Christianity
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Building Bethel: Grace
From April 2015 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He…
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Building Bethel: Praying
From March 2015 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter 5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut…
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What is a Lutheran supposed to do during Lent?
Some people just don’t know what to do with Lutherans. Some call us “Catholic lite” because we have some of the same practices as Roman Catholics, but some differences as well. Some people become Lutheran because we’re not quite Catholic and we’re not quite something else (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc). This seeming lack of definition leads…
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Building Bethel: Noticing
From February 2015 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of…
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Seven Days of Prayer – Day 2
Prayer Focus: Open my heart and mind that what is important to You is important to me. Scripture: Ephesians 1:17-19 Reflection: The tough thing here is to listen to God and not just reinforce our own priorities. This is why the whole first day was dedicated to a “spiritual cleansing.” From God’s perspective, what are…
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Seven Days of Prayer – Day 1
Prayer Focus: Cleanse my heart and mind that I might hear You Scripture: Psalm 51 Reflection: Periodically, we need to clean up. Our bathtubs accumulate soap scum. Our teeth get a build-up of plaque. When we speak of “health,” we know that maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health is part of our overall health. Today,…
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Seven Days of Prayer – Introduction
Original post: October 12, 2014 Revised: August 6, 2018 Beginning this Monday, August 6, Pastor Jeff will begin a week of prayer and discernment following the pattern outlined in a guide he developed for this purpose (available for download from our website – dates are from 2014). People who subscribe to the blog or have signed up to…
Epicurious Lutheran 