In John 17, shortly before his betrayal and arrest, Jesus prayed some incredibly important words for the church: “20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly…
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Foreign Languages & Foreign Ideas
I have learned two foreign languages in my life. The first was French which I studied all the way through both high school and college. I even spent a semester abroad in Belgium, where I worshiped with a French speaking church. The second I learned as an adult, when my family moved to Japan. Although I learned some Japanese as a child, it only involved simple phrases and counting to ten. As an adult, I went through the arduous process of achieving some degree of fluency, enough to work as a missionary in the country. I could give a lot of advice about learning a foreign language. Of course, you…
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Fear & Talents
One aspect that has long stood out to me regarding the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is the motivation for the wicked servant. What drove him to literally bury his portion instead of using it to produce more for his master? What caused him to sit on his hands until his master returned? Quite simply: fear. He was afraid of his master. He was afraid that he might use the portion unwisely, and end up squandering an incredible opportunity. He was so afraid of what would happen if he took any risks, that he did the one thing his master apparently disliked the most – nothing. Fear is…
