True and Honest Christmas

“When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in A.D. 353, who would have ever thought that it would become what it is today. When Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first Christmas tree in America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the decorations would …

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Notable and Quotable: “The Spiritual Guide”

Image via author, unnamed lake, Wallowa Mountains, Oregon The book, "The Spiritual Guide" by Miguel de Molinos, has been a widely read and popular book since its original publication in 1675, and with a few short years it was translated into nearly every language on the European continent. Despite being banned by the Catholic Church …

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Notable and Quotable “A Guide to True Peace”

Image via author, unnamed lake, Wallowa Mountains, Oregon The book, "A Guide to True Peace," was published in its current form in 1815 by two Quakers, William Backhouse and James Janson. Since that time, the book has been an enormous influence in the lives of untold numbers of true seekers of the deeper life. It …

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The Gift of Gratitude

"Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do …

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Hatin’ Life: Inhabited, Not Inhibited

Image via author, Emigrant Wilderness, Sierra Nevada In the previous post entitled, "I'm Hatin' Life Right Now," I posed this question: "What would bring people to “hate this life,” meaning to forsake all to be inhabited fully by His life?" And the answer is love. "When one gives oneself over to loving our God above …

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The Narrow Gate – Hearing God Speak

Isaiah the prophet records the promise of our God to speak to His true followers.  We find this in Isaiah 55, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in …

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The Narrow Gate – God Speaks

Image via Author, Bighorn Range, Wyoming. That our God speaks to His people, to those who hearts are fully committed to Him, is a theme that runs through the scriptures.  Adam and Eve, Cain, Enoch, and Noah are notable examples in the ancient times recorded early in Genesis.  These are not people who occasionally heard …

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