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One Less Responsibility
A distraught man furiously rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened. Your house has burned to the ground!” Weighing the news for a moment, W... -
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A Pile of Stuff with A Cover
In his classic monologue, comedian George Carlin riffed on the mountain of stuff we compile. His assertion is that a “house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it.” So when you get right down to ... -
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Signs of Wealth in America
During much of the twentieth century, the aspiration of most middle-class Americans was to own a home and a car. Now more than two out of three Americans own the homes in which they live. (In fact, so... -
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The three immutable facts: You own stuff. You will die. Someone will get that stuff. -
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Human ownership is an illusion. How can creatures that die own anything? No matter what you temporarily lay claim to or control, one this is certain: In one hundred years, you will no longer own it. -
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The Death Pledge
Mortgage is a French word. It’s a combination of two Old French words, mort meaning “death” and gage meaning “pledge.” Yep, signing a mortgage means you are signing a death pledge. It was named this a... -
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Sermon Illustration Tuesday (12.4)
This Week's Sermon Illustration Tuesday provides some interesting data on wealth in America, compiled by the author Daniel Pink. Enjoy! Signs of Wealth in America During much of the twentieth ... -
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Living In Excess Comes in Different Sizes
For many of us, living in excess doesn’t express itself in extremities. It doesn’t translate to tying $4,000 to balloons and releasing it into the air. It doesn’t have to amount to owning six houses (... -
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Whenever we think like owners, it’s a red flag. We should be thinking like stewards, investment managers, always looking for the best place to invest the Owner’s money. -
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The world asks, "What does a man own?" Christ asks, "How does he use it?" -
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Land Stewardship and Care for the Vulnerable
A friend of mine once remarked that how we care for the land often mirrors how we care for those dependent on it, especially women and children. Is our attitude one of entitlement and privilege? Do we... -
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The Elderly Contractor
An elderly master carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He w... -
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The Two House-Hunters from Quadora
Sam and Pam, two friends, both arrived in the United States as immigrants from the country of Quadora. Each one wanted to buy a house, and it so happened they each found one for sale by a certain weal... -
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Taking Care for the Next Generation
Known for their luxury watches, Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe has also become well-known for its clever advertising slogan: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely take care of it for t... -
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Thinking Biblically about Work and Ownership
In modern Western culture we place a high value on work, which is fine, but one of the philosophical assumptions that can come with such values is that we assume that we own what we earn or buy. From ... -
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We care more for our possessions with which we hope to make our way in the world than with our thoughts and dreams which tell us who we are in the world. -
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People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time. -
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People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time. -
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Where Our Owning Habits Become Selfish
Medieval Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), in his commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, specifically the fourth petition (“give us this day our daily bread”), points out several ways that our own... -
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A Debt We Couldn’t Pay Ourselves
Suppose I sell you a piece of commercial property on which I am already behind in my mortgage payments. You not only pay me a fair price for the property but also pay my overdue payments. Now the prop... -
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The Price of the American Dream
USA Today published a report in 2014 that put a price tag on the American Dream: $130,000 a year, which includes a nice six-figure salary, luxury vacations, college savings, and retirement. -
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For Use, not For Ownership
As a novice in a Catholic religious order, Ronald Rolheiser was taught the importance of religious poverty by having to write “Ad Usam” inside every book he was given. This was to teach him that the b... -
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Hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist. -
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The Owner of the Universe
The biblical theology of creation is a negation of theories of private” property and “public” property, our theories of individual ownership and collective or governmental ownership. The biblical view... -
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Surrounded by Possessions
Members of the Natomo family sit on the flat roof of their mud house in Mali, Africa, posing for their early morning photograph. Their earthly belongings are arrayed in front of them. Two kettles, pla... -
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Leaving It Behind
A wealthy plantation owner invited John Wesley to his home. The two rode their horses all day, seeing just a fraction of all the man owned. At the end of the day the plantation owner proudly asked, “W... -
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Not Holding on as Tightly
Here’s a story about tithing - giving away 10% of one’s income, from of all places, Forbes magazine. In the article, the writer tells the story of Greg Gianforte, the founder, chairman and CEO of Rig... -
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I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess. -
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Curious About Oregon
The Latin root of curiosity means “cure,” which makes me wonder if it isn’t a way to heal some of our oldest sicknesses. Like, perhaps, the “amnesia of affluence” that theologians point out in the Bib... -
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The Biggest Misconception about Giving
What’s the biggest misconception Christians have about giving? That when we give money away to a church or ministry, or to help the needy, it’s gone. While we hope others will benefit from it, we’re q...
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A
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B
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C
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D
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E
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F
- Face of God
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G
- Gardening
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- Global Church
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- Glory
- God the Father
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H
- Hands
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I
J
L
- Labor
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M
- Magnificat
- Mammon
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- Marital Problems
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- Materialism
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N
O
P
- Pain
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- The People of God
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Q
R
- Race
- Race and Reconciliation
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Real Estate
- Receiving
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- Receiving Gifts
- Receiving the Word
- Reconciliation
- Redeemer
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- Reflection
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- Relationships
- Relaxation
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- Repentance
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- Rest
- Resurrection of the Dead
- Revelation
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- Rich and Poor
- Riches
- Righteousness
- Risks
- Rivers
- Romantic Relationships
- Royalty
- The Rich
- The Risen Lord
S
- Sabbath
- Sacrifice
- Sacrificial Giving
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- Safety
- Salvation
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- Satisfaction
- Saving Faith
- Savior
- Scarcity
- Schedules
- School
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- Sea
- Searching
- Second Chances
- Secrets
- Security
- Seeds
- Seeking God
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- Self-Care
- Self-Centeredness
- Self-Control
- Self-Examination
- Self-Gratification
- Self-Love
- Self-Reliance
- Selfishness
- Sense of Smell
- Separation
- Servanthood
- Service
- Settling
- Sex
- Shame
- Sharing
- Shopping
- Shortcomings
- Sight
- Simplicity
- Sin
- Sinfulness
- Singing
- Sinners
- Sins of the Church
- Slander
- Slavery
- Sleep
- Social Class
- Social Justice
- Social Status
- Soil
- Solitude
- Solving Problems
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- Sowing Seeds
- Speaking Truth to Power
- Spending Money
- Spiritual Gifts
- Spiritual Growth
- Spiritual Health
- Spiritual Poverty
- Spiritual Thirst
- Sports
- Stars
- Steadfast Love
- Stealing
- Stewardship
- Stipulations
- Stories
- Storms
- Stranger
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- Stress
- Strings Attached
- Struggles
- Stubbornness
- Stuff
- Suburbs
- Success
- Suffering
- Superficiality
- Supply and Demand
- Surplus
- Sustainability
- Sweetness
- The Saints
T
W
Y
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