Better Living

• The only valid ticket...

  to eternity and a knowledge of God. (Funny this piece talks about the same Scriptural passages I mentioned yesterday here. Coincidence? Nah, God-incidence.) [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 9:22am EST
  

• Swiss Voters Ban Minarets: Not the Way to Go for Christians

  Minarets, the tall spires which often top mosques, have been banned by Swiss voters.
  
  Supporters of the ban say that minarets represent extremism. Opponents say that the ban is a violation of Muslims' freedom of religion.
  
  As a Christian, I believe Jesus when He says, “I am' [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:43pm EST
  

• Enough Said

  Tiger Woods has issued a statement about his accident, here. Nothing more needs to be said. [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:37pm EST
  

• Come, Lord Jesus: How to Face the End (Of the World or Your Earthly Life)

  
  [This message was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, this morning. Today is the First Sunday in Advent.]
  
  Luke 21:25-36
  I once read a news story about a young graduate assistant at MIT who was developing what he called, [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 5:38pm EST
  

• California Church Saves City, Now State, Millions Through Service

  Here. [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 2:49pm EST
  

• Bonhoeffer on Advent: Judgment and Grace

  Advent begins for Christians throughout the world tomorrow.
  
  
  Advent is a word that means coming. The four-week season of Advent comes before Christmas and remembers both when God came to earth in Jesus and how the risen Jesus will one day come back to [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 11:06am EST
  

• The Psalm 109:8 Controversy

  I'm a bit late on this, having just read about a religiously-themed slogan appearing these days on T-shirts, web sites, and bumper stickers. The slogan? "Pray for Obama, Psalm 109:8."
  
  
  To those who don't dig any deeper, the words and Bible citation may [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 12:23am EST
  

• Northeast Iowa Synod Calls for ELCA to Reverse August Decisions

  Here. [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 12:19am EST
  

• Please Keep David Wayne in Your Prayers

  Here. [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 12:03am EST
  

• My Memory Verse for the Coming Week

  Want to join me in committing this passage to memory?
  “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 3:57pm EST
  

• A short history of Thanksgiving Day...

  ...from Mark Roberts. [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 10:06pm EST
  

• What is the Church Year?

  [Four years ago, as we were beginning a new season of Advent, I presented this explanation of the Church Year. It remains one of the most popular posts I've written for this blog. As we prepare, this Sunday, November 29, to begin another Advent season, I' [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 10:02pm EST
  

• HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
  [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 9:59pm EST
  

• Righteousness: It Might Not Be What We Think It Is

  This is a good piece written by Pastor Deb Grant for her daily emailed inspirations, ELOGOS:
  Jeremiah 33:16
  In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
  * * * [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 5:22pm EST
  

• "What Do You Do with a Broken Relationship?"

  That's the title of a helpful little booklet from Radio Bible Class, which you can download here.
  
  I would only add two points to the booklet's advice and undergird one point that is made there:
  1. It's important to be in constant prayer about the broken relationship, whatever [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 12:01pm EST
  

• Consecrated to Christ, Our King

  [This was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, earlier today.]
  
  John 18:33-37
  If you want to make God laugh, tell Him what you’re going to do tomorrow. Only God knows what will happen in our lives in the coming year. [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• Good Words to Remember Each Day

  From God's Word, the Bible:
  The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10Like good stewards of [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 1:30pm EST
  

• Interesting

  Here. I wonder if LutheranCORE will make some effort to mesh with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), formed about nine years ago by congregations concerned about what they saw as the dilution of the authority of Scripture following the passage, ten years ago, of Called [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:00am EST
  

• Hunger...

  in the world, in America, and in Ohio.
  
  At Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, on Sunday, November 29, worshipers at the 10:15 service are encouraged to bring their offerings of nonperishable food items. They will be taken to the CHAP emergency food bank, [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 5:46pm EST
  

• Invitation to a Meaningful Advent

  [Below is my pastoral article for the December, 2009, newsletter of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, where I serve as pastor. The building of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church is located at 258 East Hunter Street in Logan, Ohio. If you find yourself in Ohio's Hocking Hills this Advent' [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 4:32pm EST
  

• More About the Widow

  Here. She made her most recent appearance on this blog here. [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:02am EST
  

• Give Thanks Always!

  [This is today's daily emailed inspiration from my coleague, Pastor Glen VanderKloot.]
  
  OnLine with Faith
  
  November 16, 2009 Issue 526a
  + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
  
  WELCOME to [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 11:07am EST
  

• What We Need

  "Self-sufficiency distracts us from pursuing the things we really need...If you’d rather have cash than character, if your credit cards are maximized and your righteousness is minimized, if you’ve become smart but aren’t wise, then you’ve been shopping in all the wrong places." That's Joe Stowell. Read the whole [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 11:03am EST
  

• All That Matters

  [This was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, this morning.]
  
  Mark 13:1-13
  A few years ago, I heard a couple tell about a party they had for three other couples at their house. All eight of these people were committed [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 10:47pm EST
  

• Wish I Could Attend

  Maybe you can. [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 1:56pm EST
  

• No Deal!

  C.P. Hia's great reflections on Luke 4:1-13.
  
  We live in an instant gratification age; so, Hia's words are downright countercultural.
  
  We also live in an era in which the Church often mistakes grace for license. Through the grace God gives believers in Jesus, we're not to' [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:32am EST
  

• Go Strong, My Buckeyes!

  [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 9:50pm EST
  

• Veterans Day Thoughts and Prayers

  The following is from today's daily emailed inspirations sent by my colleague and friend, Pastor Glen VanderKloot, OnLine with Faith:
  November 11, 2009 Issue 525c
  + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +[...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 10:42am EST
  

• Rick and Kay Warren Talk About Their Unlikely--and Sometimes Difficult--Marriage...What It Tells the Rest of Us

  Rick Warren is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, among other books, and the founding pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, California. He and his wife Kay have undertaken an international ministry dealing with Third World poverty and the prevention of AIDS.
  
  But in [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 6:05am EST
  

• Always There!

  And always sending emissaries. [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:54am EST
  

• No Leftovers for God

  [This was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, this morning.]
  
  Mark 12:38-44
  Here’s a bit of trivia: I love vegetable soup. Love it. I especially love it a few days after Ann makes a big pot of it. Two days [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 10:00pm EST
  

• I Have an Easy Fix for That

  The Austrian government should buy the thing, tear it down, and, in its place, erect a memorial to all who died as the result Adolf Hitler's madness.' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:37pm EST
  

• Is Denmark Successfully Recovering From Fossil Fuel Addiction?

  Here are two recently broadcast reports on the development of wind power and other alternative energy sources in Denmark. Steep energy taxes seem to be helping the northern European nation to both end its dependence on foreign oil and do its part to clean up the global environment.
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:00am EST
  

• The Real Enemies

  Here's the great thought that appeared in today's emailed inspiration from my colleague, Pastor Glen VanderKloot of Faith Lutheran Church in Springfield, Illinois.
  
  The next time you're tempted to be consumed by anger with those you may see as your "enemies," remember who our real--and common--enemies are.
  
  +' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:33pm EST
  

• We Have No Rights

  Let's be clear. God's Word shows us that you and I have no "rights."
  
  The notion of "rights" is helpful in the civil realm. But Christians must acknowledge that the very notion is a fiction. The Bible doesn't support the notion that we have certain "inalienable rights." The Bible' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:50pm EST
  

• I Have a Rendezvous with...Life!

  [This was shared during worship with the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, this morning.]
  
  John 11:32-44
  In English class in high school, I came to love a poem written by Alan Seeger, a young man killed in battle during World War One less than [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:08pm EST