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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
Some years ago, I had the sheer joy of seeing the movie adaptation of Fulton Oursler’s novel, The Greatest Story Ever Told. I loved the way Max von Sydow brought the personality of Jesus to the screen; it was perhaps the most natural portrayal of our Lord that I’ve ever seen.
It was a long movie
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
While life is present, it is precious, but, for all its value, it is also fragile. If you take a moment to think about the animation of the human body, I can’t help but believe that you must be in awe. Take the simplest of operations. You are going to open your car door and get inside. You walk
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
If you have a moment some time, check out the Calvin window on the south side of the sanctuary. If you look near the bottom, we will see an engraving of Calvin’s crest: a flaming heart in an outstretched hand, extended upward to God. Calvin chose this symbol to declare the central core of his
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
Take special note of the chapel windows. Each window uses symbols to depict the life and destiny of a different apostle. You will see the three money bags that represent Matthew the tax collector. You will see two crossed fish to remind us of Andrew the fisherman who died a martyr's death on an
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
HOW'S BUSINESS?
Peter Drucker, as you probably know, is a management consultant without equal. He says in one of his many books that there are two questions that people in any organization ought to ask themselves -- whether it be a manufacturing plant, the sales division of a large
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Denomination:
Presbyterian/Reformed
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