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To Seek And To Save

To Seek And To Save

In colloquial English, figurative use of the word “lost” permeates the lexicon of everyday speech.  Examples like the following spring to mind without effort: When applied to consequential things, the things we value most, the word “lost” assumes much greater significance, taking on a gravity no mere figure of speech can command.  You can all but feel the intensity of the suffering behind phrases like, “My family lost everything when the market crashed” or “I lost my wife last year.”  But as grievous as such…

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If Christ Had Never Come

If Christ Had Never Come

As I settled in to write this column, sitting down before yet another blank page on my computer screen, I began to think about the question of what the world would look like if Jesus Christ had never come to live among us and die for us.  I should have known that a hypothetical like this one was just too big.  Soon I was chasing rabbits as a welcome distraction. The first was what to call Him.  Jesus was and is a common name.  How to distinguish…

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Jesus Christ–Underreported, Underrated, Undervalued

Jesus Christ–Underreported, Underrated, Undervalued

Adore Him or ignore Him, Jesus Christ is one fascinating character.  His story doesn’t start with His incarnation and virgin birth, as momentous as they are.  In the scriptures we meet Him as the unique and eternal Son of God when there was as yet, no human race for Him to join.  We discover that He existed long before the cosmos came into being.  We find that He was not some interested spectator but was thoroughly involved and fully engaged in every way. As…

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Chance Meetings By Appointment Only

Chance Meetings By Appointment Only

The airport lounge was crowded with travelers waiting to board flights that would carry some to familiar destinations—their accustomed venues for business or pleasure.  In addition to these commuters were those being ferried to exotic locales of picturesque beauty and idyllic climes, the nearest thing to paradise on earth, and the perfect spot for that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.  Rounding out the manifests were those on missions of particular purpose—a job interview, a family emergency, a military deployment, a special occasion. One of these…

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Are You An Opportunist?

Are You An Opportunist?

Your answer to the question of whether you are an opportunist likely depends on your life experience and the context in which the word is used.  As for the first part (personal experience), most everyone has heard the word bandied about.  Most of us have seen the term used to describe the nature or behavior of another person, as in “she is an opportunist” (noun).  A person who acts that way, is said to be opportunistic (adjective).  Chances are, you yourself have applied this word…

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Sealing The Deal

Sealing The Deal

“The finance director will see you now,” said a pleasant young woman.  “If you’ll step this way.  Here we are.  It’s just through there.” “Thank you.” “My pleasure.  Good luck.” At the ominous word, “luck” the customer’s smile froze.  He shot a double-take at the quickly retreating back of his guide, then rapped hesitantly on the doorjamb of the director’s tiny, cramped workspace.  A large, powerfully built fellow emerged from behind an incongruously small desk and advanced toward him, right hand extended in greeting. “Welcome,” he said…

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Coaxed By The Cross

Coaxed By The Cross

My name is Joseph.  I come from Arimathea, in the Judean highlands.  I am a disciple of the Nazarene, Jesus, called Christ.  Ironic that this is the first time I’ve said that out loud.  Until now, I’ve followed him in secret, because…because (God forgive me), I was afraid of the authorities—both the Romans (which goes without saying) and my peers—the leaders of my own people. Yet I am one of them—a prominent member of the supreme Jewish Council in Jerusalem, the Great Sanhedrin. I am one of 71 elites,…

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Amazing Grace and Appalling Ingratitude

Amazing Grace and Appalling Ingratitude

Though I fervently believe them, I am very leery of ‘Bible stories.’  Like ‘bedtime stories,’ the term suggests make-believe, the stuff of legends, tall tales, and fables—in a word, fiction.  In the case of the Bible however, the taint of unreality is wholly undeserved. The following is not a fairytale, but an eyewitness account, set down within the same generation, recounting real events that actually transpired.  The fact that it is recorded in the Bible points to, rather than detracts from, its veracity.  It is not,…

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Celebration of Life

Celebration of Life

“I’d like to welcome all of you—relatives, friends, and co-workers of the deceased—to this celebration of life.  So glad you could be with us today!  I think we’re all familiar with the etiquette for these occasions, but out of an abundance of caution, here are a few gentle reminders of socially acceptable conduct. This is a very special time in which we consent together to avoid mention of anything that may remind us of the honoree’s moral shortcomings and ethical failings—the better…

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Failure To Yield

Failure To Yield

Many serious traffic accidents are caused by failure to yield the right-of-way to other drivers.  Such failures may result from factors such as inattention, distracted or impaired driving, and willfulness.  Willfulness is stubborn insistence on selfish priorities—a “me first” mentality. This mindset may lead some motorists to deliberately ignore signs and signals directing them to yield.  In so doing, they cast aside law, custom, the well-being of others and even, personal safety.  They drive rudely, often recklessly, in a narcissistic bid to emphasize their…

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