Notes From the Forgotten Borough
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Unity under Pressure
We all love the idea of unity. We repeat phrases like, “There is no ‘I’ in team,” or “teamwork makes the dream work,” or “we are only as strong as we are united.” Yet in reality, pressure often exposes how fragile unity can be. As difficulty increases, people naturally drift toward self-protection, isolation, and defensiveness.…
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Not Earned, but Worthy
In Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, an Army platoon risks everything to rescue a single soldier after his brothers are killed in combat. The film’s tension increases as members of the search party lose their lives during the rescue mission, forcing the rest of the team to wonder if saving Private Ryan’s life was worth…
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A Candle That Never Goes Out
On a cold October day in 1555, two English pastors were led to the center of Oxford to be burned alive. The first, Nicholas Ridley, was the highly intellectual bishop of London. Disciplined and sharp, he was incredibly influential in shaping the Protestant reforms in England and played a key role in developing the English…
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When Paul Corrected My Critique
I loved my time in college at Cedarville University. One of the things that distinguished it from other Christian colleges was its commitment to chapel every weekday at 10 a.m. Through my four years of college, I heard some of the greatest speakers in the country open the Word and preach. However, with roughly 1,000…
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Submitted for Approval
Last week I submitted the first draft of my Ministry Project Proposal to my seminary advisor. Eventually, after what will likely be a great deal of editing, those 5,000 words will form the first chapter of my Doctor of Ministry project. This section of my paper took countless hours of research and writing to put…
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Born For Adversity
There’s something special about a friend who appears when life is falling apart. When we are crushed by devastating news or agonizing loss. Proverbs tells us that “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17). We know there’s a difference between acquaintances, fair-weather friends, and the deep, supportive…
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The Name on the Van
I loved attending the frequent events of my youth group as a teenager. From roller-skating nights to laser tag to all-nighters, we often piled into our church’s musty 15-passenger Dodge van to participate in activities designed to draw our unsaved friends to the ministry. Inevitably on these trips, before our youth pastor would release us…
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Two Very Different Mornings
For many years I served at a church that hosted an Easter sunrise service on the beach. I would dutifully wake up far earlier than I was accustomed to, layer up since a warm Easter Sunday is more of an ideal than a reality here in the Northeast, and make my way to the seaside…
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Broken Jars, Broken Bread
This week we approach two of the darkest chapters of Scripture: the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of Jesus. Mark, our guide on this narrative, has raised the tension higher and higher each week. Chapter by chapter we’ve learned that while Jesus is controversial and confrontational, he’s also approachable, pure, on an uncompromising mission, and in…
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God likes to poke at things while you’re on a mission trip.
One of the more exciting parts of the trip is our re-introduction day at Zanglas, the retreat center on the ocean that belongs to RMI. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. After hours of travel we finally made it there (after a brief stop at the guest home…
Got any book recommendations?
Pastor Jeremy Stephens 