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Normal Is Just A Word
We have this odd tendency to think that being normal is a good thing, and being weird is a bad thing. If you think about it, deep down we’re all pretty weird, and it’s impossible to define normal anyway. Being weird or unusual isn’t a sin. It’s not even a flaw. If God had intended…
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Faith Doesn’t Necessarily Bring Peace
There seems to be some common sentiment we hear sometimes, articulated in different ways. It often comes down to something like “know Jesus, know peace”. Lots of faith traditions seem to push this sort of idea, that once you embrace God, all your worries will melt away, as though a meerkat and a warthog just…
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Jesus and The Children
One of the most iconic scenes in the Gospels lies in Mark 10 where Jesus is finishing up a sermon on divorce, and children approach. Jesus’s disciples try to turn them away (…sigh…), but Jesus rebukes them and says this: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom…
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Susanna and Reputation vs. Honor
Reputation is a funny thing. If you think about it, while we refer to it as “one’s reputation”, it doesn’t really belong to anyone. It’s not really an aspect of oneself, so much as society’s view of them. A person can indirectly influence it, of course. There’s no shortage of examples of people ruining their…
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Insecurity About Piety
I got a confession to make. Sometimes, I feel insecure about my piety. And I bet I’m not the only one. Sometimes, it feels uncomfortable being around somebody who’s more outwardly pious than you. It can make you feel inadequate. It can make you feel like you’re being judged. The opposite is true too. Sometimes,…
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The Faith Involved In Language Study
In my experience, learning a foreign language is a journey of faith. Just like how religion requires a belief in what cannot be seen, language study requires a belief that an achievable goal lies down the road. When you start learning a language, your comprehension is bound to be almost nonexistent. You memorize words, go…