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Back to Normal

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 ““Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭MSG‬‬ The other day while driving, I was consumed with many anxious thoughts…you ever have that happen? You’re thinking of one problem that needs solving, and somehow before long, all the other problems pile up, one on top of another and before long, you’re consumed by anxiety. Anyways, as that was happening, I saw the letters “NSR” - the license plate of the car ahead of me had those letters. Immediately I saw that, the scripture reference above popped into my minds eye - “unforced rhythms of grace…”. What does NSR mean, you may be wondering. Well, NSR to me (and other people in the world of Cardiology) means “Normal
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TITHING: What’s The Big Deal?

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My understanding of scripture has lead me to the understanding that tithing is not a requirement in the new covenant. It’s a great guide but not a requirement. I do choose to “tithe”, cos giving is certainly a requirement for believers and it helps me make sure I’m giving something. When I say requirement I’m referring to giving as a response to what we have already received. Some people do 10% (which I believe helps get one into the habit of giving), and some give 90% and live off of 10%. What is in our hearts? The principle of giving as Paul delineates in 2 Corinthians is a pricinple that cannot be denied. But the rule of tithing has sometimes been abused in the New Covenant church. We have to be careful we don’t get dogmatic about this. Tithing on the gross? Tithing on the net? It doesn’t matter. Give what you purpose in your heart, give what you’re convicted to give, give willingly, for God Loves a cheerful giver. It might be 10% or it could be much more than that. The word “
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The Bridge

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"Okay ladies and gents, ready for our adventure?", Lewis asked excitedly. "Yes!", they all replied, some more enthusiastic than others. "Tell me again why we are doing this?" Paige asked, not looking forward to the potentially harrowing trip ahead. "Because we all agreed to it, remember?" Lewis replied.  "Alright everyone, let's go over which route we will be taking to our destination", Lewis continued, getting everyone's attention and gathering the maps. "Okay, Group One, where are you?  Let's see...one, two, three...Yup, you're all here, and you all look ready to exercise those legs too", Lewis continued jokingly. "Ha ha, ever the jokester, huh?" Jim replied, heading towards him. "It's going to be fun guys! Trust me", Lewis laughingly encouraged. "Okay, Jim, you are leading Group One and you'll take this route", Lewis said as he handed him a map and route inst
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The Believer's Call To Action

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" We are hard-pressed in every side but not crushed; We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed..." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 In light of all that has been happening in our world today, hurricanes, monsoons, earthquakes, fires, shootings, mass murders - most recently the murders of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the church shootings (the latest being the Sutherland Spring shooting that left 26 dead and several injured), it occurs to me that we, as the Body of Christ must do something! But what can we do? Church, we must rise up and unite in this season. This unity was certainly important to Christ for He took the time to pray that we would be one unified body (John 17:21). This is really not a time to bicker and fight amongst ourselves, but a time of prayer, and I mean prayer! We must rise up, unite and pray like we've never prayed before! We must "avoid every stupid and foolish controversies and gen
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His Love Is...

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It can never be said enough, God loves you! And me! It can never be quoted enough,  "...For God so loved the world (you and me included) that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever  (again, that's you and me included) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"   (John 3:16) . Nearly everyone can quote this scripture, believers and unbelievers alike. It's one of the most popular verses, and yet, one of the most difficult concepts to grasp...at least, for me. I mean, God's love seems to have so many facets...He loves us at our best, and even in our weakest moments. It's amazing! I'm not just saying this...I've experienced it...His love...in one of my weak moments. Yes, His love is amazing, yet somewhat difficult to grasp. Maybe because we've equated earthly love to God's love for us. Throughout history, love has been commended for many great things, and blamed for may atrocities. God's kind of love is so different th
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PICK UP YOUR WEAPON…AND NEVER GIVE UP!

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I’m not really one for war movies and stuff, and I admire those who are brave and selfless enough to join any kind of battle field, be it the Army, the Navy, the Air force, etc. Kudos to you all for real! Now, in those war movies you all like to watch, have you ever seen a soldier on the front-line not use his/her weapon in the midst of battle? I mean, one can’t hope to win any kind of battle without some sort of weaponry…that would be a futile attempt. So, why, as Christians do we think we can do this…fight without a weapon? We do this every day when we attempt to fight the enemy of our souls with our own devices, instead of using the weapons that  we've  all be given, “…for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…” (2 Corinthians 10:4). It’s sometimes easier to give up than fight. Actually…it is always easier to give up than fight. I know sometimes  I've  been tempted to hightail it out of the battlefield so I  w
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Money Talks

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Here's a puzzle for you: What is a great thing to have, but can lead to wars and destruction? What can do a whole lot of good but at the same time wreck havoc in the lives of many? You guessed it...money. They say money talks. This idiom is used when referring to people or organizations that are rich and can get or do whatever they want. Money seems to wield a lot of power in society and seems to follow this equation: Money=Power. In this society, money gets you places you wouldn't otherwise get to without it. “There’s nothing money can’t buy” , some have said. “For the right price, you can get anything ”, others have touted. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the blue collars get well, either richer or poorer depending. It’s no wonder we all want have some. I mean, let’s all be truthful here: who wants to be poor and broke? Who  doesn't  want to have all their bills paid, their needs met, their wants funded, and to live the lavish lifestyle of the rich and f
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