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- Larry Cheek on “Muscle and a Shovel”: In Reply to the Author, Michael Shank
- Mark on “Muscle and a Shovel”: In Reply to the Author, Michael Shank
- Larry Cheek on Born of Water: Don’t we contact the blood of Christ at baptism?
- Larry Cheek on “Muscle and a Shovel”: In Reply to the Author, Michael Shank
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- David on Born of Water: Don’t we contact the blood of Christ at baptism?
- Dwight Haas on “Muscle and a Shovel”: In Reply to the Author, Michael Shank
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- Larry Cheek on Will the Ark of the Covenant Ever Be Found?
 
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Category Archives: Christmas
Ray Vander Laan Regarding Christmas
Longtime readers will know that I’m a fan of the teaching ministry of Ray Vander Laan. A reader has pointed out to me this audio recording of Ray speaking on Christmas. http://www.followtherabbi.com/uploads/assets/audio/originalsettingofthechr_378.mp3 Enjoy. PS — Additional audio mp3s from Ray … Continue reading
									
						Posted in Christmas, To Change the World, Uncategorized					
					
												1 Comment
							
		How to Explain Christmas to a Teenager
(I’m guessing I totally missed at least half the jokes. I’ve got to get one of my kids to explain some of this to me.)
									
						Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized					
					
												3 Comments
							
		The Story of St. Nick — Thanks to Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll, author of several books and pastor of the Mars Hills church in Seattle, posted this fascinating account of the history of many of our Christmas traditions. It goes well with earlier posts from Patrick Mead. Enjoy, and have … Continue reading
									
						Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized					
					
												
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								Comments Off on The Story of St. Nick — Thanks to Mark Driscoll
							
		Another Great Christmas Story from Patrick Mead (with a note on Calvinism for later)
Well, he’s written another excellent Christmas post: The Man Who Invented Christmas. Mandatory reading. And once you’ve read it — and no sooner — reflect on the following. But wait until after Christmas. The rest of this post isn’t really … Continue reading
Is it okay to celebrate New Year’s Day?
[Re-posted from last year. The football references have not been updated.] On a discussion board, I’ve been engaged in an oh-so-long discussion re the propriety of a Christian celebrating Christmas. And then someone asked what I planned to do for … Continue reading
									
						Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized					
					
												
					Tagged All, Christian celebrations, Christmas, New Year's Eve				
				
								11 Comments
							
		An Overheard Christmas Conversation (with note to Village Voice readers added)
I was standing in a checkout line, doing my bit to stimulate the economy, you know, when I heard two women talking. “Did you hear? Costco has told its stores — all 520 of them — not to use the … Continue reading
The Birth of Jesus on Christmas Day
My congregation used to avoid Christmas trappings. After all, it’s obvious Jesus wasn’t born in December. And the celebration has roots in a pagan feast dedicated to the Roman god Saturn, Saturnalia. But we came to realize that we needed … Continue reading
 
								