Tag: bible
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Jesus is the Answer
You all look pretty amazing this morning! How many of you took a picture of your family or your kids before you left the house for church this morning? When I was a kid, there was always a picture before church because we looked good, and mom wanted a record of that moment. She spent…
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Who is Jesus? — Jesus the King
Human beings are wired to love the idea of a king. Not the boring constitutional monarchy kind, where the king mostly cuts ribbons and waves from balconies, like King Charles of England — but a real king. A strong, decisive, rides-in-on-a-warhorse, fixes-everything, defeats-the-bad-guys kind of king. We love stories about good kings riding out to…
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Jesus, the Teacher
One of the things we rely on constantly today is reviews. We check the reviews. Five stars? Great. Two stars? Probably not. You read comments like: “Amazing food! Best tacos ever!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Terrible service. Waited 45 minutes for water.” ⭐⭐ And sometimes the reviews are completely contradictory. “Best place I’ve ever eaten!” Right next to……
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Take Heart, God Wins—Daniel 7
One of Ronald Regan’s favorite jokes to tell was one about twin boys. Maybe you’ve heard it. One of the boys was an extreme pessimist, and the other boy was an extreme optimist. Worried about their extreme personalities, the parents took them to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. First, the psychiatrist led the pessimistic boy…
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Serve Well, Stand Firm—Daniel 6
How many of you know the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den? It is probably the most famous story in the Bible. Even people who have never read the Bible will know that Noah had an ark and that Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. Parents and grandparents love to tell kids the…
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Obey God Despite the Consequences
We live in a culture that doesn’t usually ask us to deny God outright. Freedom of religion and all that. Instead, it asks us to deny God subtly; to compromise quietly. We often go along to get along, so things stay easy. Our culture asks us to keep our convictions private. So, we bow just…
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Keep Your Confidence—Daniel 2
A Harvard study found that people spend 46.9% of their waking hours thinking about things other than the present moment. Instead of being in the present during those times, people tend to either reflect on the past or worry about the future. The research finds that a sense of disconnection from the present is a…
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Courage to Draw Lines—Daniel 1
Dan 1:1-2 (CSB)—In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God. Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,,…
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The Arrival—Love
The Christmas season tends to be synonymous with family. When people ask me about our Christmas plans, what they are asking is which family you will be spending the holidays with. Christmas and family tend to go together. That’s why this can also be a tough time for many people. Family relationships can cause a…
Chris Hankel 