Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and protector of our faith. — Hebrews 12:1-2a. The first verse of Hebrews…

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I came across the phrase “the Promise of Spring” the other day. What a wonderful phrase and image it provokes. Each year about this time the first signs of spring arrive. Trees bud, flowers emerge, the grass turns green, and an afternoon thunderstorm clears the air. We know that the cold and darkness of winter…

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Although some athletes take taunting to extremes, it can be an effective strategy. It can throw an opponent of his or her game. Challenging authority is a form of taunting with the same effect. I love the scene in the movie Gandhi where they “walked to the sea and made salt.” Gandhi was challenging authority in a…

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He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. — Luke 1:52. I am always drawn to the message in the Gospels about how Christ turns our world view on its end. The powerful will be brought down, the lowly will be elevated, and all the wonderful paradoxes contained in the…

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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them, plant gardens, and eat what they produce. — Jeremiah 29: 4-5. The children of Israel had been exiled and their whole world and expectations had been turned upside down. What…

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