1 Samuel on Progress

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Slowing Down to Arrive Faster

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Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 37:7, Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 19:2, Hebrews 6:12, 1 Samuel 13:

My mentor is José Rojas. He was a spiritual adviser for two US presidents. On one of our first phone conversations, he said to me, “What if you’ll actually get to where you want to be quicker by slowi...

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Digital Versus Analog Listening

Author

Adam S. McHugh

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 3:9-10, Exodus 19:9, 1 Kings 19:11-12, John 10:27, Revelation 3:20, Psalm 46:10

Last year I joined the growing ranks of people who have made the return to music on vinyl. There is much debate in my family as to whether I’m a hipster or will soon be eating dinner at 4 p.m. and wea...

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Author

Eddie Rickenbacker

Keywords

Scripture

2 Samuel 23:13-17 , Judges 7:2-7, 1 Samuel 18:6-7, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Luke 10:17-20, Psalm 133:1

There is a peculiar gratification in receiving congratulations from one’s squadron for a victory in the air. It is worth more to a pilot than the applause of the whole outside world.

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Author

Garrison Keillor

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 11:4 , Ecclesiastes 4:4, 1 Samuel 18:6-9 , Matthew 6:1-2 , Luke 10:38-42, Psalm 127:1-2

I lust after recognition, I am desperate to win all the little merit badges and trinkets of my profession, and I am of less real use in this world than any good cleaning lady.

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The Worship of the god "Success"

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 15:10-23 , 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 , Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, Mark 10:35-45 , Luke 18:9-14 , Psalm 49:16-20

William James, in a famous letter to H. G. Wells in 1906, credited what he called American “moral flabbiness” to “the exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess Success. That—with the squalid cash interpr...

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Author

Martin Luther

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 127:1, Proverbs 16:3, 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 1 Samuel 17:, Matthew 14:13-21, John 15:5

Work and let him give the fruits therefore! Rule, and let him prosper it! Battle, and let him give victory! Preach, and let him make hearts devout!”

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I will be Good

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 3:10-12, Esther 4:14, 1 Samuel 16:12-13, Luke 15:17-20, 1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 139:14, Matthew 1:

On March 11, 1830, a young English girl was studying a lesson on the royal family with her tutor. As she examined the genealogical chart, she suddenly realized the astonishing truth—she was next in li...

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"Remember: You are Human."

Author

Christian Meier

Keywords

Scripture

James 4:1-10, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Mark 7:20-23, Proverbs 15:25-33, Proverbs 16:18, 1 Samuel 18:null, Luke 18:9-11

When Julius Caesar returned to Rome after many years of fighting its battles abroad, he planned great festivities and triumphal processions to celebrate his victories over Gaul, Egypt, Pontos, and Afr...

lectionary

Pentecost

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Acts 2:1-21, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Acts 1:15, Exodus 20:null, Acts 2:9-11, 1 Samuel 10:10, Ezekiel 7:1-14, 1 Kings 19:11-12, Joel 2:28-32, Genesis 11:7-9

Preaching Commentary Clothed with Power I have a daughter who cannot acquire enough clothes. Every birthday, Christmas, or special occasion is an opportunity to shop online for something new. Fashi...

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The True Test of Faith

Author

Brennan Manning

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 16:7, Micah 6:8, Proverbs 22:2 , James 2:1-4, Luke 14:12-14 , Psalm 146:3-7

Impostors draw their identity not only from achievements but from interpersonal relationships. They want to stand well with people of prominence because that enhances a person’s résumé and sense of se...

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Author

David Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Galatians 5:6, Hebrews 11:6, Micah 6:8, 1 Samuel 15:

The first step in backsliding is to put one's service for Christ ahead of one's love for Christ.

liturgy

A General Thanksgiving

Scripture

1 Samuel 2:1-10, Luke 17:11-19, Job 1:21, Acts 16:25, John 6:11

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery ...

lectionary

Third Sunday of Advent

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:46b-55, Luke 1:26-38, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Matthew 5:null, Matthew 19:24

AIM Commentary “Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ has been banned from public proclamation in many countries due to the revolutionary nature of these verses. ‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones’? Just...

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Read any study on human satisfaction

Author

Bryan C. Loritts

Keywords

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 , Genesis 2:18, 1 Samuel 18:1-4, Mark 8:36, Philippians 2:3-4, Psalm 133:1

Read any study on human satisfaction and you will see the paramount role of relationships with others. And yet, so many of us readily exchange friendship and community for success and achievement, onl...

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We need a Different Kind of Testimony

Author

Emily P. Freeman

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:1-16, 1 Samuel 16:6-13, Jonah 3:4 , Luke 15:25-32, Philippians 3:4-9, Psalm 103:8-12

In her book, Grace for the Good Girl , Emily P. Freeman charts her early years growing up in the church believing in grace but living according to the rules of perfection. One thing that would, a...

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Author

John Fowles

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 29:15-30 , Exodus 32:1-8 , 1 Samuel 13:8-14, Luke 15:11-32 , James 5:7-8, Psalm 27:14

“He wanted Everest in a day; if it took two, he lost interest.”

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Climbing the Wall

Author

John C. Maxwell

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 12:1-4, Joshua 3:14-17, 1 Samuel 17:32-50 , Matthew 14:28-31, Psalm 34:8 , Acts 10:9-16

I…vividly remember one of my teachers telling the story of three young boys whose route to school went alongside a high wall. Every day as the boys walked to school, they wondered what was on the othe...

lectionary

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Darren Pollock

Keywords

Christian Calendar

Scripture

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Ephesians 4:14, Mark 10:14, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Timothy 2:15, Proverbs 23:12, Proverbs 3:5, Acts 26:24

Preaching Commentary The Missing “Advent” Text A lectionary preacher moving from the fifth to the sixth Sunday after Pentecost in Year A will notice that a familiar chunk is missing, sent back in t...

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Author

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 4:3-10 , 1 Samuel 15:13-24 , Isaiah 29:13-15 , Luke 18:9-14, James 2:10-13 , Psalm 32:3-5

We readily confess our little faults in order to suggest that we have no big ones.

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The Great Wall of China & The Desire for Safety

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 4:23, 1 Samuel 15:22, Matthew 7:24-27, 1 Corinthians 3:11, Psalm 127:1

The Great Wall of China was an immense and costly project, built with tremendous effort and resources, designed to provide security and protection. Yet, within a few years of its completion, it was br...

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The Gift of College Students

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 3:1-10, Ecclesiastes 12:1 , Proverbs 2:1-11, Mark 10:17-22 , 1 Timothy 4:12 , Psalm 119:9-11

I have been moved to a different course of action, however, inspired largely by my daily exposure to college students in a great university during the course of a preaching and teaching ministry that ...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Acts 2:1-21 (Guide A)

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Acts 2:1-21, Acts 1:8, Ezekiel 37:1-14, 1 Samuel 10:5-12, 1 Kings 19:9-13, Joel 2:28-32, Genesis 11:1-9

Clothed with Power I have a daughter who cannot acquire enough clothes. Every birthday, Christmas, or special occasion is an opportunity to shop online for something new. Fashionable rags give her a ...

liturgy

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 2:1-10, Luke 17:11-19, Job 1:21, Acts 16:25, John 6:11

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery ...

lectionary

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6, Mark 2:23-28, Mark 3:1-6, Acts 12:12, Acts 12:25, Acts 15:37-39, Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 1:24, 1 Peter 5:13, Mark 1:14-15, Mark 2:1-22, Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Exodus 34:21, 1 Samuel 21:1-6, Luke 11:37-54, Mark 2:1-17, Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 2:1-2, Genesis 3:null, John 19:30

Preaching Commentary Context Authorship of Mark Mark’s account of the story of Jesus is commonly held to be the earliest of the four canonical Gospels. Early church tradition identifies the author...

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Divine Intervention & One more Step

Author

Dallas Willard

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 3:4-10, Exodus 23:20, Isaiah 30:21, Acts 16:6-10, John 10:27-28, Psalm 91:11-12

One remarkable illustration concerns Peter Marshall, the Scot who in the middle of the twentieth century became one of America’s most widely acclaimed ministers. Through his outstanding qualities as a...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, 2 Samuel 7:1-11,16

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, 1 Samuel 4:11, Psalm 89:3-4, Luke 1:31-33, Matthew 2:null, Micah 5:2, Psalm 127:1, Mark 1:14

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Ark of God The ark of God traveled with the people of Israel on their journey through the wilderness, accompanied them on their conques...

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Author

Socrates

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 16:7, Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 , Proverbs 22:1, Matthew 6:19-21 , Luke 12:15-21 , Psalm 37:16

Be less concerned with what you have than with what you are.

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A Grand Gesture

Author

Source Unknown

Keywords

Scripture

2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Samuel 17:, Proverbs 31:8-9, Ephesians 6:10-11, Psalm 27:1, Joshua 1:9

A man appears before the pearly gates. “Have you ever done anything of particular merit?” St. Peter asks. “Well, I can think of one thing….” the man offers. “Once I came upon a gang of high-testoster...

liturgy

Let us pray for the whole people of God

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 55:10-11 , 1 Samuel 3:1-10 , Habakkuk 2:3-4, John 1:35-39, 2 Timothy 2:2, Psalm 34:17-19

Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. O Lord, our heavenly Father, receive our thanks that You preserve Your Church on earth...

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Virtue Over Victory in Politics

Author

Justin Giboney

Keywords

Scripture

1 Samuel 24:10-12, Proverbs 16:8, Romans 12:17-18, Psalm 72:1-4, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:13-16

When in conflict we should demonstrate that our public witness is more important than winning a political battle. This means that if our side has to do something unloving or corrupt to win, then it’s ...

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Genesis

Exodus

1 Samuel

Psalm

Micah

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Ephesians

Philippians

Hebrews

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