Truth, the Person

Sketch by Patrick Murphy: inspiredsketch.blogspot.com Jesus is real.  I could not deny that any more than I could deny my wife and kids, who live with me.  Jesus is not a set of propositional truths to be debated.  Christians may derive propositional truths or creeds from Jesus, but creeds are not Christ.  Creeds or doctrinal…

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Jack-o’-lanterns for Jesus

This is a post from years ago that has been on my mind since Hallowe’en is approaching *** Hallowe’en is a contraction derived from “All hallows even,” and marks the beginning of All Saints Day on November 1st.  All Saints is a time of commemorating those who have died in the faith.  Martin Luther chose…

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What Is Greatest to the Father

“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways.  In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is not just a prophet or messenger that spoke about God.  He is the Son, God’s very speech, God’s message to man. The Son…

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Why Argue with an Atheist?

I’ve been watching a debate (from 2008) between Christopher Hitchens (an atheist), Dinesh D’Souza (a Christian), and Dennis Prager (a Jew).  (See the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0LY6Vwcp4-U).  The debate lasts for about two hours, and I’m 45 minutes into it. So far, Hitchens has dwelled a lot on evils committed by religious people.  I was surprised to…

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Divine Nature Ancestry (DNA)

Genesis 24 finds Abraham getting on in years. He asks his head servant “who managed all he owned” to find a wife for his son, Isaac.  Abraham insists his servant not find a wife for Isaac among the Canaanites; he asks him to return to the land of his family to find a wife for…

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Bears All Things

Sketch by Patrick Murphy: inspiredsketch.blogspot.com “Love…bears all things….” (1 Cor. 13:6-7). Considering what Jesus suffered when He died on the cross, is there anything the Lord wouldn’t call us to bear in love? We all have an internal line that says, “I will only take this much and no more.” This is fine because it…

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Taking a Break

It’s been awhile since I took a blogging break, so I’m due. In the meantime, feel free to check out previous posts or the booklets listed by category at the top of the page. There’s also a tab with recommended reading. These are books that are important to me, that have had some impact on…

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Anchor and Bedrock

The following is an excerpt from my personal journal, written in June 2020. It’s raw in places but we’re all feeling a little raw so I thought it might encourage someone else. *** Today, coronavirus restrictions are in their 13th week.  Protests and riots over the murder of George Floyd are going into their 3rd…

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Nothing without Christ

“[W]e labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us (2 Thess. 3:8-9). Paul comments that, while ministering to…

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Terror and Darkness

After promising Abram descendants, the Lord restated His promise to give Abram the land of Canaan.  Abram asked, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?” (Gen. 15:8). The Lord answered by telling Abram to sacrifice a three year old cow, a three year old female goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove, and a…

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