Blog
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Joys and Hurts of Hospitality
Sometimes, hospitality hurts. We extend ourselves and welcome people into our homes, anticipating times of engaging conversation and laughter. But afterwards, we find ourselves drained in body, mind, and spirit. We become tempted to pull up the drawbridge and keep our castle for ourselves for a time. The PyesAreUs have just come through a time of…
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Devotional of the week: Angel wings
Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. Isaiah 6:2 Our view of God can swing from one extreme to another. At one end, we might so favor intimacy with him that we speak only of “Jesus as my…
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Interview with storyteller extraordinaire Bob Hartman
Bob Hartman has been working for over twenty years as a performance storyteller for children, using his dynamic and interactive style to entertain audiences. He’s also the author of over sixty books. He and his wife have two grown children and three grandchildren, and they split their time between the UK and the USA. Part…
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Devotional of the week: Our King
A new devotional series, this one based in one of my favorite Old Testament books, from the prophet Isaiah (6:1-8). In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne… Isaiah 6:1 As an American living in the UK, I’ve often harbored mixed feelings about the British…
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Interview with spirituality writer Gary Thomas
Gary Thomas is a bestselling author in Houston, Texas, where he is a Writer in Residence at Second Baptist Church. An avid runner who has completed eleven marathons, he is married and has three children. I wrote Every Body Matters because I was struck by how often gluttony and sloth are addressed in the ancient devotional…
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God or Chocolate?
Do you have a security blanket? CutiePyeGirl falls to sleep best when she has her Baby Elmo on her left and her sheepskin fleece on her right, the nightlight shining on the table nearby. Me, I’ve moved beyond soft toys to chocolate. When I’m stressed out – the kids are demanding or cranky and I’m…
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Weekly devotional: “My Son, whom I love” (13 in Jesus’ miracles series)
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking…
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Gleanings from America
Just back to the UK from my annual fortnight (US: two weeks) in America, visiting family. As CutiePyeGirl says, seeing grandparents and family only once or twice a year is not enough. I agree. As I reflect on my time there, I offer a few observations. Healthcare costs have skyrocketed. People seem to be increasingly affected…
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Weekly devotional: How many loaves have you? (12 in Jesus’ miracles series)
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.…
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Weekly devotional: ‘I believe; help my unbelief’ (11 in Jesus’ miracles series)
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse…
