Category: Uncategorized
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The letter ends with a line of names.None of them is empty. Philemon 1:23–25 The Final Line The letter was almost finished. The difficult request had been written. A possible debt had been placed beside Paul’s own name. Philemon had been asked to receive Onesimus as a brother. A guest room had been requested. Hope…
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Alcibiades was almost at the steps. Athens was waiting. Men were gathering near the assembly. There would be arguments, speeches, important faces, and the usual number of people who had arrived already certain that everyone else was wrong. Alcibiades was ready for them. He was young, handsome, well connected, well educated, and ambitious enough to…
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Before her hands learned more, her eyes had to. Her father had been working on the same eye for eleven minutes. She knew because she had counted. Not intentionally at first. But after the fourth minute, it became suspicious. The girl rested her chin in both hands and watched. The studio was unusually quiet. Afternoon…
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The file arrived before the boy did. It was thin. A few pages. A few dates. Several boxes filled in by people who already knew something about Julius. Children’s home. Financial difficulty. In need of support. There was enough information to be useful. The teacher read it, closed the folder, and put it on the…
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A trusted heart is asked for one difficult kindness.Then prayer leaves room for more than anyone can see. Philemon 1:20–22 A Prepared Room The guest room had been cleaned before anyone knew whether the guest would come. The sheets were fresh. A small lamp waited beside the bed. The chair near the window had been…
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Sometimes the hands learn because another pair stays still. The rabbit had two enormous front teeth. Not slightly enormous. Architecturally enormous. The girl leaned closer. The rabbit appeared delighted with them. She was not. A thin strand of hair slipped across her cheek as she pressed one thumb into the wet clay. The studio smelled…
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A promise is written in one man’s hand.Then every account in the room begins to change. Philemon 1:19 “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self.” Wet Ink The bridal gown lay beneath a white cloth at the far end of…
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The father was watching the horizon. His children were attacking each other. Neither situation appeared particularly urgent. Under the shade of the tree, the old lion sat almost motionless, his mane moving slightly whenever the dry wind crossed the plain. A few steps away, his two cubs had discovered an important problem: There was only…
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The little creature had one problem. It was raining. Not outside. From its chin. A slow brown drop gathered beneath its face, stretched bravely toward the table, and finally fell with a soft plop. The creature looked down. Another drop was already preparing itself. This was embarrassing. Across the studio stood several finished figures. Their…
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A welcome waits at the door.An unfinished account waits behind it. Philemon 1:17–18 After Closing The print shop had closed for the evening when Eli came back. Mara saw him through the glass before she opened the door. Months earlier he had left the workshop suddenly. An order had gone unfinished; an invoice and the…
