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The Greek term agape is one of the most misunderstood terms in the Bible. It is often translated as “love” in today’s translations. But that gives a false sense of the word since too often we associate it with a feeling. This feeling is something we can feel for our spouse or children or even…
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I am retired Air Force, and there are a lot of times when people find that out they thank me for my service. This is especially true when I wear my A-2 jacket (leather flight jacket). I’m always a little embarrassed when that happens. I even had a friend at church tell me he appreciated…
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Tradition can be a wonderful thing, for it gives you a sense of where you belong and what is expected of you. One of the reasons the Marine Corp is such an effective fighting force is its strong traditions that bind them with the bands of comradery. However, tradition can have its negative side as…
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During World War II the allies had an extensive ariel bombing campaign against Germany and Japan. They had to bring those nations’ war machines to halt by destroying their capability to manufacture weapons. The success of those campaigns was not as grand as hoped, although it did have a negative effect on their war fighting…
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Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve had a special place in my heart for superhero comics. I kept that interest through college and even into my thirties and forties. I loved the Superman movies of the 1970’s. (Well at least the first two.) The old comic book heroes were heroes in the classical…
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Funny thing about grief, it never really goes away. It will recede and the background noise of daily living will make it imperceptible most of the time, and you do learn to laugh, to be happy, and to feel the joy of life again. But then something happens, and grief comes storming back to remind…
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I gave this talk as an introduction to prayer of blessing for what we call the LORD’s Supper, or the Eucharist. The first part was before the bread and the second part was before the wine. I think it is appropriate for this Easter. ***** Good Grief! I’ve heard that exclamation all of my life…
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I watched Wes Huff’s Youtube video The Gospel of Mark is missing its ending? Let me explain…, and I found it very interesting. In his video, he explained that Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus are the two oldest copies of the Bible and were produced around 350 AD. Both of these copies have Mark 16:9-20…
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I was browsing a used bookstore the other day and came across a book titled Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers. I scanned the table of contents and saw that Ayn Rand was not listed among them. I found this odd since she has had, and is having, a great deal of influence on many of the…
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I’ve been rereading Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. It is an excellent book. After I had been reading it for a while, I was also watching Dr David Wood’s YouTube video on George Orwell’s 1940 review of Mein Kompf. What I found interesting was in last section where Orwell said, “human beings don’t only want…
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In chapter one of the book of Acts just before Christ ascension back to the Father, the Apostles asked Jesus, “Will you now restore the Kingdom of Israel?” After three years of following Jesus, seeing him resurrected, and touching the nail prints in his hands, they still didn’t get it. Even after Pentecost and the…
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It is often asked “Where is God’s justice?” We look to God to right every wrong and to prevent every hardship. We fail to recall that God placed us to have dominion over the world and from that power He expects us to dispense justice as His representative. If there is a lack of justice,…
From Under the Basket
Let Your Light Shine Before Men