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Showing posts from January, 2013

The Parent's Prayer

Each year I begin at the Bible's beginning and read my way through the scriptures...it's a great exercise and discipline that is well worth the while.  After a while one can remember the context in advance and still the words come off the page and strike into the soul to console, to convict, to question, to give assurance, to smile at, to wonder and ponder...every emotion comes back over and over. About 35 years ago, a young Dad with my first two of my children still very young, I ran across the words from the story of Joseph and his brothers in the dramatic encounter when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.  Remember, the brothers, some 14 years before, had sold their brother Joseph into slavery.  Unknown to them, God favored Joseph in his enslavement.  Joseph arose through God's providence to become Pharaoh's second in command.  He went through the agony of years of enslavement, but God through the providence of some dreams Pharaoh had to exalt him to a place of

Epiphany

Jan 6, which was yesterday, is generally celebrated in the universal church as Epiphany.  What is Epiphany? Epiphany means "appearing", "to show", "to shine forth"...which all means it was a time of "revealing"...a "revelation" of who Jesus as a baby was. The text is from Matthew 2. Matthew 2:1-12 (ESV) 1  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4  and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6  “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah

New Beginnings

HAPPY NEW YEAR...2013 is officially here.  Now, how many times will you write 2012 before our habits change. It's difficult sometimes to step from old habits into new ones. That's why New Year's resolutions are often made.  Each of us wish to make New Beginnings. If you think about it, it's somewhat redundant to say the words:  NEW BEGINNINGS. Beginnings by nature are new already.  But of course, we're talking about making some new beginnings in the sense of starting all over with some things - hoping to do them better.  So, let's think about how to make a start all over again. Genesis 1:1 (ESV) 1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Beginning...something New by God. Genesis 1:31 (ESV) 31  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  God's pleasure lies in making things "good".  It is his delight to have us experien