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In: Short Stories

The door chimed as a male, non-Jewish customer entered Rivka Cohen’s kosher deli. Her stomach churned. George’s dad was well known for anti-Semitism but surely he didn’t take after his dad. After all, she knew George’s wife from synagogue, though her friend hadn’t gone since they were little. She grinned and waved. “Hi, George. What can I get for you today?” A light gleamed in his eyes. “Turkey and Swiss on rye with the works, please.” “Coming right up.” She rang up the turkey on rye sandwich separately from his special request, the slice of cheese. Her stomach tightened as she made his order. HisRead More →

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In: Gospel, Sin and Holiness

How many of us have chosen which temptations our flesh is drawn toward? We’re all born sinners. What any of us chose is to walk in the sin and to embrace that tendency as an important-to-us piece of our identity. That is a difficult stronghold to break, whatever the sin is, and it can make it not feel at all like a choice. Disrespecting someone’s feelings is not an effective way to persuade them. Do we feel the need to ram it down every sinner’s throat that their feelings are wrong and they choose to give in to sin, even if they didn’t choose toRead More →

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In: Faith, Gospel

“I hope this doesn’t offend you, but . . .” Whenever I hear phrases like this, I can almost guarantee you what will follow will be unkind, hurtful, and rude to the point of offensive. It’s pretty much an apology in advance meant, we hope, to excuse us for daring to speak our minds. Sharing an honest opinion isn’t wrong in and of itself, but apologizing for it while taking a tone and posture that dares the person to get offended is problematic to say the least. So is speaking without any regard for the other person and how they might be benefited or hurt,Read More →

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In: Abuse, Bible and Theology, Legalism, Prayer and Devotions

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8) Peter just finished advising employees (or the ancient equivalents) on how to conduct themselves with their employers, and wives and husbands on how to conduct themselves in the marriage relationship, so it’s possible “all of you” here means “all of the persons in the previous specified roles.” In other words, if you’re equally yoked in business*and marriage with a believer, both parties are exhorted to be of one mind equally, to have sympathy and brotherly love for each other, to be tender-hearted towards eachRead More →

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In: abuse, Bible and Theology, Gospel, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness, Suffering

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) In context, if I understand correctly, Peter tells us in verses 13-25: Obey the local, state, and federal government, and the leadership of any other institution you may belong to, attend, work for, or serve under. This is God’s will because it silences the historical objection to Christians’ assertion that Jesus is Lord. Based on the the Emperor of Rome’s assertion that he is Lord, non-Christians of the day felt to be a ChristianRead More →