“I’m not sure I like bathtime.” (by Tom Page, Creative Commons)
Read John 2:13-24, Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Sin Inside The Temple
So the people selling animals in the temple, and the people changing out currency were taking advantage of the situation. If you traveled to Jerusalem for Passover, and you showed up with a sacrificial animal, it had to be without blemish. The priests were the ones who decided if it was acceptable or not. Well guess what, it was usually found to be unacceptable. But, conveniently located right here in the temple we happen to be selling pre-approved animals for sacrifice–for an exorbitant price. And, you have to pay for the animal with the temple currency. We can exchange your cash for our currency, in fact we have money changers right here in the temple standing by, but, it will cost you.
Providing a means of exchanging currency and providing animals for the Passover sacrifice was a good thing, but overcharging wasn’t. It was a sin. It was a sin found right there inside God’s temple. And Jesus, out of love for his Father’s house, turned the tables on those taking advantage of the people. He took action.
The religious leadership of his day asked Jesus: What sign can you show us to demonstrate you have the authority to cleanse the temple like this?
Jesus said: Read More
If I’m Not Thankful For What I’ve Got
“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”
–Frank A. Clark
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Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
thanksgiving
The Effect Of Pride On Thanksgiving
“Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”
–Henry Ward Beecher
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Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
Christian, thanksgiving
The Math Of Thanksgiving Dinners And Football Half-times
“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.”
― Erma Bombeck
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Posted on November 25, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary
thanksgiving
How God Responds To An Honest Seeker
Read John 3:1-16 Nicodemus Visits Jesus
An Honest Seeker Comes To Jesus
There was this man who was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was a teacher of the Jewish scriptures, and also a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the 71 Jewish men who ruled over Israel. I’ve heard the Sanhedrin described as a combination of our Supreme Court and our Senate, so the guy was a big deal in the Israeli community.
He shows up to Read More
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Posted on November 21, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, Is Jesus real, Seeker
Honest Seeker, Is Jesus real, John 3, Nicodemus
Things I Heard In Church: “I Like God’s Math Better Than My Math”
Read John 6:1-15, Jesus Feeds the 5,000
There’s Too Little, And It’s Too Late, But… Read More
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Posted on November 17, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, Things I Heard In Church
feeding 5000, I have nothing to offer God, I need help, loaves and fish
What Every Parent Wants (Including God)
“I’m not sure I like bathtime.” (by Tom Page, Creative Commons)
Read John 2:13-24, Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Sin Inside The Temple
So the people selling animals in the temple, and the people changing out currency were taking advantage of the situation. If you traveled to Jerusalem for Passover, and you showed up with a sacrificial animal, it had to be without blemish. The priests were the ones who decided if it was acceptable or not. Well guess what, it was usually found to be unacceptable. But, conveniently located right here in the temple we happen to be selling pre-approved animals for sacrifice–for an exorbitant price. And, you have to pay for the animal with the temple currency. We can exchange your cash for our currency, in fact we have money changers right here in the temple standing by, but, it will cost you.
Providing a means of exchanging currency and providing animals for the Passover sacrifice was a good thing, but overcharging wasn’t. It was a sin. It was a sin found right there inside God’s temple. And Jesus, out of love for his Father’s house, turned the tables on those taking advantage of the people. He took action.
The religious leadership of his day asked Jesus: What sign can you show us to demonstrate you have the authority to cleanse the temple like this?
Jesus said: Read More
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Posted on November 14, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, John
Christian, Christian growth, Christian living, God chastises those He loves, Jesus cleanses the temple, John 2:13-24
Things I Heard In Church: At one point the bat was inches away from my neck and making me a vampire.
Paraphrased from a Dave Teixeira teaching, 10/25/2015, Sunday, Strength in Weakness
Image via cthoyes – Creative Commons (The bat in this image is not the same bat that nearly transformed Dave Teixeira into a vampire.)
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Posted on November 12, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Things I Heard In Church
Cedar Mill Bible Church, Christian Humor, Dave Teixeira
How To Find The Best Wine Ever
So there’s this wedding. And it’s time for the reception. And Mary, Jesus’ mother, is there. And Jesus is there with his brand new disciples. And the wedding planner miscalculated, so they ran out of wine.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been at a wedding where you were privy to what was happening behind the scenes but if you have, you know that when the supply of drinks, or food, or any other essential item runs out, the women involved start to–well, their emotional intensity rises significantly. Kathy was involved in serving a meal at our son’s wedding and she was so nervous she Read More
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Posted on November 7, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study
anxiety, Christian happiness, Christian joy, depression, Jesus Christ first miracle, water to wine
Things I Heard In Church: Love Will Make You Weaker
“Love is always attached to vulnerability. Love will always make you weaker and more powerless, than you were before you loved. Some of you understand this. Some of you know this to be true because this is your story. You have a child who went off the rails, or a spouse who one day decided they were tired of being married, or a mom or a dad who treated you badly. And the pain you feel from those moments, the brokenness in your heart, is the direct result of the love you have for those people. You see, if you didn’t love them, it wouldn’t hurt.”
Yet we’re commanded to love. In fact: “Love is the crowning characteristic of the Christian.”
“You want to know what it means to be a mature follower of Jesus? It means to love people so much that they can hurt you. It means making yourself vulnerable to pain and suffering because of your love for them.” –Dave Teixeira
Dave Teixeira, 10/25/2015, Sunday, Strength in Weakness
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Posted on November 5, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Things I Heard In Church
2 Corinthians 12:9, Cedar Mill Bible Church, Dave Teixeira, love, why go to church
Mark Watney’s Connection From Mars (And what that has to do with our connection to Heaven): John 1:50-51
The Martian And Mark Watney’s Connection
I just finished reading the book The Martian by Andy Weir. And if you’ve already read the book or seen the movie you know that Mark Watney, a mechanical engineer and botanist, is left stranded alone on mars–for a very very long time.
He’s alone but he’s alone in a way no one has been alone before. He’s the only living creature on the entire red sand desert, unbreathable atmosphered, super frigid temperatured planet. Mark Watney spends every day on that planet just trying to figure out how to survive. But there’s one place in the book where he talks about this great connection he has that makes all the difference. His connection is with a team of scientists in Houston. Watney says, Read More
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Posted on October 31, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, John, Seeker
Christian, Jesus the way to heaven, John 1:51 commentary, John 1:51 teaching, the martian
Things I Heard In Church: “Some Kind Of Wild Cougar Type Creature…”
While listening to the story of Joseph and his brothers:
“They have his technicolor dream coat, and they’ve got it ripped up, and there’s animal blood on it, and they’re like, ‘I don’t know what happened. Some kind of wild cougar type creature must have gotten your son.'”
Then later…
When Joseph is Potiphar’s servant, working as the master of his house, Potiphar’s wife takes notice of Joseph. And Joseph’s good looks lead to “a very intense moment where he’s attacked by another wild cougar type creature, who comes along and says, ‘Will you sleep with me?'” (Matt Bowen)
References and Resources:
Genesis Chapter 39
Matt Bowen, 10/18/15, Sunday, Breaking the Power of the Past
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Posted on October 28, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Things I Heard In Church
Cedar Mill Bible Church, Joseph and his brothers, Joseph coat, Joseph dreams, Joseph Genesis, Matt Bowen
It Is Finished: 7 Stops In The Quest For Rest by Peter-John Courson (A Book Review)
Why Peter-John Courson Wrote This Book
The first sentence of the book reads: “When I was twenty years old I lost my life.” Peter goes on to describe how Read More
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Posted on October 24, 2015 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, News
Finished work cross, God's grace, It Is Finished, Peter-John Courson book, Peter-John Courson book review
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