Vicki Hinze: Mind Whispers

Random thoughts, articles, blog posts, photos and quotes about relationships, life, books and writing. FMI, visit: www.vickihinze.com Follow this blog

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You Died and Were Raised by James R. Coggins

There is an interesting image in Colossians 3:1-4. Paul said, “Since you have been raised with Christ…” (3:1). This refers to what Paul said previously in Colossians 2:11-12, that our “whole self” was “buried with [Christ] in baptism” and that we “were also raised with him through…faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Jesus was crucified, died, was resurrected, walked again…

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Study the True

Twice during my many years of teaching in Christian university classrooms, a U.S. Federal Reserve Bank employee took different classes from me. She was delightful and we enjoyed insightful conversations. The other students loved asking her questions. Our favorite was the day one asked how Federal Reserve employees are trained to recognizing counterfeit money. My students were sure she and her…

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Study the True

Twice during many years of teaching in Christian university classrooms, a U.S. Federal Reserve Bank employee took two different classes from me. She was delightful and we enjoyed insightful conversations. The other students loved asking her questions. Our favorite was the day one asked how Federal Reserve employees are trained to recognizing counterfeit money. My students were sure she and her…

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Study the True

Twice during many years of teaching in Christian university classrooms and online, a U.S. Federal Reserve Bank employee took two different classes from me. She was delightful and we enjoyed insightful conversations. The other students loved asking her questions. Our favorite was the day one asked how Federal Reserve employees are trained to recognizing counterfeit money. My students were sure she…

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Reflections from a Soup Kitchen by James R. Coggins

Some members of our church go to the local street mission once a month to serve food. One month a while ago, the regulars were not available, and our care group was asked to fill in. It was not the first time I have been involved in a social outreach, but it did lead to some reflections. The people we were serving were homeless, people living on the street. When the doors opened at 6:00 p.m.,…

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Two Stages of Holiness by James R. Coggins

There are two sets of admonitions in Colossians 3:1-15. Together, they offer useful guidance to Christians. Colossians 3:5 commands that a list of sins be eliminated (put to death): “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” These are very obvious sins, and Christians often have no problem condemning them and avoiding them—at least, the physical ones such as…

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I Miss Buster by James R. Coggins

I miss Buster. He was my faithful companion in early childhood. Buster was my teddy bear. My brother also had a teddy bear. His was named Fuzzy Wuzzy. The bear, not my brother. My teddy bear was black and white, while my brother’s was a golden brown. I was born at the end of the 1940s, just after the Great Depression and two world wars, when everything was bleak and black and white. My brother…

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Defining the False by James R. Coggins

Having declared the supremacy of Jesus in the opening chapter of the book of Colossians, Paul turned to the false beliefs that were endangering the Colossian church. There were three aspects to these beliefs. First, Paul said: “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day” (Colossians 2:16 NIV). It is not…

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May Book Release by Tara Randel

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you have a beautiful day with family and friends. I’m excited to share my new book release! The Hometown Cop’s Forever Family is a Harlequin Heartwarming release, set in my beloved mountain town of Golden, Georgia. This is the third book in the series featuring the Connelly sisters, this book focusing on Briana. If you love books set in small towns, this is for you.…

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Spring/Joy by James R. Coggins

Last year, I published a collection of devotional meditations written and delivered by my mother in the previous century. She was a devout Christian and a devoted Bible teacher. Her meditations offer a window into a former era but continue to be relevant today. The following  meditation is excerpted from that book. Spring seems to be a joyous time of year when all around us we see evidences of…

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Being the Hands and Feet by Nancy J. Farrier

Photo by Billie on Unsplash A few weeks ago I was discussing the war in Iran with another Christian. We were talking about the people there and the hardship this places on them and their country. This was at the outbreak of the war and before the bombing of the school where so many children died. Still, there were many people adversely affected. The person I was talking with finally said…

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Who Jesus Is, and Who We Are by James R. Coggins

The apostle Paul urgently wrote a letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae in Asia Minor (what is now Turkiye). What was it that Paul wanted to convey to the Colossians? The gospel, the good news that Jesus has brought Christians “forgiveness of sins” and “reconciled” them to God (Colossians 1:14,22, 2:13-14 NIV)? Well, yes, but more than that. There is a cosmic vision here. Paul said…

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In Praise of Steeples by James R. Coggins

In the late Middle Ages, cities in Europe competed to build the tallest, most elaborate, most ornate, most beautiful cathedrals. These massive buildings pushed the limits of architectural knowledge, and some took over a century to build. They were decorated with gold furnishings and paintings which are still admired today. Included in these cathedrals were tall steeples, which pointed the way to…

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It's better to eat than to be eaten

In my Washington State elementary school we studied a variety of flora, fauna, and world scenes that I longed to see in person. Through the years, I’ve been blessed to see and experience many and even written books on some. (Check under my Books Tab at delorestopliff.com) While studying the tropics, we learned about piranhas with triangular teeth that could strip all the meat from a cow falling…

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Multiplied Bread

by Delores Topliff Reality changed what I planned to write this month. I spend spring and summer each year on a farm in central Minnesota and the remaining time in NE Mississippi. Years earlier, I raised my sons in northwestern Canada near the Alaska Highway helping develop two Christian schools and a good small college. We experienced plenty of ice and snow and -60 F twice. Once, I camped out…

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Colossae by James R. Coggins

I recently took time to read and think my way through the apostle Paul’s letter to the early Christians in Colossae, the Bible book we now call Colossians. Colossae was a town about a hundred miles east of Ephesus. Ephesus was a major city on the west coast of what is now Turkey and a place the apostle Paul visited at least three times, on one occasion staying there for over two years. The gospel…

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