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Slightly Obsessed #143: Roller Coasters, Unicorns, and Facing Our Misconceptions
Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4 (Jubilee Bible 2000) She sits nervously in the seat of the kiddie roller coaster, not comforted by the arms encircling her. The ride clacks…
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Slightly Obsessed #142: Into His Death – Why We Are Baptized
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:4-6 It’s the gospel proclaimed all over again. It’s Easter…
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Slightly Obsessed #141: You Are Stronger Than the Thing that Controls You
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. -2 Corinthians 10:3-4 A stronghold is the thing you give in to in the darkness. Not long after God’s people…
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Slightly Obsessed #140: Your Life Matters
By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. – Hebrews 11:7 Do you ever feel invisible? Does it seem like your struggles…
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Slightly Obsessed #139: Why Regret Can Be a Good Thing
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly. – Luke 22:61-62 He was hot, and he was cold, but the fisherman named Peter was never…
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Slightly Obsessed #138: Do You Long for a Refuge?
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. – Psalm 18:2 The school bus groaned to a stop, flung open its doors, and belched out two children. The boy bounded up the driveway to freedom like a foal let out to pasture.…
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Slightly Obsessed #137: This Old House
For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. – Hebrews 3:4 The last few years we’ve been tearing into our aging log home to give it some new life. Raising five children took its toll on the place, and it’s been looking tired. But there’s one thing…
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Slightly Obsessed #136: What Is an Atheist?
Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. – Ephesians 2:12 ATHEOS, Atheist: godless; destitute of God; given up by God and excluded from communion with God* What is an…
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Slightly Obsessed #135: The One Time You Can Know God Is Near
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts. – Proverbs 17:3 One year just after Christmas, my brother’s home burned to the ground. Virtually nothing was saved except for a few wedding photographs that miraculously escaped the flames. In tears I watched him and his wife…
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Slightly Obsessed #134: New Year’s Day, All Year Long
Behold, I am making all things new. – Revelation 21:5 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 The snow fell all day, blanketing the yard and surrounding hills in a soft white whisper. Christmas still adorns…
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Slightly Obsessed #133: What Will Your Tomorrow Bring?
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. – Luke 2:13 The night lay heavily over the fields, formless and void, just like every other night. The man finished his patrol and returned to the small fire where the others gathered to warm up. He pulled up…
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Slightly Obsessed #132: Transformed
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18 The skeleton lay in its dusty box, long hidden from the sun. I knelt down and…
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Slightly Obsessed #131: Save Our Souls
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil. – Hebrews 6:19 The fishing vessel lunged toward the sky upon a heaving wave and careened down its black back as the herculean storm roiled the ocean beneath them. Rain pounded…
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Slightly Obsessed #130: The One Word that Bothers Me This Thanksgiving
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. – Ezekiel 16:49 My feet throbbed as I eased into bed after a long day. Like millions of other Americans, I’m gearing up for the…
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Slightly Obsessed #129: Do Heaven and Hell Know You?
This is the highest praise that earth or hell affords—to be classified by the enemy as one with Jesus. – Leonard Ravenhill Visiting a big church for the first time is nerve-wracking. Once you get past the cheery greeters just inside the doors, you seem to disappear. As you make your way to the sanctuary,…
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Slightly Obsessed #128: Beyond the Veil
So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18 (Holman Christian Bible) One moment he felt strong and young and immortal. The next moment, his life crashed around him, the veil between two…
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Slightly Obsessed #127: The Overused, Misunderstood Four-letter Word
For God so loved the world… Recently I saw this posted on social media by a stranger: “Please don’t be offended if I don’t reply or follow you. But I love you!” Uh, okay. I pondered the introduction. This person wanted me to know he may or may not decide to ever communicate with me.…
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Slightly Obsessed #126: Three Diamonds for Ava
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13 The ballroom awaited the bride and groom for the evening wedding, resplendent in readiness. A massive chandelier of mirrors hung from the vaulted ceiling, capturing and reflecting every movement below. The lights were dimmed, but the…
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Slightly Obsessed #125: You Will not Be Put to Shame
Abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. – 1 John 2:28 It started as a child. It haunted me through school. Sometimes it still comes in the night, when darkness covers my heart and whispers to my mind the…
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Slightly Obsessed #124: When Justice Comes Slowly
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. – Ecclesiastes 8:11 Be sure your sin will find you out. – Numbers 32:23 He sat waiting just outside the circle of the streetlight, poised in the shadows…
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Slightly Obsessed #123: The Secret Feast
All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast. – Proverbs 15:15 As people count strength, Betsie was a frail person. Chronic illness had battered her small frame even before she was herded with the others on a train headed to a Nazi death camp. Unlike her…
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Slightly Obsessed #122: Faith Aflame
John responded to them all, saying, ‘As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ – John 3:16 Google’s English dictionary and Oxford Languages…
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Slightly Obsessed #121: Where Is the Devil Headed?
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. – Revelation 20:10 Where does the devil go at Christ’s return? The answer that springs to mind is, “Hell, of…
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Slightly Obsessed #120: Where Is the Devil Now?
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.’ – Job 1:6-7…
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Slightly Obsessed #119: Who Is the Devil, Part 3
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! – Isaiah 14:12 It’s snake season where I live. Our long, dry summer has driven all kinds of creatures down to the river valley…
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Slightly Obsessed #118: Who Is the Devil, Part 2
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. – Genesis 1:31 Popular culture paints the devil as a slick-talking rascal in a red suit, sporting horns and a pointy tail. He supposedly lives in hell and relishes each new addition to his cauldron of boiling souls. In movies he…
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Slightly Obsessed #117: Who Is the Devil, Part 1
And give no opportunity to the devil. – Ephesians 4:27 (ESV) There are only two kinds of snakes in our yard: One-rock and Two-rock. The big ones take two rocks. That’s been my credo for years, much to the chagrin of my reptile-loving nephew. I always figured snakes have the whole river valley near…
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Slightly Obsessed #116: What Do You Battle?
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. -1 Peter 4:17 One flag comes down. Another goes up. And everyone has an opinion. Battle lines are being drawn everywhere as the States formerly known as United become a nation polarized by competing ideologies. Christians have, understandably, felt threatened by the…
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Slightly Obsessed #115: Before the Gavel Falls
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. – Ecclesiastes 8:11 He asked the question, but his voice filled with mocking. The Canadian wondered why Canada hadn’t earned judgment from God for its decade of…
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Slightly Obsessed #114: The Color of Forgiveness
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. – Matthew 26:28 (NIV) The plan was simple and evil. When a racist opened fire on members of a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, he hoped to ignite…
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Slightly Obsessed #113: Are You Feeling Weak?
The joy of the LORD is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10 Is life pressing in on you lately? Have you been feeling weak in your faith? Are you tired of the daily onslaughts on your family, your faith, and your work? You’re in good company. But how do believers find strength for a…
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Slightly Obsessed #112: Silence of the Lamb
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. – Revelation 8:1 Heaven is a busy place. At least, that’s what the Bible says. According to the Scriptures, it’s the true center of the universe, where angels regularly present themselves to God (Job 1:6; 2:1).…
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Slightly Obsessed #111: The Holy Spirit – His Seal upon Our Hearts
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…. – Ephesians 1:13 In his book The Holy Spirit, Billy Graham tells the story of an English missionary who died in India…
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Slightly Obsessed #110: Do You Know Who You Are?
A good name is to be desired than great wealth. – Proverbs 22:1 My angelic-looking little tow-head had pushed my hot button all day with his mischief. My patience finally cracked under his antics, and I ordered him into the kitchen for a “talk.” He stood there in silence, ready to take the…
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Slightly Obsessed #109: Like a River
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ – John 7:38 Moving. Overflowing. Saturating everything around it. Pushing obstacles out of the way. A river can be a fearsome thing. I’ve lived beside a river since childhood. I’ve seen it in every…
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Slightly Obsessed #108: Living in Laodicea
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. – Revelation 22:17 Facilitating small fellowships in rural areas can be challenging. As the only facilitator for the…
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Slightly Obsessed #107: The Mark of a Believer
If someone says ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one whom does not love his brother who he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. – 1 John 4:20 He sat perched on the examination table, his gangly legs hanging over the side.…
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Slightly Obsessed #106: Easter, a Time for Hope
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. -1 Corinthians 15:20-22 Today…
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Slightly Obsessed #105: Stardust
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. -2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) I awaken groggily to a bright light in my face as morning announces itself with fanfare. The sun invades the blinds covering our large downstairs bedroom window…
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Slightly Obsessed #104: Falling Snow Geese and Why It doesn’t Pay to Worry
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened. – Mark Twain The headline read, “Thousands of snow geese fall dead from sky in Idaho.” According to the report on msn.com, at least two thousand migrating geese were recently found dead in eastern…
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Pamela Thorson
Believer, wife, mom, grandma, nurse. Contributor at cmaddict.com. Homeschooling vet. Daughter of the American Revolution. Charred but still standing.