Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Holy Gospel: June 30, 2013. (Year C)

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Steve Harper

Read:  Luke 9:51-62 Meditation:  “Messy Ministry” Perhaps you have noticed that the lectionary Gospel lessons the past five weeks have all focused on Jesus’ care for and outreach to some person or group on the margin–some person or group left … Continue reading →

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Gleanings: True Unity

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Steve Harper

I don’t usually post long excerpts, but this recent writing by Richard Rohr reinforced my longstanding belief (thanks to E.Stanley Jones especially, but not exclusively) that the Incarnation is the core of the Gospel… I sincerely hate to say it, … Continue reading →

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And Your Daughters: Fear Not! (4)

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Steve Harper

Turning to look back into the Old Testament, Carolyn Custiss James continues to write about fearless women… Esther the Bold Esther’s fear was in the realm of politics, power, and a threatened genocide. Mordecia’s ultimatum was a direct challenge for … Continue reading →

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The Holy Gospel: June 23, 2013. (YearC)

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Steve Harper

Read:  Luke 8:26-39 Meditation:  “Crickets” I heard recently about a pastor whose caregiving and witness resulted in one of the town’s “outcasts” starting to come to church.  Problem was, he came in pretty much the same shape that he was … Continue reading →

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Gleanings: What Mystics Know

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Steve Harper

The mystics are those who are let in on this secret mystery of God’s love affair with the soul, with my soul in particular—and that God loves me uniquely. All true love gives us this sense of being special, chosen, … Continue reading →

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And Your Daughters: Fear Not! (3)

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Steve Harper

Women Proclaimers of the Gospel And who can forget the women at Jesus’ tomb who were the first eyewitnesses of his resurrection. You’ve heard it before many times, I feel sure. But in the first century culture, women were not … Continue reading →

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The Holy Gospel: June 16, 2013 (Year C)

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Steve Harper

Read:  Luke 7:36–8:3 Meditation:  “Thank God for the Women” I will leave it to the scholars to debate whether Mary Magdalene (8:2) is the same person noted in the bulk of today’s lesson.  And I’ll leave it to Dan Brown … Continue reading →

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Gleanings: No Substitutes

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Steve Harper

I recently read this quote from Brennan Manning… “The Word we study has to be the Word we pray. My personal experience of the relentless tenderness of God came not from exegetes, theologians, and spiritual writers, but from sitting still … Continue reading →

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And Your Daughters: Fear Not! (2)

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Steve Harper

Through the insights of Carolyn Custiss James, we continue our look at biblical women who listened to God, not their fear. Trailblazing Mary of Bethany Mary of Bethany broke through a glass ceiling of her day when she made the … Continue reading →

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The Holy Gospel: June 9, 2013 (Year C)

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Steve Harper

(Thanks to a friend for catching the error in the passage, Luke–not John) Read:  Luke 7:11-17 Meditation:  “He Had Compassion” Children are not supposed to die before their parents do.  When they do, it is tragic.  The woman was especially … Continue reading →

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Gleanings: Pray Until You Pray

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Steve Harper

A.W. Tozer communicates an important reminder in his exhortation to “pray ’til you pray”…. Often the last 10 minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper … Continue reading →

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And Your Daughters: Fear Not!

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Steve Harper

Today…and for upcoming Tuesdays, I want to excerpt some powerful reminders from Carolyn Custiss James…..reminders of women who listened to God more than to fear…. Audacious Mary of Nazareth Jesus’ own mother was the first female in the New Testament … Continue reading →

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First Day: “Summer Time…..”

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Steve Harper

As we enter the summer months, I have a couple of things to share with you… (1) The decision to create an Oboedire Facebook page has expanded the ministry.  It is a good medium for sharing brief, “current” thoughts about … Continue reading →

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The Holy Gospel: June 2, 2013 (Year C)

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Steve Harper

Read:  Luke 7:1-10 Meditation:  “How To Amaze Jesus” All sorts of people were amazed by what Jesus said and did, but this is the only place where we are told that he was amazed. We’d better pay attention. Here we … Continue reading →

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