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It’s hard to overestimate the power of memories. Not only do they help us get through hard times (the taste of a good bowl of gumbo does wonders for my spirit), but they can lift up our grieving souls to provide a small measure of laughter or, possibly, even some sense of happiness.
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With every test or doctor’s visit I’m continually reminded of how fragile are our human bodies. Mighty men and women boast of doing great things or having immaculate bodies and yet one skin prick test can change their lives. Paul wrote that we live in bodies that are like jars of clay. They are handcrafted…
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To be honest, I fear running into old friends. It’s a senseless phobia that terrifies the senses at the very thought of having to explain my life’s journey over the past 10, 15 or 20 years of my life. My fear goes something like this… Imagine you see somewhat familiar face picking produce in a
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Have you ever come face to face with a ferocious monster? You know, the kind of villainous, malicious, delicious… err… knee-knocking, pants-wetting, truly terrifying creature who stalks your dreams and watches from behind spooky gnarled trees in the thick of the forest kind of monster? Oh, really? They don’t exist, you say? Hmmm…. The kinds
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One thing at which Mrs. Newton and I marvel on a regular basis is the passage of time. Time just seems to fly by so fast that we can hardly believe that this thing happened last week, nor another thing last month, or a major thing even a year ago! Last year at this time,
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Often I find myself thinking that the world would be a lot more fun if more people embraced the overall concept of adventure. If they would see the joy in life, embrace the silliness a wee bit more, and see trials and triumphs as if they were chapters in your life’s book. This chapter? Financial…
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I’m continuing to reflect on the concept of barrenness this week, a theme that came to the fore during last week’s church lectionary readings. God so often speaks new life into our barrenness, superseding even our wildest imaginations to create exciting things out of nothingness. He turns death into life and He renews old bodies
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One of the things I have most enjoyed about attending an Anglican Church is the daily lectionary. For those unaware, the “lectionary” is a pre-selected plan of daily readings, usually containing one section of Scripture each from the Old Testament History, Psalms, Gospels and Epistles parts of the Bible. And on Sundays, one passage is
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Mrs. Newton and I got into another one of those “blog worthy” discussions the other night as we reflected on our move to a new city and search for new friends here. As for culture, Fayetteville is a far cry from Monroe, Louisiana, where deep fried food, thick accents and rampant poverty abound. Well, Fayetteville
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Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry… (Matthew 4:1) The wilderness isn’t supposed to be nice. It is barren and harsh. It is emotional and overwhelming. A soul can feel very lost in
J.C. Newton 