The Two Most Important Commandments - Love

The Two Most Important Commandments ' LOVE By: Lara Velez Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible. I'm sure God must be trying to tell us something. We will start our study with Matthew 22:37-38; And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the most important and first commandment. I am sure that we have all heard this verse many times in our Christian lives. But, do we really get it? How do we ...
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7 Words Americans Should Stop Using Until Further Investigation

Americans repeat certain words with mindless ease without once regarding their definitions, their real meanings or their connotative meanings. Their use or perhaps their misuse is a good reflection of the health of our culture or the lack of it. Without including four letter words and expletives with the exception of...love, you will not be able to reach the end of this list without remembering that you have probably heard one or more of these words today alone. If you do not recall ...
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Erroll Garner and Dinner at Church

Whistling Misty Connecting Erroll Garner and a Holy Meal 'The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors. The kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out. The misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be---and experience'a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned. Oh---how it will be returned!' Luke 14:12 'The Message' Translation The soft summer rain ...
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Don't Quench The Spirit

I started this ministry because I see something happening in our churches that is a deep concern to me. There are far too many of our members who attend worship services who are not, and are not becoming, grounded in the word of God. I also see many members who are drifting away from the fellowship of the church. If their faith was strong and their love for God mature, I don't think this would happen. Also, the reasons people give for staying away from the fellowship is puzzling to me. It ...
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God Is Still Speaking Underneath the Expressway in Chicago

/p> Chicago's Virgin Mary Image. Dancing Under the Expressway The apostles came up and said to the Master,' Give us more faith' But the Master said 'You don't need more faith. There is no 'More' or 'less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Go jump in the lake' and it would do it. From Luke 17. 'The Message' translation. It happened not far from the spot where Chicago's Kennedy Expressway paved over the apartment at ...
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Living the Year of the Eucharist

Living the Year of the Eucharist An Author Interview with Michael Dubruiel, How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist by Lisa M. Hendey I believe that our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II left us a precious gift prior to his death when he declared this to be the 'Year of the Eucharist'. In the weeks since his passing, I have felt myself drawn compellingly to the Eucharist and to quiet time spent in Eucharistic adoration. Attending memorial masses, and now masses of Thanksgiving at the election of ...
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FOUR DREAMS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT

Saturday(April 2, 2005) night, I had four very vivid dreams. Here they are: 1. I dreamed I had preached a woman's funeral and was getting ready to preach another. This one was for Ricky, a resident of the nursing home where I preach. He had no wife but had two sisters there. The crowd was gathering at the funeral home chapel (I recognized Mr. Pearson, the funeral home director) as he brought in Ricky (He is the one I wrote the story Ricky Sings a Song He Did Not Know, posted elsewhere on this ...
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Are Your Children Growing Up Too Fast?

Each time our children graduate from one stage to another (i.e. crawling - walking, preschool - school, highschool - graduation) we as parents are excited and a little sad as well. We want our children to grow up, but we reminisce about the "good old" days. I think those mixed feelings are normal for all of us. My question for you is - "Are your children growing up too fast emotionally and socially?" We can't stop their physical growth, but we can effect their emotional and social growth. Our ...
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The Joy of My Salvation

During a church revival, I came under conviction and asked many questions, on the way home. I remember the fear of not wanting to go to hell. It was my father that came into my bedroom, which was kind of odd, being that dad and I had never talked about much of anything. But, mom wasn't saved, yet, herself. So, she reneged on this one. Though, it wasn't bad at all ... our first meaningful conversation. Dad brought a kitchen chair into my bedroom, I sat on the bed, and we talked. He explained ...
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The Essence of Worship

Faith Fellowship Church'PO Box 1586'Broken Arrow, OK 74013'Pastor Terry Dashner 'Essence of Worship' Is there a difference in the form of worship and the essence? Yes, as a matter of fact, many churches today are struggling with the proper form of worship. So widespread is this problem that many churches have divided into two services on Sunday mornings. In one service the form of worship is traditional music. Only hymns, piano, and organ are used while in the other service only contemporary ...
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