Tag Archives: Christianity

2018 publishing realities are no surprise

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The 2018 publishing realities are no surprise to any of us who have been working and keeping track of sales, books, and so on. Traditional publishers believe they’ve whipped the self-publishing problem. But though there is some stability, they are ignoring many key facts. Mike Shatzkin gives us some insight Here’s a quote from today’s post. He sees tradpub missing the elephant in the dining room—Amazon One “tell” is that Amazon doesn’t believe ebook sales are reducing, they … Continue reading →

You need to sort out burdens and loads… Galatians 6:1-5

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Galatians 6:1 Dear brothers and sisters, if one of you is caught in sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help restore that person. And watch yourself, that you don’t fall. Here’s the practical instruction alluding to the troubles I’m guessing at. Love and restoration are the solution to bad incidents. This is what we should try to do. The perp’s response is not your problem. All you can do is try gently to help … Continue reading →

Christian maturity does not happen by default

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Believers tend to assume that growing up is the norm Actually, if you look at the world or the kingdom, you inevitably come to the conclusion that most people never mature. In fact, it is rare for a person to even desire maturity. If you look at entertainment, you can almost use that dogmatic word never. All you find in the movies or on TV is people led around by their physical desires: lust, rage, greed, and … Continue reading →

Are you free? Galatians 5:1

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Galatians 5:1 The Messiah has truly set us free. Stand fast and stay free, and do not get bound up in slavery again This is a glorious statement to us—Americans who have made freedom the center of our culture. But it is always a struggle because freedom assumes responsibility. Yes, we are free, but we are responsible for our actions. Are we really free before we realize that the basic freedom is to choose the one we … Continue reading →

Learning to walk in freedom, Part 7: Galatians 3:15-19a

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Today we talk about two things where most people really mess up: covenants & morality. God‘s solution is always unique and edifying. ___________________________________ Galatians 3 Verse 3:15 Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example in human terms. Just as no one can set aside or amend an accepted contract, so it is in this case. It is always good to get these truths into everyday experience. We need to look at our laws to see how they … Continue reading →

Jesus attacked religious legalists – hard and often

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Jesus attacked religious legalists vigorously. He saw them as one of his main enemies. Today I want to talk about what Jesus said when he was invited to dinner one night. He was talking about his host and his friends. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe…herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. …Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk … Continue reading →

Learning to walk in Freedom: Part 6 Galatians 3:10-14

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Galatians 3:10 Trying to please God by obeying the Law puts you under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn’t obey everything in the Law is under a curse.” This is another little Old Testament nugget from Deuteronomy 27:26. Remember that the Law includes the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The arguments that many of the things in the Mosaic law are no longer relevant to modern society is bogus, … Continue reading →

Learning to walk in freedom, Part 5: Galatians 3:1-9

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As we continue our study of Galatians we come to the place where Paul is really upset with the people he taught. He calls them stupid which was much stronger than lack of intelligence. But let’s allow Paul to talk to us again. _____________________________________________ Chapter Three: Verse 3:1 You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus was nailed to a cross as our Messiah. Who put an evil spell on you? [MVP] Foolish or stupid? The word … Continue reading →

Are your people immune – Only Jesus can break that yoke!

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Are your people immune to the Gospel? Have the ones you feel called to serve been vaccinated with religion? Is this even possible? Sadly, the answer is yes. We all know what a vaccine is in this day and age. The basic principle is simple: if you place some dead disease into a person’s body, the body will react as if it were alive and do its best to fight it off. In the process the body … Continue reading →

Learning to walk in freedom: Part 4 Galatians 2:15-21

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Today we get into one of the core verses of scripture: Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with the Messiah. I no longer live, but He lives in me.” Until we understand this transaction, it is hard to move forward in our walk in the Kingdom. ______________________________ (Galatians 2 continues) Verses 2:15–16 We are Jews by birth and not sinners come out of the Gentiles. However, knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the … Continue reading →