Month: March 2024

And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. Exodus 9:11 It’s maddening to watch someone drink themselves to death. It’s not as if they don’t know what’s killing them. In the times I’ve seen it happen, it’s not that…
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For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. Exodus 9:2 When those who’s brains have become dependent on alcohol…
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The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. Exodus 8:18 I would never consciously claim that I am my own god. I know that’s absurd and blasphemous. As long as I can remember, I’ve believed in God and that I’m supposed to follow his will, not my own. I’ve…
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But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them. Exodus 8:15 When I was in junior high, computers showed up in school and for the first time, we learned computer programming. I recall creating a program that did nothing but count from one to one…
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Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” Exodus 8:29 After my…
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Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” Exodus 8:25 Years before I found recovery – probably before I realized I was addicted to opioids myself – I spoke with a guy who identified as an alcoholic in recovery. The way he spoke bothered me. When he…
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But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Exodus 8:22 When I was a kid, I believed that God should miraculously make his…
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Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” Exodus 8:19 A few weeks back, while standing on my hands against the wall at my gym, I accidentally put my backside through the drywall. No one saw it happen, but it wasn’t something I could just walk away from, pretending it didn’t…
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But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Exodus 8:15 Over the 15 years of my opioid addiction, I experienced three discrete episodes when my drug use came to light and I was confronted by those around me. Each…
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Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.” Exodus 8:8 In jail, I’ll often meet those who resist turning to God while incarcerated, insisting that they don’t want…
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