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"Ask a Silly Question" July 16 Readings: John 5

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   John 5 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Fair warning - I may be a little wordy in the background section today, but this is a key passage in the development of the doctrine of the Trinity. Background:     When two people are in conflict, my first goal is to discern what the fight is actually all about. The stated source of conflict is often not the trigger point – there may be deep resentments or hidden agendas. A husband and wife may be bickering over some small decision, but the real issue is respect or control. Parents and teens are locked...
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"The Kingdom of Our King" July 15 Readings: John 4

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   John 4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Jesus regularly shocked the religious leaders, those who practiced an empty and dead religion. He followed God, but he refused to bow to human rules that corrupted God's truth and enslaved people. In today's reading, it was his own disciples that he was shocked by breaking cultural rules that hindered the spread of his truth. There were two in particular that were common to that culture.  First, there was a widespread loathing for Samaritans, so much so that Jews went around Samaria...
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"The Best Man" July 14 Readings: John 3

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   John 3 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     If there is one verse in all the Bible known more universally than John 3:16, I can't imagine what it is. God loved the world and gave his Son that those who believe would have eternal life. This great truth is part of an exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee. Evidently, not all those who were part of the religion of the day stood in opposition to Jesus. Some, like our Nicodemus, were seekers, inquirers, interested in finding truth. Jesus always gave frustrating answers to tho...
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"Applause that Matters" July 13 Readings: John 2

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   John 2 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     "We need to take a fresh look at this, get a different set of eyes on the problem." Ever heard something like that? John is a fresh set of eyes on the life of Christ. The Synoptic Gospels, in spite of their many similarities, share much in common, but John comes at things from a very different perspective, a more theological perspective. For the next four days, we will leave behind the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and read the early chapters of John. Each day we will take one story. T...
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"Of Mountains and Molehills" July 12 Readings: Mark 3:1-35, Luke 6:1-16

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Mark 3:1-35, Luke 6:1-1 6 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     In today's readings, we see some of the counterintuitive behavior of Jesus Christ. When he was at the height of his popularity, when thousands were following him, when his name was on the tongues of every person in Israel, he did something strange. He did not capitalize on his fame. He withdrew with his disciples and appointed twelve men to be his inner circle. He realized that building into those men was more important to his lasting success than building his fame. We...
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"Battle Lines" July 11 Readings: Mark 2:13-28, Luke 5:27-39

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Mark 2:13-28, Luke 5:27-39   In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Because we are devoting half the year to the New Testament, which is only about 1/4 of the Bible by content, we will have some days when our readings are not as long. This gives you time to be thoughtful and prayerful about these wonderful truths. Background:     As I was driving on a Christmas vacation a while back, I noticed a marker on the side of the road. It read, "38th Parallel." It was a memorial to Korean War veterans (my father included) who served and died because of...
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"Touching the Untouchable"; July 10 Readings: Mark 1:40-2:12, Luke 5:1-26

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Mark 1:40-2:12, Luke 5:1-26 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     This is a continuation of the early ministry of Jesus - more of the calling of the disciples, more of the early miracles and preaching of Jesus. There are two significant stories in these shorter readings; one speaks to the heart of Jesus' ministry and focus, and the other is the first hint of the conflict with the religious leaders that would grow in the years ahead into open war, resulting (at least in human terms) in the crucifixion of Christ. First, we see Jesus ...
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