Spirit
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What Do You Think, are Angels Present in Church?
In a perplexing passage, Paul says that in worship services a woman “ought to have a symbol of authority over her head, because of the angels.” He is speaking about head coverings concerning which various interpretations have been given–a shawl, a veil, long hair or long hair not let down. Apparently he’s referencing some first… Continue reading
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Primal Desire or Emotional Deadness?
In a recent post we noted that throughout history almost all human beings have conceived of a mysterious, awe-inspiring Presence pervading our world–almost all, not everyone. The dominant worldview of Western countries is a notable exception. Scientism teaches us nothing exists beyond what the five senses can reach. Life just happened by chance. There is… Continue reading
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Is the Universe Cold and Dead, or Haunted by a Mysterious Presence?
What do you make of the fact that human beings have never considered themselves to be alone? No matter what corner of the earth we look to, no matter how far back in time we go, all people groups tell us a mysterious, awe-inspiring, frightful, yet fascinating Presence pervades our world. So concludes Rudolph Otto’s,… Continue reading
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The Coronavirus and the Christian’s Vulnerability
Along with incalculable health and economic suffering, the coronavirus has also brought a reality check. We are not as secure as we imagined. Being well-fed and gadgeted to the max has lulled us into a dream-like state that hides an unpleasant truth–we will eventually lose everything. Beauty will fade, strength will diminish, our senses will… Continue reading
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Responding to the Spirit (excerpt from “Whispers that Delight”)
The Spirit of Our Actions is What Counts When we speak of responding to God in prayer, therefore, we do not mean an intellectual exercise of trying to discern our marching orders for the day (though he could direct us to specific actions, as we shall see). Our Father’s first order of business is not… Continue reading
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Desire and the Spirit-Led Life (Excerpt from WHISPERS THAT DELIGHT)
Excerpt from WHISPERS THAT DELIGHT–Copyright © 2008 Andrew T. Hawkins Passion must at times animate our prayer and if we do not get our hearts’ longings into our prayer closet, our devotional life is finished. Fenelon claims that to pray is to desire. Without it, he says, we do not really pray, but merely go… Continue reading
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Does Our Worldview Allow Us to Hear from Beyond?
Our basic understanding of reality (worldview) either opens the door to communication with God or slams it tightly shut. In the first instance, we must obviously believe that God exists if we are to connect with him. Fortunately, this foundation block is in place for the vast majority of people. We simply don’t have enough… Continue reading