The tax farmers in Israel, here called tax-collectors, were somewhat different from IRS agents. They were more like Mafia enforcers, employing thugs to shake down local citizens and merchants. The Romans specified how much each tax man was supposed to pay them, and the architelōē or
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Catholic
Contributed by Evelyn Weston on Sep 21, 2003
I once saw a famous painting that helped me understand the feelings of Matthew on that day. The Call of Saint Matthew, by the Renaissance painter Caravaggio, shows the scene.
On the left side of the painting, Matthew sits at a table, counting coins that he has earned in his work as a tax
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Lutheran
Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 20, 2011
I DON'T WANT TO BE A FIREMAN
I recall a conversation I once had with a precocious little boy we once had in the church I pastored for 10 years in Wiesbaden. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.
"Well," he replied, "I don't want to be a fireman."
I'd never had a kid tell me what
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Baptist
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 8, 2003
based on 2 ratings
| 9,424 views
We are not to be isolated but insulated, moving in the midst of evil but untouched by it. Separation is contact without contamination. Jesus was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), yet He
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Baptist
WE HAVE NO ONE BY THAT NAME
Some people are just plain stubborn!
Theatre Arts magazine: A subscriber to the Theatre Arts magazine called "Information" for the magazine's number.
"Sorry," said the operator, "but there is nobody listed by the name of Theodore Arts."
The subscriber insisted: "It's
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Baptist
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 5, 2007
Have you ever gone to a car show?
Recently I went to a car show in Carlisle PA. I noticed that some guys are Chevy guys, some like Ford, others are into Pontiacs, or Oldsmobile or whatever. But when you get to a car show people are talking with each other, they all “ooh” and “ahh” over cars and
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 7, 2007
based on 1 rating
| 1,237 views
In Texas last week, an 18 year old man was arrested for wearing a noose in public. As Jewelry.
Seems kind of morbid doesn’t it? A noose is an instrument of an agonizing death. It represents vigilante law, I would never be proud to wear a noose.
What about an electric chair? Did you know you
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 7, 2007
What does a line that goes down the middle of the road mean? Solid line, no passing. Stay on your own side of the road.
Dotted line, like one in picture means you can pass if there is nothing coming the other way.
Whether solid line or dotted line, reminds you that you are supposed to drive on
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 7, 2007
based on 3 ratings
| 1,344 views
Few years ago I met a couple who had a bad child. This boy was in trouble at home, in trouble at school, in trouble in the neighborhood and in trouble with the law. He was caught stealing, smoking, drinking and doing drugs. He swore, cheated, lied, was disrespectful of anyone in authority and at
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 7, 2007
Check out the people you listen to on the radio, CD’s, the shows you watch, the people we cheer for on the football fields, and the basketball courts, how many of them are anti-Christian in their life, in their lyrics? Yet we put up posters of them, and pay for their CD’s and their DVD’s and watch
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jun 8, 2007
based on 2 ratings
| 1,425 views
There is a neat feature on Windows XP…it’s called “System restore”. Here’s how it works…
Suppose you suffer a system crash on Thursday, you downloaded a bad program or something…You’re not a computer expert and you aren’t sure how to recover the last 2 weeks of financial information you had saved
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jul 26, 2007
Phil Yancey writes about it in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? It’s a picture of what our church is, can be, will be, should be.
One of the pictures Jesus often uses of grace is of a wedding banquet. So this is what Yancey writes:
Accompanied by her fiance, a woman went to the Hyatt
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jul 26, 2007
Recently I read about a Pastor who had a thorn. He had just started - getting involved in teaching and preaching and sensing that it might be some area of calling for him.
It was on a Sunday morning at this church and five minutes into his message he started to get dizzy and woozy and the room
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jul 26, 2007
A friend in Erie who had a huge Irish Setter. Truman was not very discriminating when it came to chasing after female dogs. He didn’t much care what kind of dog she was, he was interested.
Truman was getting himself in trouble so my friend put in one of those invisible fences. Collar on dog.
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jul 26, 2007
Illus. The other night I put the boys into bed. “Good night, go to bed, no talking. See you in the morning” Pretty clear right?
I was 5 feet from the door and I heard them talking.
So I went back in. Reminded them, no talking. Go to bed!
10 minutes later I hear giggling. I walk in just as
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Jul 26, 2007
It’s kind of like someone who has a slow leak in their tire. Each day it loses a little bit of air. And they might even notice it looks a little low. But they don’t take care of it.
One morning they go outside and their tire is completely flat! And they think to themselves, “Man, my tire just
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
Contributed by Art Good on Aug 14, 2007
based on 1 rating
| 5,106 views
Soren Kierkegard, the 19th century Danish religious philosopher, told a story about a town where only ducks lived.
Every Sunday the ducks would waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddled into the sanctuary and sat in their proper pews.
The duck choir
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Denomination:
Wesleyan
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