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Showing posts from February, 2012

It's Not Supposed to be This Way

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Our family has joined thousands of others who are changing eating habits due to food allergies or intolerances. I’m still in the learning curve – how to eliminate gluten, nuts and dairy from our diet but I can’t help but think, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” John 10:10 says the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came so we would have abundant life. I don’t see how it can be considered abundant when we have so many limitations on what we can and can’t eat. You might think I’m in the denial stage of change. I understand North Americans have developed ways to process everything we eat to increase the profit margin for food manufacturers and by doing so, we’ve ingested chemicals and steroids for so long our bodies are finally making a revolt. It’s true the food industry needs an overhaul to return to the basics where food is actually food – not simulations, but even so, doesn’t Mark 16:18 apply? “...and when they drink [or eat] deadly poison, it will not hurt them

Living Large

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People love boxes. More boxes equal more stuff and we love stuff even more than boxes, but boxes mean we have stuff. We like boxes and we want pretty boxes. The organizational section of any given department store or Fred Meyer has an overwhelming display of sizes, shapes and colours. Not only do we organize our stuff by putting it in boxes, we also catalogue our lives into allegorical boxes, labeling everything from experiences to people.  We love our boxes, and yet, some common phrases, “outside the box”, or “boxed in” and descriptions such as “boxy” denote a negative connotation. It seems that although we love to live our lives in boxes (constricted way of thinking and living); we have a sense that there is more to life than what we’ve put in our box.  If that’s true, should we get rid of the box entirely? I’m not making an argument either for or against living within a defined method of thinking.  I can’t imagine life without it because I like the comfort and security a defined b

Don't Sell Me the Opportunity, Give Me the Goods

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Remember Amway? If you grew up in the evangelical church, you’ll know it. Heck, you might have even been involved with Amway but for those that don’t know what I’m talking about, allow me to offer you the Reader’s Digest explanation. Amway was (and still is) a multi-level marketing company.   They targeted church folks because who else has such a large network? Amway preached prosperity gospel and encouraged members to display pictures of their dream house/vehicle/boat/vacations on their fridge as an incentive to increase their recruiting efforts. My Man and I had firsthand experience with Amway consultants when we were first married. We didn’t buy into the message they were selling and in the process we felt used and abused.   The trouble with Amway is that I like some of the products, especially their pre-wash laundry spray, however no one wants to sell the product, they only want to sell the opportunity. It seems many churches are like Amway – they want to sell the opportunity t

Isn't She Lovely?

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I wonder how many couples became engaged on Valentine’s Day. Spring is the most popular season to have a wedding so there will be hundreds of brides planning and preparing to be married within a few months. A number of brides will diet, primp and preen to look her best on her wedding day and she will have support from friends and family to help her meet her goal. The payoff is that she will look beautiful; dressed in white with flawless hair and make-up. All the hard work it took to get to that moment will be worth the sacrifice and guests will rejoice at the wedding. In general, we love weddings. We love love stories and we love seeing the bride look beautiful. Why is it then we defile the bride of Christ? Jesus is coming again, and he’s coming for a wedding. The Bible tells us the bride (which is the church) will be pure and spotless and yet Christians love to expose and make a mockery of other Christians who put a stain on the bride. I don’t suggest we cover-up things that need

Try Before You Buy

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God’s love for us is immense, and it’s more than I can comprehend and although I’m pretty confident I’m his favourite (and have been for almost a decade), this week the Lord unloaded a fresh dose of even greater love. Or rather, it wasn’t greater love but my understanding of the depth of his love was increased. He can’t love me more because his love is already at capacity. There was never a moment since the creation of the world that he loved me, and you, less and there will never be a moment when he loves me, and you, more. The only thing to change is our understanding of the depth of his love. It’s true if you know him and it’s true if you’ve never heard his name or deny his existence. God loves, period. One of my favourite passages is Isaiah 45:3, I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name. I return to the verse time and again and I use it often to encourage others. It

Who Can Forgive Sins? Can I?

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Let’s be honest, Jesus demands you to make a decision. It is not possible to be on the fence about him. Either you love him or hate him. Either he is a nut job (and deserved to die), or he is the Son of God (and had to die). His message is offensive to the proud and religious elite but to the desperate Jesus is the only source of hope they have. By chapter two in the gospel of Mark, Jesus has a reputation as a healer and travelling preacher-man. He has a significant group of followers. If you want to see Jesus, it’s best to arrive early because there isn’t even standing room if you are late. The religious elite, the teachers of the law, are probably keeping an eye on the new guy but are not very concerned because Jesus tends to stay with the working class; he’s fairly removed from religious leadership and doesn’t seem to be gunning for their positions. But in Mark 2:5-7, suddenly he goes too far. He forgives sin. What Jesus did was offensive for two reasons. First, the Pharisees