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The Heart-for-God Series: 1 Samuel 24

THE NON-AVENGERS: EARTH’S GREATEST HEROES   There is an old story, probably from the first Gulf War in the 90s, where a soldier fighting overseas receives a letter from his girlfriend – a dear John letter. She was breaking up with him. In the letter she was asking him to return the photo of herself; she was marrying another man and needed the photo for the engagement column in the local paper. Distraught, the soldier shared his grief with his buddies. One of them came up with the idea that the platoon members give him all the photos of their girlfriends and send them to her with this note: “For the life of me, I can’t remember which one is yours…”                    We are told that revenge is sweet. Getting even or triumphing over enemies is a rush. Pop culture teaches this in our stories all the time. I confess that I enjoyed the Avengers storyline and how Ironman finally defeated Thanos.              But I am also reminded and very influenced by Walter Wink’s paper The Myth of Redem
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The Heart-For-God Series: 1 Samuel 18-20

CLOSER THAN A BROTHER   “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother ,” (Prov. 18:24).              Have you known such a friend? One who sticks closer than a brother?             I met a guy on my first day of college who became something like this for me. I walked into the dorm and found this tall, lanky, country boy dressed in blue rugby pants, matching blue shirt, dark blue socks with blue runners. I just started laughing at him. Here I was, dressed in button-down shirt with a shaker-knit sweater and dress pants, and he was laughing at me. We could not be more different in personality and style. As we mocked each other, a friendship was born.              Over the two years we were together at college, I discovered an intimacy I had never known with another person. I believe that our shared faith in Jesus was central, and we were brought together to learn from each other. In our second year, we were roommates, and we grew even c
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Recognizing Christ - A Guest Submission from Andreas Rosenwink

Worship Service at Bammental Mennonite Church Bammental, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany June 16, 2024 Sermon: Andreas Rosenwink   Translated from German   I have brought us a Bible text, personal words, written in a time of need. From Paul, who is in prison, to a beloved community of brothers and sisters, the church in Philippi. These are people who are for the most part familiar to Paul and close to his heart.   Paul is deprived of his freedom. He has been given over into the hands of powerful people who will decide whether he lives or dies.    When we see Paul in front of us like this, we can also think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his cell in Berlin. How does someone who is in prison feel…?    How is Paul’s heart? At first glance, he seems very composed and unbroken. He writes encouraging letters, he wants to build up his brothers and sisters and strengthen their faith, correct false teachings. Even in prison, he lives out what he is: an apostle to the fullest…and yet certainly also fully
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The Heart-For-God Series: 1 Samuel 17:1-58

LESSONS FROM A GIANT STORY   A Bible teacher I like to read wrote, “When I come to the story of David and Goliath, I feel like a comedian who has been asked to speak at a convention for comedians. As I step up to the podium, a list of the ten most well-known, over-used jokes known to man is handed to me – with instructions to tell the jokes in a way that makes the audience laugh,”  (Bob Deffinbaugh) .             Indeed, to preach about Jonah and the Fish or Daniel in the Lion’s Den has the same feel. We all come to these familiar stories with the perception that we know the story and we know the lessons. It’s tempting to zone out when the preacher rehearses the details of Goliath’s size and armor, “Here we go again!”              The David and Goliath episode has been called the quintessential underdog story. Everybody knows it; popular culture uses it to refer to the little guy beating the bully, to the mom-and-pop store taking on the big corporation, and so on. It’s a classic story
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