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Beware the leaven of the Pharisees

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 Please, please hear my heart in this. Luke 10:25-37 “Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? ” “What is written in the law? ” he asked him.  “How do you read it? ” He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor? ” Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compa
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Part 1: Control and Entitlement- Harmful Evangelical Materials

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  Diane Langberg says    in Redeeming Power: “Abuse of power is a cancer in the body of Christ. How Christendom uses terminology regarding gender is sometimes an aspect of the disease. We need to let the light of a holy God expose us and our systems. A man named Jesus had nothing to do with these ways. He used his power without abuse, coercion, or complicity. A male named Jesus interacted with all kinds of women and protected, blessed, healed, encouraged, and lifted them up. He never told them to submit to evil or wrongdoing. He didn't silence them. Much of masculinity in Christendom looks nothing like Jesus. It has been contaminated by secular culture and sanctioned using theological terms. Any theology that does not produce the fruit of Jesus is false. We are doing great damage to countless vulnerable people and to God's church because people destroyed by abuse perpetrated by the powerful cannot use the fullness of their God-given gifts to bless his body. Those perpetrating t
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The Barbie Movie and My Identity Crisis

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 I just finished watching the Barbie movie for the second time. This is not a review as there have been many others who have done fantastic jobs of it and I don’t feel the need to add my voice into the discussion. However, there were many scenes and themes that I related to very deeply in the movie. I genuinely loved the movie and while it is meant to be satirical, it is very poignant and deep with many scenes that hit you between the eyes with truths that are just beginning to be said aloud, such as the famous “ Gloria’s speech ” scene. But one scene that I deeply relate to is near the end when Barbie and Ken are in Barbie’s dream house discussing Ken’s identity apart from Barbie.  Ken says to Barbie, “I just don’t know who I am without you.”   Barbie responds “You’re Ken!”  “But it’s Barbie and Ken” , he replies. “There is no just Ken. That’s why I was created. I only exist within the warmth of your gaze. Without it, I’m just a little blonde guy who can’t do flips.”    Barbie repl
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But Such Were Some Of You

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It's June again. That means that my social media feeds are filled with rainbows from both the world and church, and questions/statements/opinions/scriptures about homosexuality. Pictures such as these are being shared by Christians and proclaimed Christian companies.  I have seen posts shared of people burning in hell with a caption that talks only about the abomination of homosexuality and how if these people don't repent, they will go to hell. So I'd like to take a few minutes and share my thoughts on the topic of homosexuality, anbominations, and June.  Abominations First of all, I find it prudent to discuss what God calls abominations . What is an abomination, anyway?  The dictionary defines it as " a thing that causes  disgust  or  hatred ." The Bible has a few different lists of sins that are defined as abominations (or detestable in some translations).  Proverbs 3:31-32 (CSB) Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious p
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