Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 I memorized this scripture and others at the suggestion of my middle school youth […]
Author Archives: paulrpurdue
If you read through the New Testament, reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke, when you get to John you will uncover something different from the Synoptic (or forming a summary) Gospels. John tells no birth stories, beginning with “In the Beginning was the Word and The Word was with God, and The Word was God”. John […]
Have you ever resisted doing something you knew God was calling you to do? Why do we flee from Christ’s teachings that we know can grow in us a meaningful life? Why hesitate to give, forgive, love, keep Sabbath, offer mercy, or catalyze justice? We won’t discover why Jonah resisted God’s call until the 3rd […]
When I arrived at the wedding venue, the best man shared that his only assignment for the wedding day was to keep Josh happy. That was not an easy task. It seemed like Josh was not happy unless he had a drink in his hand. Everyone seemed preoccupied with making sure Josh did not make […]
It was a sticky August weekday, and I was wearing a suit. In that county seat town, a jacket and tie generally meant were headed to a funeral, wedding, or court. The Chamber of Commerce Chair had asked me to offer a prayer at the new Chamber building. As I pulled into the freshly blacktopped […]
“A new king came to power in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph.” Do you remember Joseph, the dreaming youngest child of Jacob and Rachel? Jacob lavished Joseph with fancy gifts like a multi colored dinner jacket. Every now and again Jacob sent Joseph to check on his older brothers as they camped out in the […]
How does one preach about the mysteries of our faith? Do we explain the holy or open up space for awe? The Apostle Paul said, “Think of us (preachers) as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 4:1) When reading the Bible our presumptions about holy mystery color our understanding and application. […]
A few months ago, I was filling the bird feeder with some beautiful shiny black sunflower seeds, when I remembered a weedy bare spot behind our back fence. I grabbed a trowel from the shed and dug eight Frisbee sized plots. Rabbits mowed down many shoots, but four sunflowers persevered growing tall. Everyday, an 18 […]
Our Jewish kinfolks placed Ruth within a grouping called “The Writings”, along with books like Ester, Jonah, and Job. The Christian editors placed Ruth in the history section between Judges and 1 Samuel. Friends, Ruth is more of a play than a history. Ruth begins with a kind of “once upon a time”, “during the […]
Camp Compassion is our online VBS, where we are learning that compassion means: “I see your hurt, I feel your hurt with you, and I’ll work to ease your hurt.” This week we chatted about how compassion helps us be brave. I was turning that phrase over in my head,“compassion helps us be brave” , […]
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