A Broad Place | Chuck Phillips | Substack
A Broad Place
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"My feet stand on level ground..." Psalm 26:12.
My feet stand on level ground...for he has brought me to a safe, secure place...
My feet stand on level ground...and I am confident in his constant presence...
My feet stand on level ground...it is a firm and trusted path forward...
My feet stand on level ground...a visible reminder to friend and enemy alike, of the goodness and grace of our deliverer, redeemer God!"
My feet stand on level ground..."
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“But we are children of the resurrection, which is simultaneously absurd, impossible, and true. A sad and small culture of death never has the last word.”
Abortion, Acedia, and Us
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The key thing to remember, is that all of these prayers, hands raised in praise, or hands spread in petition, are full-hearted, whole-bodied and God breathed, a reminder of who we’re praying to, a reverent and humble appeal to the Holy and Most High God!
Hands raised in prayer
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“People who are deceived do not know they are deceived. So how can one avoid deception? Only by knowing the Word of God. Those who call evil good and good evil DO NOT KNOW they are deceived as they march on toward hell.”
The Strong Delusion
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If you read nothing else today, this will be enough! And then reflect on which of the 7 solutions you will be a part of!
Reality Theology with Griffin Gooch
Why Are We All So Immature?
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“You will not be perfect. You will fail more often than you would like. But God is not calling for perfection. He is looking for faithfulness.”
Leading Well at Home
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“So beholding isn’t just something that happens in your head or even in your heart. It works itself out in how you live. It changes your actions.”
The Art of Beholding: Christ in Scripture and Prayer (Part 2)
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Are we showing up, earnestly praying for a move of the Holy Spirit, ready for all he will do?
When God Turns Us Away
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“And while we’re busy pointing at the lines we haven’t crossed, we make a steady peace with the ones we have.”
THIS IS THE DAY by Jason A. Clark
June 1 - Empire for Sale: How One Man Bought Rome and Lost Everything
“May we be encouraged by these prayers of old; may this build understanding and faith in our praying; may it lead us to much praying ourselves!” Yes, may it lead us to pray!
Where the Bible Shows God Hears and Responds to Prayers
“Sometimes God leads us away from what is comfortable so He can prepare us for what comes next.” Spot on post by Chris!
What God Is Doing While You're Waiting
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“God is a caretaker, not just observing but personally involved.
God knows each person’s heart and circumstances. He understands what each of us needs to grow with patience and care.”
Little Faith
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"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield...my stronghold and my refuge, my savior..."
"And David spoke to The Lord the words of this song on the day when The Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies..."
2 Samuel 22:2,3,1.
These verses lead off a long proclamation by David of the strength and deliverance and blessing of God.
It is repeated again in Psalm 18, but it is in 2 Samuel that we see the context...that of a man …
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I graduated from high school 50 years ago last week…here’s what I sent to my graduating class:
50 years!
Class of 76: The 50 years since graduation have passed all too quickly...teaching us "to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
For your reflection, here's a few excerpts from the commencement speech that I gave on our graduation night which in many ways still have as much relevance now, as they did back then!
"Surely, everyone graduating tonight has a feeling of a…
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This post sets a high bar:
“Modesty is not beneath or apart from us. It is part of what maturity in Christ looks like. It is what makes us men.”
Modesty and Men
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It’s not complicated… we’re created and purposed, in Christ, to excel in love and goodness, focused on the glory and praise of God.
He will fulfil His purpose...for me
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“Eighteen years is a long time to hurt. In many cultures, eighteen is the age of maturity…In Scripture, long seasons of pain often produce spiritual maturity.
His Hands
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“But God, who is truly good, gave his own Son to take upon himself the judgment due upon US for our sins. He hung on that cross, tortured and died in our place, taking in himself the judgment due US.”
How Would You Define The Word 'Good'?
“…there will often be seasons of isolation. God’s purification. Seasons where you no longer fit into old groups, old identities, or old versions of yourself…But maybe that isolation was never punishment. Maybe it was preparation.”
You're Right on Time
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“By turning the other cheek, the disciple refuses to cower, which means they do not accept the insult as deserved. But they also refuse to retaliate, which means they do not enter the honor contest.”
Turn the Other Cheek
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This post makes it personal as you reflect on what this day really means.
Memorial Day is for Us, Not Them — A Personal Reflection
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What does the Creed say about the “one God the Father?” Loved the insight in this post!
The God Who Holds Everything Together
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So many blessings tucked into this post!
Scripture and Prayers at the End of Life
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“But what I am starting to see is that careful is often just a polite word for afraid…”
Let's Try Again
“Meditate over these words. Sing them. Imagine what it might have been like for David or Jesus to pray them.”
The School of the Psalms
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“What is a favorite scripture that you see as a hidden treasure?”
The Original Good Samaritan
Grand parenting is a win-win for all the generations, and so many ways to leave a blessing, again and again!
Leaving a Legacy
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Think back from your youth—to the present. Where and how has he sustained you, and been a “strong refuge?”
Remember me
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“Imagine your physical Bible to be the evidence your eternal fate would be judged on, and live accordingly. What does that look like?”
My (Unpopular) Most Important Advice for Young Christians
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It’s not too late to reflect on where we are in life, how we got there, and what course corrections we can make!
Comfortable Misery: The Life We Never Planned
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A thoughtful reflection on the significance of grandfathers in the lives of their grandchildren!
The Power of a Grandfather’s Faith
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As Saint Paul reminded us, “I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4.
The Narrow Road with Stefano Ganddini
The Tension of Life
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Devon gives us yet another look at how God reveals himself, even in the midst of great suffering. God give me a generous and grateful heart, that enables me to “beam” until my last breath!
How Would You Live If You Knew You Were Going To Die?
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Great illustration of how God breathes new life into our lives and our immediate circumstances, even a physical transformation, by the Spirit!
The Dead Stump That Taught Me to Doubt Death
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So much encouragement from the lives of Joshua and Caleb, who stayed the course in the conquest of the promised land!
Books, the Bible, and a Better You
Biblical Convictions: Anchors in the Storm
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Think about the past; when has God made a way, when there “seemed to be no way?”
Remember me
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Todd, thanks for the shout out!
A New Collection of Prayer Articles
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"If you, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities...who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee...I wait for the Lord...and in his word I hope...with him is steadfast love, and...plenteous redemption." Psalm 130:5,6,7.
Sin is our Great Leveler...Forgiveness is our Great Need...Redemption is our Great Hope...
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“For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.” Psalm 143:3 NRSV.
What’s crushing you right now? How has the enemy brought darkness into your life? Where can you find or respond with light?
Evening prayer
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Loved this…the church, the sacraments, engaging all of the senses!
The Sacred Has a Smell
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"The sea looked and fled...What ails you, O sea, that you flee?" Psalm 114:3,5.
We've all had a time in our life when we have reached a dead end, an impasse, an impossibility...and then the waters parted...
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I am drawn to this engagement between David and God, his “stronghold and deliverer,” transparency revealed, as David holds nothing back, acknowledging his own limitation and complete dependence on God. He’s coming to God upfront and before anything else.
Bow your heavens...and come down!
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Not surprisingly, God has not left us unequipped to address life’s battles, for growth in the spiritual life requires the same warrior discipline and sense of urgency described by David.
It’s not without danger—not against flesh and blood—but the spiritual powers of darkness…none to be taken lightly. (Eph 6:12).
Bow your heavens...and come down!
“Who am I when I believe that God is a kind, caring, and loving God?
Who am I when I walk with confidence in the victory of Christ?
Who am I when I live every moment of my life as if in the presence of God?”
There’s a lot more here, check it out!
The Narrow Road with Stefano Ganddini
Who am I?
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Encouragement in a time of waiting…
“I am starting to sense that my brokenness may have a purpose. It helps me to yield to God. It allows God’s love to seep in…”
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“There’s a difference between seeking God and repeating the motions of seeking. The difference is small at first. Over time, it becomes everything.”
THIS IS THE DAY by Jason A. Clark
April 20 - Terror in the Skies: The Red Baron's Last Victorious Patrol
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“So consider this: are you ultimately celebrating your child’s achievements by the world's standards, or are you celebrating who they are in Christ?”
When Achievement Becomes Identity
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“Because most people don’t know how to celebrate what God is doing in someone else when it costs them something.
But real friends?
They don’t compete. They confirm.”
The Kind of Friendship We All Want (But Rarely Find)
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“She was…an outsider…God was preparing the way…her way…and she was not disappointed…”
Ruth.
“The body may keep time, yet the soul standeth apart, untouched by what it feigns. For that which is not rooted in God cannot endure, no matter how finely it is adorned.”
Dancing, Dancing
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“There is beauty in the slow unfolding…”
When the Room Is Empty
“In Celtic Christianity, the Holy Spirit is depicted as a wild goose. Unlike the traditional symbol of a gentle dove, a goose is unpredictable, yet powerful and purposeful. Geese are known for their wisdom, vigilance, and boldness.”
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So many graces and gifts from the night sky…who am I to have seen and received so much??
Before a Starlit Night
“As if each time was my last…”
I Look on this Land
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Epaphras left a legacy of devotion and commitment. What’s the summary of our own lives of faithfulness?
He was Always Praying on Your Behalf
“He may be creating a story behind the scenes that you know nothing about. Wait on him…”
Every Promise Includes A Waiting Period
After Christ made the Psalm his own—what does fulfilment of this prophetic word look like, this drinking of the cup? Jesus trusts in the deliverance of the Father, but will it be deliverance from death…or deliverance through death…just as they had planned?
The ends of the earth...turn to the Lord!
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We rejoice in what God has already “made more sure”—the reality of the many prophetic proclamations already met in Christ, while living each day in eager anticipation of what is yet to come!
The ends of the earth...turn to the Lord!
“So, we must undergo a counter-formation that sanctifies our vision if we are to look at the things of this world and truly love them. We must learn again to first behold and delight, eliciting wonder and gratitude.”
Do You Still Look at the Stars?
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Easter is:
“Grief met by surprise.
Fear met by joy.
Separation met by love.
Darkness met by light.”
And “when I see the cross, I see both death and life.”
I Gave Up Lent for Lent.
“Meaning and purpose are cultivated through labor and service that are motivated by Christ’s love in us.”
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What a great list of prayers: “If your law had not been my delight, I should have perished in my affliction.” Ps 119:92.
31 Prayers for the Bride of Christ
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“In place of their whitewashed righteousness, Jesus spoke about a new righteousness that shows up not just in behavior but also in the heart.”
How They Missed Jesus
“I’m looking in the wrong places, searching for grand gestures or worldly success while He is working in the quiet or unexpected places.”
Nothing To Look At
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“Faith that’s never been pressed can’t be known in its fullness. Trust that’s never been stretched can’t deepen.”
Heart of the Verse: 1 Peter 4:12
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“The most dangerous moment in the life of faith is rarely the moment of greatest pain. It’s the moment when what is happening no longer fits what you thought was true, and something has to give. Not necessarily your belief in God, but your understanding of how He works.”
THIS IS THE DAY by Jason A. Clark
April 7 - 23,700 Casualties: The Battle of Shiloh and the End of Easy Victory
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Yes, thank you for strength and comfort when we cannot see the way!
For The Unseen Blessings.
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“Now consider this: Who is the person you love more than any other in your life? Jesus loved the man who scourged him more than that. Jesus loved that man more than you and I have ever loved anyone.”
The Way of Good Friday
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“There Christ goes to rob the grave of its captives, to lay waste to the dominion of death once and for all.”
The Harrowing of Hell
“And like Rebekah, we are invited into a love story already written, a covenant already secured, a union already prepared.”
Love Story… Still Unfolding
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“God delays to deepen our desire. The waiting sharpens us. It shows us how much we truly need what we’re asking for, and it burns away the casual requests, leaving only the prayers we genuinely cannot live without.”
Reasons Why Answered Prayers Delay (and What We Do While Waiting)
Easter, March 1979…a card from my USAF Academy roommate, Mike. The entire history and practice of the Christian life hinges on the resurrection. If it’s not true, Jesus is nothing short of a madman, considering all he said and did and claimed. Nothing else makes any sense. Why else would the Apostle Paul make the bold claim in his le…
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“Down in the valley, dying of thirst When I'm down in the valley It seems that I'm at my worst My consolation is that You baptized this earth Well, down in the valley, valleys fill first
It's like that long Saturday Between Your death and the rising day When no one wrote a word Wondered is this the end But You were down there in the well Saving those that fell Bringing them to the mountain again…”
Valleys fill first, Caedmon’s Call.
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What amazes me is that Jesus endures his passion, despising the shame of the cross: “For the joy that was set before him…” Which makes this our challenge: “consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:2,3).
Taunts, Trauma, Thanks and Triumph!
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Several key decisions made in this post, which combines honesty: “I’m not okay today,” with truth: “In my weakness, God’s strength is made perfect; He loves me and made me!”
The Narrow Road with Stefano Ganddini
I don’t feel okay today
“I cannot love enough for all the brokenness…but I can write the same names across this faded journal of memory…”
Sunday Night After
“If the Son of God can stop to show mercy to sinners on His way to die, you can stop complaining about your week long enough to look your wife in the eye and ask how she’s doing.”
He Knew and He Went Anyway
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“So, maybe one of the deepest answers is this: what makes me a Christian dad is that I know I am not enough, and I know where enough is found.”
What Makes Me A Christian Dad?
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Christianity is not a one-time emotional response.
It’s not just a raised hand during a worship song.
It is a lifelong race.
Heaven is not the starting line.
It is the finish line.
Finish Spent
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“He didn’t just die so we could be forgiven and move on. He died so we could come near. So there wouldn’t be distance anymore.”
Jesus… Make Space in Me Again
“The fragrance filled the room like a kind of grace, a beauty that nobody in the room (besides Jesus) had earned. Yet there were those in the room who made themselves impervious to that beauty…”
The Next-to-Last Supper
“If God is chastening you, it is out of his great love for you. He doesn’t want you to stay where you are, he wants to mature you.”
The Life-Changing Power Of Humility
“For God to “bring into order” our unruly wills and affections, then, is for God to help us see, with compassion and curiosity, what deep human need is being brought to the surface through the disordered desires we’re noticing.”
Antifragile Faith by Ben Sternke
Unruly Wills and Affections
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“The first temptation in Eden was not simply about forbidden fruit. It was tied to the suggestion that something better was being missed, that God had kept back a higher place, a greater knowledge, a larger life.”
Original Sin American Style
“Spiritual decline doesn’t always look like a dramatic fall. Sometimes it takes the form of long, uninterrupted continuity, where the language stays the same, the habits stay the same, while the understanding that once gave those things weight slowly drains away.”
THIS IS THE DAY by Jason A. Clark
March 25 - The Crawls: How a Dying Woman's Bargain Fed the Poor for 900 Years
“To be a safe harbor as we listen well.”
Be a safe harbor ⛵
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As usual, lots to ponder in this post from Cork!
“Because what I’ve learned in this season is something I didn’t fully expect: Freedom without purpose doesn’t feel like freedom for very long. It starts to feel like drift.”
Don't Let Your Retirement Become the Devil's Playground
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Solitude.
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"My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God." Psalm 84:1. AMP
"Let our hearts be homesick for the courts of God--not for what lies in the past. If there is to be nostalgia, let it be for what is yet to come, not what was..." Jamie Buckingham, in "Where Eagles Soar," 1980.
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Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:20-23 NRSV.
In other words—get the word in you, however you can. Read every day, listen to your pastor or priest, get in a Bible study, memorize, memorize. The word will change your life, if you live it, but guard your heart, hide the word in your heart like a priceless treasure.
If there be any excellence
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Every believer has a role in the body of Christ.
Some preach.
Some lead.
Some teach.
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The Leadership Lesson Most Christians Miss
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No surprises here, happiness comes from showing up, at home, work and life with all God has already blessed you with, and use it to “lift” others!
Reality Theology with Griffin Gooch
Becoming Happy in 10 Easy Steps
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Paul and the Philippians possessed a shared gratitude. Take some time today to consider the blessings you’ve received from God—or at the hand of someone else—what’s the state of your own gratitude?
If there be any excellence
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“May you know boundless peace in uncertainty, a higher love without limits, and more sunny, hopeful vistas than you ever dreamed possible.”
Our families need our prayers ☀️ Porch #214
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“She didn’t have a child yet. The miracle hadn’t come. The thing she had been crying out for—still absent.
But something had shifted. God gave her peace before he gave her the baby.”
Pain That Prays
“The weight falls away for Spring's here to stay…”
Winter's End
“Love is shown by actions. Jesus poured Himself out completely, suffering and giving His life for us. He did this in obedience to the Father’s will.”
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