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The Devil Buried the Bones
And I was reminded of an event from my father’s childhood: He was in a Sunday school class, listening to his teacher expound on Genesis 1 and a young earth, and asked his teacher how to make sense o... -
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The minute you hear a sermon on materialism, you're glad somebody else is there to hear it. -
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The Poor in Spirit at an Oregon State Correctional Institution
In June 2024, I (A. J.) had the opportunity to visit the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem, Oregon, to meet with a group of inmates who had read one of my recent books. The experience was... -
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Heart & Head?
At a Christian high school, a theology teacher strode to the front of the classroom, where he drew a heart on one side of the blackboard and a brain on the other. The two are as divided as the two sid... -
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We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount…Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. -
liturgy
Living and present Lord (Extended)
Prayer of Adoration Living and present Lord: You often surprise us, coming when we least expect it; or, You simply fold back the curtain to show us You’ve been there all along to give us hope and to ... -
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Psalm 19 | Creation Reflects God
Introduction During my time in seminary (and the year after I graduated) I spent a lot of time at a church in southern New Jersey. It’s actually how I met Scott Bullock, TPW board member and creator... -
liturgy
God of the common and of the uncommon.
God of the common and of the uncommon. You meet us in the ordinary routines of life–when we play and when we rest, while we work and while we worship. And You reveal yourself in the extraordinary, too... -
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Innovation or Heresy
It’s funny how sometimes members of the church can associate anything new with “heresy.” We often make the mistake of confusing technological innovations or scientific discoveries for changes to the g... -
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Are Churches Like Zoos?
A decade ago I spent an unforgettable week in the Galapagos Islands. This archipelago of islands off the coast of Ecuador hasn’t changed much since Charles Darwin sailed there on the HMS Beagle in Dec... -
liturgy
We have been created by God, to be
We have been created by God, to be loved by God, and to receive our identity from God. But in our everyday lives, as we go about our work, school, interacting with our family and friends, we don’t alw... -
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Music: Yesterday & Today
These days, music is everywhere. It’s on television and film, elevators and restaurants, public bathrooms and dentist offices. It’s in our cars and on our phones. With just a few taps to our screens, ... -
liturgy
God of wonder and grace: You knew us
God of wonder and grace: You knew us from even before we were born; You loved us from eternity. Then, when we needed to know you most, You called us by name and saved us. Nothing escapes Your notice a... -
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Creating Christian Consumers
I’ve served on staff at a few different churches throughout Silicon Valley for the last decade and a half, including a medium-sized church, a young church plant, and a multisite megachurch. At each, w... -
liturgy
God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–You
God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–You know what it’s like to be many and one at the same time. In You, we too are many ... yet one. You’ve made us one body—a single family unified for one purpose; with ... -
liturgy
A Call to Prayer
O Great Spirit, whose breath gives life to the world, and whose voice is heard in the soft breeze; We need your strength and wisdom. Cause us to walk in beauty. Give us the eyes ever to behold the red... -
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Salt Left in the Shaker?
Jesus describes his followers as being “salt” and “light” in the world in Matthew 5. When you think about salt, it doesn’t really have a whole lot of value when it’s just sitting in a salt shaker. Si... -
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I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily. -
Quote
As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene . . . . No one can read the Gospels without feeling the ac... -
liturgy
Adapted from Psalm 19 (Inclusive)
Leader: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. People: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord are sure, making wise th... -
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Distraction is the Greatest Threat to Churches
The journalist Andrew Sullivan has some strong words of advice for the modern church, If the churches came to understand that the greatest threat to faith today is not hedonism but distraction, p... -
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Back in Flatland
In this short excerpt, pastor and author Austin Fischer summarizes the late 19th century book Flatland as an analogy for the often-one-dimensional faith that exists our time: tIn 1884, an English sc... -
liturgy
True Love
Merciful Jesus Give us courage to deny privilege to lay down favor and safety in order to take up the cross of opportunity and justice Too often we fail to do this Merciful Jesus Give us courage to d... -
liturgy
Gracious Lord, like Nicodemus, we come
Gracious Lord, like Nicodemus, we come to the word with many questions. Like the Pharisees, we can be captivated by correctness, intent on right answers. As we turn to your word, Spirit of God, do not... -
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New Site Launches Tomorrow
Watch this Space! Tomorrow (May 29) is the official launch of the new The Pastor’s Workshop site! Return to this blog tomorrow morning for a post highlighting the new features and explaining how s... -
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Augustine said that we were all born into the world of “common grace” [i.e., available to all]. Before one is baptized, or even if one never is, such grace meets one in God’s creation. There is grace ... -
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Our Overstory and Understory
In the world of ecology, the tallest trees in a forest form a canopy that is called the overstory. It provides shade for the understory—all the vegetation that grows beneath the uppermost layer of fol... -
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Galileo and the Courage to See the Truth
* This story is debated among Galileo scholars, though most would agree that the story conveys Galileo’s unique approach to learning. Galileo Galilei was a man who dared to look beyond what othe... -
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A Missionary's Influence
R.W. DeHann wrote of a missionary who, shortly after arriving on the field, was speaking for the first time to a group of villagers. He was trying to present the gospel to them. He began by describing... -
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Like a smartphone screen made blank by the rays of direct sunshine, one day we shall see Christ’s face. On that day, all the vain spectacles in this world of illusions and all the pixelated idols of o...
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A
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B
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C
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D
- Dancing
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E
- Earthiness
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- Energy
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F
- Face of God
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G
- Gamification
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H
- Habits
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I
- Ideals
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L
- Lack of Accountability
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M
- Magic
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- The Material World
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N
O
P
- Pace
- Pain
- Pain and Growth
- Pain and Joy
- Paradox
- Parenting
- Parenting Teenagers
- Parents
- Passion
- Past
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- Personal Agendas
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- Place
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- Political Leaders
- Politics
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- Poor in Spirit
- Pop Culture
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- Productivity
- Progress
- Propaganda
- Providence
- Provision
- Pruning
- Psychology
- Putting God in a Box
- The Passing of Time
- The Psalms
R
- Race
- Racial Reconciliation
- Racism
- Rage
- Raising Children
- Reality
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- Receiving Gifts
- Receiving Grace
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- Reconciliation
- Recovery
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- Refugees
- Rejecting God
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- Retreat
- Revelation
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- Rhythms
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- Rich and Poor
- Riches
- Rituals
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- The Resurrection and the Life
- The Rich
- The Rock
- The Roman Empire
S
- Sabbath
- Sacred
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- Sacrificial Love
- Sadness
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- Salt
- Salt and Light
- Salt of the Earth
- Salvation
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- Satan
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- School
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- Self-Image
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- Single Parents
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- Skepticism
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- Space (Outer)
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- Spiritual Battles
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- Spring (Season)
- Stars
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- Step-parents
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- Stories
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- Subjectivism
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- Sunday School
- Supernatural
- Surgery
- Surprise
- Sustainability
- Sustainer
- Sweetness
- Symbols
- The Sacraments
- The Second Coming Of Christ
- The Soul
T
- Taking A Leap Of Faith
- Taking Inventory
- Taking Up the Cross
- Technological Progress
- Technology
- Teenagers
- Television
- Telling the Truth
- Ten Commandments
- Testing
- Thanksgiving (General)
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- The Trinity
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- Things
- Thought
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- Time
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- Trauma
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- Trees
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- True Love
- Trust
- Trust in God
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- Truth
U
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