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"Glory Be to God on High, and On Earth..." - 22 December 2024

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Glory be to God on high: and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise you; we bless you; we worship you; we glorify you; we give thanks to you for your great glory! O Great King and Sovereign look upon our country and the nations of this world and move over the plans and intentions of our Oklahoma State Senators and Judiciary. May all come to know your peace on earth, becoming men and women of goodwill. O God of armies send forth your hosts to preserve and protect our greater Oklahoma City area firefighters, police officers, Sheriffs, deputies, troopers, and our military members, particularly those who are close to danger, at home or abroad . Yahweh Rapha, Lord our healer, sustain and direct our doctors, PAs, nurses, First Responders, and specialists – especially those who are on call or working now and throughout this Christmas season. Thank you for their help and availability; and may they know they are appreciated. LORD God whose steadfast love is great above the heavens; w...
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"The Long Road Home" by Sarah Walton. A Review

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  Fond memories swirl through my head about reading loads of books to my kids when they were little. We found plenty of material, but when it came to Bible stories and little books that focused on one Bible story or another, the field was antiquated and narrow. Old 1950s and 1960s art work, script that could be a bit corny, crayon marks, and all. Though our children have long been grown, I'm still always looking for good material for parents to read with their youngsters. Sarah Walton, author, wife and mother, has pulled together a pleasant retelling of our Lord's story of the prodigal son and his stuffy brother in the 56-page hardback, "The Long Road Home: A Tale of Two Sons and a Father's Never-Ending Love". The delightful illustrations are provided by Christina Yang, a seasoned illustrator and designer. Between the two, "The Long Road Home" is just the kind of book I look for when thinking about reading to kids and grandkids. The story encompasses two...
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"The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever" by Ashley Lande. A Review

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  There’s a risk when getting into someone else’s life story. To actually commit yourself to listening as they recount the paths they’ve taken, the dark corners in their lives where lurk wild things, the odd reasonings in their heads, and more. The risk happens at different levels. One risk is that if a person really tunes in to the tales of another’s life, as weird or dark or grief-filled as it may be, there’s a lot of commonality. ‘This person is very much like me, and I find myself thinking the same way they did.’ If you really listen, it can be eye-opening. Ashley Lande, author and writer in rural Kansas, takes a bold step by inviting you into her life story in her award-winning autobiographical narrative, “The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever: Transcendence, Psychedelics, & Jesus Christ”. It’s in both paperback and Logos Digital formats. And it is a page-turning journey through a life looking for the thing that would make everything okay forever. Simply becaus...
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"Make Haste, O God..." - 15 December 2024

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  You who are the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, who has said: “ I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite ” (Isaiah 57:15). We rejoice and give you our great thanks and ask you to hear our grateful prayers offered in concert with Psalm 70: Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! Hear the groans and grief of those hurting through sickness, weakening bodies, sad hearts and desperate conditions (…). Speedily deliver them and swiftly help them. Hear the cries and despair of those who are down and out, done in and destitute, whether in our congregation, in our city, under our bridges, or around our neighborhoods, and make haste to help them. Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! Let them turn back because...
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"The Incarnate Christ and His Critics" by Bowman and Komoszewski. A Review

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  The Incarnate Christ and His Critics: A Biblical Defense Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski Kregel Academic www.kregel.com ISBN: 978-0-8254-4579-8; November 2024; $57.99   There’s that scene in Talladega Nights where Ricky, Carley, Cal and the family are all gathered around the dinner table that’s running over with pizza, fried chicken and tacos. Ricky begins to give thanks to sweet baby Jesus, which then launches a rough and raucous dialogue about which Jesus each character likes. Cal even pipes up with his “I like to picture Jesus in a Tuxedo T-shirt, 'cause it says, like, 'I wanna be formal, but I'm here to party, too.' If one can make it through the whole exchange without losing themselves in laughter or frustration, it becomes an apt allegory of much of the religious landscape from the 20 th to the 21 st Century. Many Americans have their favorite version of Jesus, from folk religion to secularist. Therefore, I was delighted when a friend...
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"Who Is Like You, O LORD...?" 8 December 2024

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  Moses sang (Exodus 15:11), “ Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? ” and so we draw near to you through Jesus Christ with a true heart in the full assurance of faith. O faithful Lord, we pray for your Church in all nations, for this congregation and for Trinity Lutheran, Church of the Servant, Unity Baptist, and Victory Church. Lead and guide your people in sound doctrine, establish the preeminence of the Gospel of Jesus, strengthen and fortify your little lambs in utmost loyalty, and supply all our needs richly in Christ Jesus, so that we may learn to devote ourselves to good works to help in cases of urgent need and not be unfruitful (Titus 3:14). God of steadfast love, please call, convert and conserve those who have never submitted to your Son, and please collect those who have “ wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs ” (1 Timothy 6:10). We implore you, merciful Father, t...
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"Mighty God, Strong to Save..." - 1 December 2024

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Mighty God, strong to save, you have willingly accommodated yourself to us by not only speaking the Holy Scriptures, but in sending your Son to us and for us. We pray for your Church and the World. For this congregation (gathered and scattered) we pray; set the captives free, open the blind eyes, release the prisoners, turn our sorrows to gladness, and make our homes places of light, love, harmony and health. Further, we ask your watchful care to be bestowed on your Church throughout the world, including The Vine Community Church, Trinity Baptist, Trinity Nazarene, and Trinity Community Fellowship; and your people who are being hounded and harmed by predators and persecutors throughout the world. Forgive us for trying to earn your unearnable love; stir up in us a greater trust and confidence in your Son Jesus Christ and help us to toss away all false doctrine and false living which tarnish your generous kindness and your glorious majesty. For all those who are being doubled over with p...
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