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Devotion

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‘Let no one who is not eager for truth and peace enter here’ (Plato)

Articles on this site express varying points of view, to encourage mature thinking on serious issues. The assumption is that you will want to study a controversial topic from various angles before you arrive at a conclusion, rather than simply believe what someone told you when you were impressionable! (So some stuff here is ‘hot’. Proceed at your own risk!). See the Statement of Faith for John Mark Ministries' theological stance.

Members One of Another

By and others ⋅ September 13, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Sightings 9/12/05 Members One of Another — Martin E. Marty For once, a homily seems in order in Sightings. Sermons need texts; this one is from Ephesians 4:25. Type the phrase “we are members one of another” into your Internet search engine, and you’ll sight 23,800 uses of the phrase — or at least mine […]

Spirit Of Gentleness

By and others ⋅ September 6, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

(~) SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS A Sermon in the Fruit of the Spirit Series by Thomas R. Henry St. Pauls United Church of Christ, Chicago August 28, 2005 Texts: Galatians 5:22-23; James 3:13-18; Matthew 11:25-30 Dear Gentle Listener. So might begin a piece of advice from Miss Manners. Or as it would appear in a newspaper […]

Forgiveness

By and others ⋅ September 6, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. —– Mahatma Gandhi

The Mousetrap Lesson

By and others ⋅ August 26, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. “What food might this contain?” He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. “There is a mousetrap in the house!; there is a mousetrap in the […]

Gossip

By and others ⋅ August 22, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

What you don’t see with your eyes, don’t witness with your mouth. ~Jewish Proverb No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues. ~Bertrand Arthur William Russell, On Education, 1926 The Puritan’s idea of hell is a place where everybody has to mind his own business. ~Wendell Phillips, attributed Whoever gossips to you will gossip about […]

The Purpose of Suffering

By and others ⋅ August 16, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

‘God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial, He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house […]

Smelly Feet

By and others ⋅ August 8, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

It was a rainy bone-chilling night. A young seminary student was working in a homeless shelter which housed over 100 and on this cold evening more had come to be housed than there were cots or mats. As often happens when there is a shortage, disagreements broke out. It was beginning to look like emotions […]

The Paradox of Love

By and others ⋅ July 26, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

Sometimes loving God and experiencing His love is like walking through a beautiful scented garden, linking arms with a beloved friend, sharing our most secret hopes and dreams, plans and aspirations, as well as offloading our worries and our stresses. It is so easy, so relaxed, so comfortable. It just seems perfect, like Heaven would […]

Inspiration

By and others ⋅ July 4, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_content/2529/4candles.swf

Grace Extensions

By and others ⋅ June 28, 2005 ⋅ Post a comment

by Glenn A. Hascall Perhaps it was a daydream. Maybe an overactive imagination. Whatever it was, it was triggered by a song. Grace, grace, marvelous grace Coming down from the Father above. Imagine a hand reaching down offering such marvelous grace. The hand is unbelievable dirty, it has splinters and blood and dusty tear tracks […]

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