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There’s a relatively new library that’s popped up in the city of Ankara, Turkey. At first glance, it likely doesn’t look much different from any other typical library. Just as you might expect, there are endless rows of shelves filled with books that…
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The indisputably most-visited museum in the world closed for several days in recent weeks due to an explosion of attendance. The Louvre in Paris is swamped with tourists. More than 10 million people visited last year alone. That’s more than 32,000 gu…
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I had the chance to take a city bus around Minneapolis last week. I stepped onto the bus and right away realized that I had no idea where to put my money. The bus driver noticed my confusion. He looked me in the eye and kindly talked me through the p…
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This week, I am at the Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis – a conference on preaching. It has been four days of listening to, and being fed by, a diverse group of inspirational preachers and leaders from all backgrounds and denominations, each one…
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Have you ever smelled a loaf of fresh bread baking in the oven? It’s a warm and cozy kind of smell. It’s the kind of smell that can fill the whole house. Fresh bread tastes delightful, too. My dad makes sourdough bread from a fermented dough starter….
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If you know me at all, you’ve probably learned that I have a thing for rocks. River rocks and painted stones speckle my office and among these treasures are also a few gems: rose quartz and amethyst are my favorites. Some earthy types praise the heal…
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I’ll be the first to admit to you that I’m no good at golf. Terrible, in fact. I’ve gone to the driving range a handful of times in my life, and usually ended up leaving with a sore shoulder and a bruised ego. If I’m being really honest, I don’t real…
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When I was growing up, I loved to listen to my dad tell the same stories over and over. I’d say, “tell me, again, about how you and mom met.” Or I’d ask to hear, repeatedly, about what I was like as a baby, about the time my dad made Twinkies at the…
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Anybody who watched one of the thrilling NCAA basketball tournament games in recent weeks got their fill of slow-motion replay. Shots from behind the 3-point arc seemed to create the greatest excitement among announcers. “Did you see the rotation on…
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What do a tree, the Marvel cinematic universe, and the Easter story all have in common? The answer is simple, and his name is Groot. Groot first shows up in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, and is described as an “extraterrestrial tree-like being.”…
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What do you have stuck to your refrigerator? Perhaps the front of your fridge is bare. But maybe it’s got quite the collection: pictures of family and friends, graduation or wedding announcements, a work-in-progress grocery list, and colorful magnets…
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Last week, the story of Mary and Joseph leaving Jesus at the temple came up in my devotional reading. If you aren’t familiar, the holy family travels to Jerusalem and after a day’s sojourn on the way back home to Nazareth, they realize twelve-year-ol…