Sometimes all it takes to properly contextualize a verse of Scripture is to read the next one. This is John 12:32 (NIV):   “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” I grew up hearing preachers and worship leaders quote John 12:32, and the application was, “we…

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<![CDATA[ “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’”…

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<![CDATA[ This post is, of course, inspired mostly by the annual celebration of Easter, the day that Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ. A small part of it was probably, on a subconscious level, influenced by the ABC freshman drama “Resurrection,” which is either based on or tangentially related to a really confusing number of TV serials…

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