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Laid Down Their Clothes At A Young Man’s Feet.

From the Category, “The Eastern Eye”

[The Bible is an “Eastern” book. It was written many years ago in the “East” which today we refer to as “The Middle East.”  As such, there are many customs and idioms that are not familiar to the “Western” mind.

In understanding the Scriptures it is important for us to understand the culture, but it doesn’t mean that we should necessarily follow that culture. Rather, it is in the understanding of the Eastern culture that we gain light and understanding about many things in the Bible.]

After a very remarkable presentation by Stephen to his accusers, the record in Acts 7 ends with those religious leaders executing this wonderful man.  They stoned him to death.  There is a part of verse 58 that is often misunderstood.

Verse 58 reads, “And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes

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Bringing Grace To The Mission

phx rescue mission

Last Saturday I again had the privilege of teaching at the Phoenix Rescue Mission.  I’ve been going there on the 5th Saturday of the month for nearly ten years.  I’m posting what I taught: “The Grace of God.”

In order to demonstrate to the guys just how big God’s grace really is, I shared with them about a very evil religious terrorist! In listening to this podcast (33:35), I think you too will see

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Are You Impressed?

impressed

Some are impressed by academic achievements. Others are dazzled by personality or charisma. And there are those who are influenced by longevity. (Let’s leave out those who just take information from the top listing of a Google search as absolutely true.)

Regardless of the topic, someone with a long history, scholarly credentials, and a likeable personality does not absolutely guarantee they are correct in what they say. Einstein’s static universe theory in 1917 was completely disproved by Edwin Hubble demonstrating that the universe is constantly expanding. But, Einstein said it; it must be true, right?

My point is, if something is true, it doesn’t matter who speaks it or writes it or sings it;

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Are You Doing The Best You Can?

?

“I’m trying to do my best.” “Is that the best you can do?” “Do your best.” “My best just isn’t good enough.” Sound familiar? I think “best” is overrated, misunderstood, or maybe it’s just semantics.

What is your best? What is my best? If I’m not doing something as good or better today than yesterday does that mean I’m not doing my best and therefore I’m

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This Year

Tao-Porchon Lynch

A new year is dawning. 2015 is here. What are you expecting? What kind of year will it be for you?

Many will make New Year’s Resolutions; others will not. Overachievers and perfectionists will become disappointed, while underachievers will be saying, “Oh, well, who cares?” But what if, just what if, this ends up being the

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Inhaling The Pacific Ocean

Pacific Beach

I recently had a nice three day weekend in San Diego, at Pacific Beach. I spent a little bit of time sightseeing and a whole lot of time absorbing and inhaling the Pacific Ocean.

I took several walks on the beach, played in its chilly water several times, and enjoyed the view and sounds from our room. But the best was the last afternoon just

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Economy, Politics and Promises

sky

Recently someone I’ve not talked to for quite awhile called to talk to me about current economic conditions. Wow! That’s a big topic!

Our discussion involved not only economic situations in our country, but also some issues on the political scene as well! Whew! Needless to say it was not a very

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A Psalm For Thanksgiving

cornacopiaI have something a little different for you this year for Thanksgiving. In addition to a number of links to past Thanksgiving Day posts, I have recorded Psalm 118, and added some background music. (Links and audio player are below)

The psalmist expresses his praise and gratitude to God. From reading it, we Bible fans can certainly see his heart toward God, and at the same time, be inspired to show our own praise and thanks to our loving God.

David and others who wrote the psalms were human beings, just like us. They had

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Half Full?

Some people are pessimistic and some are optimistic.  We weren’t born one way or the other; we learned to be pessimistic or optimistic.

This short (1:19) video Pep Talk is about what you see is all about your decision on how you see it.

Enjoy the video!

Do you have some thoughts about this? We’d love to hear what you think. Type  your comment below.

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