We return to Malachi to bookend this week, but I invite you to read a bit more. Malachi 3:5 follows today’s reading with these words: “I will be swift to bear...

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Finally, we get to John—John who was predicted in Malachi, John who was just born in Luke 1, finally arrives in Luke 3. This is the guy! This is who we’ve...

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In The Phantom Menace (1999) Yoda says this: “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Yoda sees fear as the gateway that leads to other bad...

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Thank you so much” is the best way to start a letter or e-mail. Whether you are thanking the recipient for a gift, for their attention to your relationship, or for...

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I  love volleyball. After the serve, each team has three touches to get the ball over the net to the opponent’s turf. At the competitive levels, the three touches have the...

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A children’s book titled Love You Forever by Robert Munsch (2011) always makes me cry. In the book, a mother tells her son, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for...

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The minor characters matter in stories seen on the stage and screen. In detective shows, you have to pay attention to the minor characters because one of them may be the...

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Throughout scripture we sense a focus on communities rather than individuals. Yet, in my own experience and cultural pattern, the category of individual rather than community receives emphasis. This assumption of...

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The apostle Paul writes to a community of faith that suffers persecution due to their Christian beliefs and practices. Paul expresses gratitude for this community and encourages them to keep the...

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