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God Loves the Outcast: Ruth
@carol_mcclain Recently I moved from northern New York, from a rural community closer to Montreal than any US city. Tennessee offered a vastly different world, and more than the differences I found here, I was a newcomer. Friend groups had been established, and being an introvert, working my way into them proved difficult. I was a …[ read more ]
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Three Steps to Change Your Life: Lessons from Rahab
@carol_mcclain Is your past unforgivable? Definitely not. Consider Rahab, one of the ancestors of Jesus, mentioned in Matthew 1:5. She was a prostitute. No little girl–or boy–decides as a child, “I’ll be a prostitute.” What forces one into this lifestyle? Drugs? Abuse? Poverty? They say this is the oldest profession, and indeed, we read about prostitutes …[ read more ]
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Your Past Does Not Define You
@carol_mcclain Corey climbed the school bus one sunny spring day. As she took the first step, the entire bus chanted in unison, “Cooty-bug Corey, cooty-bug Corey.” They didn’t stop until the bus dropped her off at school. I believe Corey was ten-years-old, a nice girl who y I believe had the misfortune of getting head lice–a …[ read more ]
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Do-Overs: It’s never too late to start over (unless you die)
@carol_mcclain I was training for my first marathon. I’d left my running partner and headed for my cool-down when suddenly a HUGE boulder (aka: a pebble) lept out of the ground and tripped me up. I tumbled. I felt like I rolled head over keister. Worse than the mild concussion and bruised muscles and scraped skin, …[ read more ]
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Your Past Can Be Forgiven: Rahab
@carol_mcclain Is your past unforgiveable? Definitely not. Consider Rahab, one of the ancestors of Jesus, mentioned in Matthew 1:5. She was a prostitute. No one chooses this lifestyle. In ancient Israel, women found few avenues of employment. If unmarried or widowed, they very often had to turn to prostitution in order to survive. Who wants to …[ read more ]