All posts in "Short Meditations"
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The test of compassion is in the ‘and’

By Dave Henning / March 14, 2022

“Jesus’s life makes it clear that compassion isn’t just an emotion.  It’s more than just feeling sorry for someone.  Jesus shows us that compassion is a strong emotion that elicits a physical response.  The test of compassion is in the and.”- Kyle Idleman, One At a Time “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion […]

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Hands up to heaven – make a joyful noise!

By Dave Henning / February 14, 2022

“Hands up to heaven/ Make a joyful noise/ My heart had to hit the floor/ To find all I’m longin’ for/ But I know you’re so much more/ Than a joyful noise.”- Matt Maher, Joyful Noise “But be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making […]

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These small beginnings

By Dave Henning / January 17, 2022

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”- Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) “The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”- Orville Wright “No bird soars in a calm.”- Wilbur Wright The Adventures of Superman debuted September 19, […]

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Cry out and shout all round about

By Dave Henning / December 20, 2021

“Sing high, sing low, sing to and fro,/ Go tell it out with speed,/ Cry out and shout all round about,/ That Christ is Lord indeed.”- Listen Lordlings Unto Me, 16th century Gascony carol “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the […]

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What a hurricane is to a mosquito

By Dave Henning / November 22, 2021

“God is to problems what a hurricane is to a mosquito.  No match.”- Max Lucado, You Were Made for This Moment “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. . . .  And who knows but that you have come to your royal position […]

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For the noise of a fly – neglect God’s angels

By Dave Henning / October 18, 2021

“I neglect God and His angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door.”- John Donne, English poet (1572-1631) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”- Hebrews 13:2 (ESV) The temperature soared to 95 degrees on July […]

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Sit quietly in a room alone – be still

By Dave Henning / September 20, 2021

My favorite meditative walk involves hiking a 1.7 mile trail around Mallard Lake at the Wehr Nature Center in Hales Corners, WI.  On September 17, 2020, I spotted a great blue heron perched on a fallen tree that crossed a small river.  That heron went about its hunting, unperturbed by my presence. Blue herons range […]

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With hands lifted high – fight on my knees

By Dave Henning / August 16, 2021

“So when I fight I’ll fight on my knees / With my hands lifted high. / Oh God, the battle belongs to you. / And every fear I lay at your feet. / I’ll sing through the night, / The battle belongs to you.”- Phil Wickham “This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do […]

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Stuffing your ears with cotton

By Dave Henning / July 19, 2021

“[Mark 5:36] describes the critical principle for seeing the unseen.  Ignore what people say.  Block them out.  Turn them off.  Close your ears.  And if you must, walk away. . . .  Faith sometimes begins by stuffing your ears with cotton.”- Max Lucado, Begin Again (2021) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the […]

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The persevering commitment God makes to us

By Dave Henning / June 14, 2021

“The central reality for Christians is the personal, unalterable, persevering commitment God makes to us.  Perseverance is not the result of our determination, it is the result of God’s faithfulness.  We survive in the way of faith not because we have extraordinary stamina but because God is righteous, because God sticks with us.”- Eugene Peterson, […]

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Another in the fire, standing next to me

By Dave Henning / May 17, 2021

“There is another in the fire,/ standing next to me./ There is another in the waters,/ holding back the sea./ And should I ever need reminding/ what power set me free,/ there is a grave that holds no body,/ and now that power lives in me.”- Chris Davenport and Joel Houston, Another in the Fire […]

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Desirable difficulty – an oxymoron?

By Dave Henning / April 19, 2021

“Desirable difficulty.  Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?  What’s desirable about difficulty?  At first glance, nothing!  Upon further review, everything.”- Mark Batterson “In fact, [the other ants] left in such a hurry that none of them noticed the two ants who stayed behind.  ‘Why go back?’ one asked the other.  ‘The place may not feel […]

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