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Gather Around the Sacred Remains (Please remember, friends, that Memorial Day is NOT about hot dogs and relaxing.)
I’m about to head out the door to go and purchase our flowers and wreaths. When I return, the family will be awake and we will hang out flag. Then, in just a few hours, we will dress in red, white, and blue and head to a local cemetery to join in the remembrance and honoring of the men and women who have died for our country. Memorial Day. Oh, friends! I hope that your day is not ONLY about sleeping in, cookouts, and sales on bath towels. Let’s remember again what this day is for: ” …gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with…
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Right Side of Pain (HT: Jill Carattini)
I’ve been reading Jill Carattini for years and while I’ve admired and enjoyed her intellect, faith, and writing abilities, I never knew this about her: The Right Side of Pain Brilliant. As usual. Here’s a snippet to tempt you, but please do go back and read the entire essay. What a mind! What a heart! What a grace that she points us to God: “We shuffled back and forth between the states that sat like metaphors between our divorced parents—a summer, a spring break, a Christmas without one of them. The pain of the one we were leaving was always palpable, but we always had to leave. It’s strange…
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Dunkirk Evacuation Saves 338,000+ Troops
I am obviously still quite ignorant of my WWII history (even though this is a topic that I do read on quite a lot) for I had no idea that 338,000+ allied troops were rescued during the Dunkirk Evacuation (“Operation Dynamo”). Reading the reports of the remembrance this year only solidified my commitment to introducing Sophia and Ella to every WWII veteran we ever see. They are disappearing quickly! I want them to remember WWII vets in real life—not just reading about them and the rest of the Greatest Generation. Hope your making plans for Monday that include honoring our veterans! G’nite and God bless, Tara B.
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Biblical Theologians (HT: Thabiti Anyabwile)
‘Members of Christian churches continue to think small thoughts of God and great thoughts of man. This state of affairs reveals that too many Christians have neglected their first great calling: to know their God. Every Christian is meant to be a theologian in the best and most intimate sense of the word.’ ‘To practical biblical theology is to know God’s macro story of redemption. Second, the biblical theologian is a person committed to understanding the history of revelation, the grand themes and doctrines of the Bible, and how they fit together. In other words, healthy church members give themselves to understanding the unity and progression of the Bible as…
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Nothing Has Changed
“Your cancer is malignant.” “I’m leaving you and the kids. I want a divorce.” “You’re fired.” “I’m sorry. The baby is gone.” “There’s been an accident …” No matter the suffering, Ed Welch’s friend reminds us: Nothing Has Changed (Still, we weep.)
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Great Harm
“Sin causes us to be more concerned about our own welfare than anyone else’s. Such self-centeredness destroys relationships and does great harm.” How People Change (by Lane & Tripp)
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Free Webinar with Chris Brauns THIS MORNING
Peacemaker Ministries is offering a free webinar with Chris Brauns (pastor and author of Unpacking Forgiveness and keynote speaker at the 2010 Peacemaker Conference—“Forgiveness”) this morning (9AM Mtn). You can read all of the details and click through to register here: Free Webinar on Forgiveness Fred met Pastor Brauns yesterday at the Peacemaker offices and had a fun time connecting with him over their rural Illinois roots. (Not many people can make the claim to fame of living in—or even having HEARD OF—the school district where Fred went K-12. I think his graduating class had only 43 students! But that’s where Pastor Brauns’ church is located. Pretty fun.) Enjoy!…
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In all else …
“We trust the Lord with regards to what he has promised. In all else, he calls us to be responsible and to be wise.” VanDrunen (HT: Thomas Knox Myrick)
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Just Buy Your Kids a Stack of P*rnography
Even at age six, Sophia is already learning Internet safety. (In age-appropriate lessons of course.) And I am already praying for both Sophia and Ella (and their future husbands too!)—specifically that they will never be exposed to s*xually explicit materials online or in print. Ever. But especially at a young age. As someone who was so exposed, I can personally attest to the fact that, yes, God is gracious to help with horrible images and memories. BUT. There is an effect and it is one to be carefully, prayerfully, intentionally, strategically AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS. Period. Randy Alcorn is right: Please. Take steps now. Be wise. Help your children…
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Not Even Stopping to Tie Their Boots
If you have friended me on Facebook, then you already know that yesterday I had to dial 9-1-1 when sweet Ella showed signs of choking/having some sort of breathing obstruction. (If your infant CPR/choking class was awhile ago, I encourage you to do a quick review of infant first aid for choking and CPR. How grateful I was that immediately, in the moment, I knew what to do. I assessed the situation, knew the signs that meant “Get Help!”, and wasn’t afraid to dial those horrible, yet precious, 9-1-1 numbers.) Thankfully, Ella was FINE. But Fred said it was horrifically awful to round the corner to our street (he had…
