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Jesus driving the merchants from the temple

Into The Temple And Beyond

“Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Mark 11:11This is the concluding verse of yesterday’s Palm Sunday Gospel. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and made his way to the pinnacle, the very center of Jewish religious life, the temple. Nothing is more holy, nothing more sacred, it is the place that the Lord dwells according to the scriptures.Jesus enters, he looks…

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Getting to Grateful

Depression. It has certainly tested my resolve in the last twelve months. I would like to share humbly what I have learned about dealing with depression. This is not meant to help if you are suicidal or wish to harm yourself. In that case, I urge you to call someone and get help. If you have no one to call, call the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline at 211.These are some of the effects depression has had on me. Sometimes it feels like you…

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It’s been a week…

It has been a week since an armed mob forced their way into the United States Capitol building. Watching the event unfold on the news that day, I had all the emotions you might expect. Anger, frustration, and fear were palpable as my family talked that day. I heard many people (both on TV, social media and in private conversation) call for peace. This week, I find myself feeling the weight of questions of faith and faithfulness. I have fewer answers than I…

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Praying the News

I am a person who does want to watch, listen to and read about the news to stay current on issues and concerns, learn new things, and know about where I am living. But, I have to be careful when and where and how I engage with the news. For one, I have a 9 year old who can get really nervous when some tough stories are shared. But, I can also completely derail and go down a path trying to search for…

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A Meditation on Joy

"Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:4-5). I heard this story about a college student practicing the piano. They were trying to learn the song "Joy Cometh in the Morning." There was a complicated chord change right after "Weeping may endure for the night, but.…

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Internalize the Law

We live in a world where it seems it is accepted to be angry with (and act out this anger) those who do not agree with us. Some protest those who have different standards than their own. Many people are angry with those who vote for the candidate that does not match their own political views. Those who do not believe in God the way we do are criticized. Some only hear the words of those who say unless you are ‘born again’,…

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Anger Management

As I suspect we all have all noticed of late there is a lot of anger out there. I’m guessing that we are all feeling frayed and move to anger much more quickly and it’s doesn’t always seem to be related to the event that might set us off. We are frustrated by too many things dealing with Covid-19 and the rest that it seems we have lost all perspective at times, I’m thinking of the protests about wearing masks for one.This seems…

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Jesus, what are you telling us to do?

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)“I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)Sometimes I am confounded by the Bible. But I find it comforting that the disciples found Jesus' teachings hard to understand as well. In what is called Jesus Farewell Discourse in the book of John, we can see the confusion of the disciples. In John 14:1 Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled." Thomas asks, "Lord, we…

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Righteous Anger

“Then [Jesus] entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, ‘it is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” (Luke 19:45-46) I wouldn’t normally pick the story of Jesus overturning the money changing tables in the Temple for a devotional reflection. But I think it’s important to remember that Jesus had emotions just like the rest of us. And one of those emotions was anger.

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That Stinking Thinking

"I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers."   Philemon 1:4 While normally a fairly upbeat person, I could probably be accused of suffering from “Stinking Thinking” recently. Stress? Perhaps. Or it could just be the fact that it’s May. May is filled with landmine anniversaries for me and is often an emotional month. This year a book called “The Gratitude Diaries” by Janice Kaplan was included in a monthly box of goodies that I treat myself to. In…

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