Darkened Glass Reflections
Living today with an eye on eternity
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Ground Zero Mosque: Why I Am Not Protesting
Personally, I do not want to see the mosque built so close to the World Trade Center site. However, there is a conflict between personal preferences, public sentiment, and the basic rights that we Americans enjoy.
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Through a Glass Darkly
The concept that believers see “through a glass darkly” should encourage us. Questions often assault our faith: “Why? What are you doing to me, God? When will you do what I thought You would?” These are the questions that shake our faith, perhaps more so than the intellectual or philosophical challenges to our faith. The…
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Passion and Passivity
“Passivity” starts with the same five letters as does “passion.” Yet, these words are virtual opposites. Someone who is passionate cannot be passive at the same time, about the same thing.
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Cheap Grace or Transforming Grace?
German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined a phrase for such a distorted understanding of grace. He called it “cheap grace.” In his classic devotional, The Cost of Discipleship, he spoke of it as preaching “forgiveness without requiring repentance,” offering “communion without confession” and “absolution without contrition.”
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Celebrating Freedom
We need to keep in mind why we celebrate the Fourth of July. Our nation’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence around July 4, 1776 (it took several days to gather all the signatures). They took a stand against a tyrannical government and demanded liberty…. We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all…
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Fathers’ Day Reflections
This Fathers’ Day, let us place the barbecues, the cards, and the new ties in their proper place. Fellow fathers, let us renew our vows to build a godly heritage.”
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For Future Generations
Our society is so self-centered that most Americans—including mature, committed Christians—have a hard time thinking beyond what they can see. We think in a short term, but God thinks long-term…. God, however, sees a much bigger picture. He sees generations yet unborn and calls me to seek blessings for them, as well as for the…
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Faithfulness in Hard Times
We serve an eternal God who created infinite space and a vast universe. Yet, we often have the audacity to think we can dictate or define the outcome of our obedience when we go through trials.
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The US Census: Unconstitutional Questions Can Be Hazardous to Society’s Health
In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” An important step in this direction would be…
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Lent
Lent is a season when we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s triumph over sin and death through His crucifixion and resurrection. It is a time when we remind ourselves that we are sinners in need of redemption.
Darkened Glass Reflections 