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Mowing wet grass is super difficult to do. Yes, it gets cut, but because it all sticks together it will clog up the mower and make your job super difficult. Dry grass is much simpler, because it doesn't have the moisture it separates and is scattered. Well...through this hard year, why have some churches been divided while others have stayed unified? The answer is simple, but hard to do. The answer is love. We might get cut down sometimes, but love keeps us together. 

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Last night our son started running a high fever again over 102, so Kylie took him to the walk in clinic 30 minutes before they closed. Sadly, they refused to see them because they didn't want to take anymore patients. No matter how much she pleaded, they were turned away. Luckily we got him in this morning and received an apology from the doctor who said she absolutely would have seen him if she had been asked. Well...Jesus is the great physician, and he will turn no one away. It does not matter what you've done, you can come to him for healing. The question that remains is this: do we as the church have that same attitude towards others?

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Tonight, a lifelong dream of mine is about to come true - I am going to get to see James Taylor live and in person. I am stunned at the thought of maybe even getting to look him in the eyes and shake his hand - what will I say or do? What can you say to someone who helped shape your entire childhood with his music? Well...how much more anticipation do you think I have for the day I will see Jesus face to face? What can you say or do for the author of life, the very one who saved you by his grace? I can only imagine...

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It's amazing how fast the summer went by, kids had their first day of school yesterday as summer break has come to an end for them. It's funny how as young kids you can't wait for school, but the older you get the more you can't wait to graduate and be done with it all. However, I found myself in a journey that demands lifelong continued education, so I'm always learning. Well...that shouldn't be just for preachers, that should be for all disciples. We don't have to be formally educated, but none of us are ever done learning. No matter how old you are or what your experiences are, God is not finished with you yet. It's time to go back to school. 

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The aquarium was a big hit with the kids yesterday! We saw a lot of amazing things, but my favorite was the cuttlefish. It has this unique ability to camouflage itself instantly to blend in with it's immediate surroundings. We were able to see this on display right in front of our faces, but it got me thinking about my actions because...Well, aren't we all guilty of trying to blend in with the world around us? Rather than be transformed, we shrink back and allow ourselves to be conformed to the world. It must not be this way, friends, let's stand out and seek the approval of God and not of man.  

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By the time you listen to this, we will have spent the day at the aquarium in Newport, Kentucky with my folks who are here spoiling their grandkids. While I love marine life, there is one creature I fear above any other, and that is a shark. I'm okay looking at them in a tank because I'm still in control, but if I'm in the water I'm completely vulnerable. That is what makes me so afraid, losing control. Well...pride is just as dangerous in our lives. We refuse to give up our control to trust God or others because it opens us up and leaves us vulnerable, so we close ourselves off. Nothing can be more dangerous, not even a shark. 

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My absolute favorite day while we were back on the West Coast was when Kylie surprised me with a date, just the two of us. We went hiking at our favorite spot in Silverton, Oregon at Silver Creek Falls. It was so good to spent that time connecting, talking, and growing together without any distractions. Sadly, many couples stop dating each other and so they grow apart over time. Well...have you stopped "dating" Jesus? Has your relationship grown stagnant or plateaued? Or are you spending that one on one time to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ? 

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Airports try my patience, as they do with so many other travelers. As a result, I have the tendency to become stressed and snappy as a result. I was taught an important lesson by a little girl waiting patiently to board who turned and shared her toy with my daughter. The act of kindness convicted me, and reminded me to take better control of myself. Well...there is a marriage between patience and kindness - you cannot have one without the other. And just as love is a choice, and kindness is a choice, so patience is a choice in our lives. 

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One of our favorite outings on our trip back west was to the Oregon Coast. We found ourselves in Lincoln City as my Dad showed my daughter how to make footprints in the sand. They were clear and defined until the water would come up and wash them away. I followed suit, and though mine were even bigger, the water stilled washed them away. Well...death will come to all, no matter who you are, it is the great equalizer. Our memory on earth will be forgotten & washed away no matter what you've done, but how will your creator remember you in judgment? 

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We are finally back home! Traveling was a nightmare both there and back. On my flight to Boise, my 4-5 hour tripped turned into nearly a 24 hour trip. Instead of getting in at 11 am, because of mechanical failure I would not get in until well past midnight. Instead of one connection, I would make 3. The worst part, with how it all fell, I couldn't eat. By the end of the day I was starving, and I would have eaten anything. I needed food. Well...do we hunger and thirst for righteousness in the same way? Is Jesus something we need every day, or someone we go without on a regular basis? 

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