front. Your right glove is close to your body. You’re always jabbing with
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
To let go requires a change of mind. It’s not unlike jumping from a burning building. I have to decide that “down there” is safer than “up here” even if getting “down there”
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
If I may return to the picture of the burning building, It’s a sure thing that I won’t jump if I don’t know the thing is on fire.... We will not give up the structures of our existence -- not on
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
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ADDICTION | Angeles Arrien, a cultural anthropologist, describes our situation this way. She says our condition is one of universal addiction. She has written that we are all afflicted with addictions, not necessarily to drugs or alcohol or other substances -- those are merely symptoms -- but
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Paul describes this situation as “death-dealing sin.” He calls it “the dead-end abyss of separation from God.” The way they put in medieval times was to describe humanity -- listen to this: humanity was portrayed as a wingless bird, stuck in its alluring conditions, too heavy to fly. Does any
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
In a previous church I served, we had a young couple in our congregation whose names were Barry and Cindy, and both Barry and Cindy were blind. This was an impressive young couple who managed to live a normal life despite their disability. They maintained their own apartment, held down jobs,
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Jesus changed all that. And I love the way he did it. Talk about detail! John tells us that Jesus “spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” Whenever I read these words, I think about another occasion when God did something remarkable with mud. In Genesis 2:7
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed