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May 27 – 31, 2019

Monday Ephesians 4:4-6; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Timothy 1:3-7 Has the US ever experienced a season of greater social, political, and religious divisiveness than presently? And the same might be asked of the Christian church. Depending upon the source and definitions, there are hundreds if not thousands of “Christian denominations.” Given Ephesians 4:4-6—“one body … one...

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May 20 – 24, 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 3 Our passage this week says that we are never finished with love. We were created because of love and for love. We all need and will always need love. But all too often we don’t feel loved. This last week alone I have had three separate situations where...

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May 13 – 17, 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:11-12; John 8:3-11 In our continuing “uncommon love” series, 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 is this week’s featured Scripture. Verse 11 is well-known, though often quoted out of context and, thus, frequently misapplied. Let’s briefly recap the Corinthian situation. “‘The carnalities,’ the things that were troubling the [Corinthian] church [included] … the problem of...

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May 6 – 10, 2019

Monday Luke 15:11-32; 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 Prodigal Father’s Love “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV). Love never quits, never stops, never runs out. What other passages in the Scriptures speak of love? What Bible stories illustrate love? One love story is the “Parable of...

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April 29 – May 3 , 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:4-6; Galatians 5:13-26 If you’ve ever been to a wedding, Christian or otherwise, you’ve likely heard the Apostle Paul’s concise “love Scripture” shared during the ceremony. This week’s primary Scripture is 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 as we continue exploring “uncommon love.” Paul’s verses capture the attributes and elusiveness of love in less than...

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April 22 – 26 , 2019

Easter Luke 24:13-35; Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:1-18 I can still remember when I first saw this 1601 work of art by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, “Supper at Emmaus.” I was a sophomore in college and visiting the National Museum in London. It was in a room by itself and it caught me off guard. Maybe...

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April 15 – 19 , 2019

Last Week of Lent This week the Gathering Place is open between 7:00am and 9:00pm for a time to prayerfully participate in the Stations of the Cross. Be sure to schedule an hour and walk through this experience. Our Maundy Thursday service is on Thursday at 7:00pm. Mark records the last words of Jesus in...

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April 8 – 12 , 2019

Fifth Week of Lent Next week the Gathering Center will be open every day between 7am and 9pm. Plan now to come by at some point during the week to pray through the Stations of the Cross. In Luke 9:51 we read: “As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus...

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April 1 – 5 , 2019

Fourth Week of Lent “A gift of Lent is that its focus on sin, darkness, and death is an antidote to any lingering sentimentality that we seek to bring into Easter. This season of Lent insists, emphatically, that we—each and all—are sinners. We are victimizers, not just victims; hedonists, not just heroes. If themes of...

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March 25 – 29, 2019

Thy Will Be Done When reciting the Lord’s Prayer, we pray: “Thy will be done.” But do we mean it? “Today we find ourselves a bit offended by what God seems to be requiring of us. His will—which requires self-denial—has come into conflict with our will that is bent on self-preservation. We’ve begun to wonder...