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blog-post nic // deuteronomy
The Hidden Things Belong To Yahweh
!!! note "Deuteronomy 29:29" Here is a truth every Christian should meditate on and remember whenever they find themselves so sure of a biblical teach
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Galatians 2:19-20
!!! note "Galatians 2:19-20" This is one of the most common verse-memory verses I think. Probably there's good reason for that - Paul has a lot t
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - 1 John 4:17
!!! note "1 John 4:17" Confidence I've definitely written about confidence before outside this blog, it's a key Christian theme. John mentio
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Luke 6:35
!!! note "Luke 6:35" Love Your Enemies I was once an enemy of God, and even today still make choices that highlight enmity in my heart towards him. It
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Mark 12:29-30
!!! note "Mark 12:29-30" The Most Important Commandment !!! note "Deuteronomy 6:4-5" Jesus quotes the Shema as the most important commandmen
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Romans 15:13
!!! note "Romans 15:13" The last 3 weeks of Advent are summarized right here in verse 13. Yahweh is the God of hope, of expectation, he brings Joy thr
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Matthew 5:11-12
!!! note "Matthew 5:11-12" Context To drop some context that I'm familiar with, this is from a famous section of Jesus' "Sermon on the
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - John 15:10-11
!!! note "John 15:10-11" This is a beautiful couple verses about love that have only made more and more sense to me as I get older and I have become a
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Luke 2:10-11
!!! note "Luke 2:10-11"
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Isaiah 51:3
!!! note "Isaiah 51:1-3" Joy in the Father On the heels of yesterday, I'm still struggling with Joy, but here in Isaiah some context aligns Joy w
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Psalm 105:43
!!! note "Psalm 105:43" Joy is a toughy right now if I'm honest... Today marks the 3rd week of Advent, today we light the Joy candle. But honestl
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Ephesians 4:3
!!! note "Ephesians 4:1-6" Unity and Peace Once again I say "Praise God" this morning for more words of Scripture that succinctly highlight
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Ephesians 2:14-16
The reflection in the BP calendar for today was only verses 14-15 but they made no sense to me without some more context !!! note "Ephesians 2:11-22"
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Colossians 1:19-20
!!! note "Colossians 1:19-20" I feel like there's so much that could be unpacked here... "all his fullness dwell him in" - so besides t
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - John 16:33
!!! note "John 16:33" It's interesting to read a little context around this morning's Advent reflection passage/verse... !!! note "John
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Zechariah 9:9-10
!!! note "Zechariah 9:9-10" My king is indeed coming, and has already come. He is humble and he is victorious. Jesus can "announce peace" be
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Isaiah 9:6-7
!!! note "Isaiah 9:6-7" To Peace There Will Be No End What a fantastic promise about what the King will do - to bring unending peace. I wrote about pe
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Isaiah 26:3
!!! note "Isaiah 26:3" This is reminding me of a blog post I've had in the queue for months [[autism-and-steadfast-faith]] which may never see th
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent 2025 - Love
Advent Address Love !!! note "1 John 4:7–10 (CSB)" "not that we loved God, but that he loved us" Can a newborn love? When a baby enters the
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Romans 8:24-25
!!! note "Romans 8:24-25" Q: What does it look like for you to actively but patiently wait for God right now? "What does it look like" often
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - 1 Peter 1:3
!!! note "1 Peter 1:3" Q: How does Jesus’ resurrection from death shape your hope for both the future and life today? Coming off the heals of a somewh
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Isaiah 40:31
!!! note "Isaiah 40:31" There is a pretty significant _thing_ going on in my life right now that's causing me to grow a bit weary and faint. Esse
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Psalm 130:7
!!! note "Psalm 130:7" He-sed Yahweh's `loyal love` is `חֶ֫סֶד` (he-sed)... It comes from Exodus 34 !!! note "Exodus 34:6-7" `abounding
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Psalm 39:7
!!! note "Psalm 39:7" Every Advent I wish I took it more seriously - each year trying to be slightly more diligent about traditions and raising our da
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blog-post nic // advent
Advent - Isaiah 8:17
!!! note "Isaiah 8:17" `I will await him` -> this isn't "waiting" like being patient... The first "wait" is, but the secon
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Ecclesiastes 9:10
!!! note "Ecclesiastes 9:10" !!! warning "Reflection vs Hermeneutics" Finding **Whatever your hand finds to do**... The beginning assumes a
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Psalm 93
Yahweh is king !!! note "Psalm 93" Observations Yahweh is king; **he clothes himself** with majesty. **Yahweh clothes himself**; he girds himself with
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blog-post nic // reflection
By God's Grace
!!! note "Style"  Okay, so I had this thought about, hon
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Go Forward - Only Thing To Do
Reflection Today I am thinking about the blessings in my life... In my opinion, I have a lot going for me - God has been so utterly good to me that finding faul
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blog-post nic // shema
Deuteronomy 6 and the Shema
The Shema from Judaism, archived in Deuteronomy 6, is a pinnacle tradition in Hebrew Judaism, and _should be_ in Christianity. I cannot claim to be an expert, b
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Psalm 9:1
!!! note "Psalm 9:1" Praise God The phrase "praise God" has become a common phrase in my life. I'm blessed to have my best friend, Mich
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blog-post nic // grace
Reflection - John 15:19
!!! note "Spurgeon" !!! note "John 15:19" The World "Not of this world" was a clothing brand when I was a kid that made emo-styled
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blog-post nic // salvation
Helkyo - What is it for God to draw man to him?
In John 6 there is a curious phrase about how the Father initiates the process of Salvation in the hearts of men. !!! note "John 6:44" The word `draws
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Mark 4:1-20
The Soils I am in the middle of reprocessing the soils' parable - I heard a very interesting interpretation the other day that I'm following up on. BU
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - John 21:12
!!! note "John 21:12" Come and eat Jesus offers this communion with himself every day, and to very believer... Sharing a meal with someone is a pretty
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Philippians 3:8
!!! note "Philippians 3:8" Loss Paul's words are convicting this morning... **I even consider all things to be loss**. !!! danger "" Do
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Psalm 119:15
!!! note "Psalm 119:15" Meditate Spurgeon had a good thought here... It is not the act of eating that actually nourishes our bodies, it is digestion..
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Jude 24
!!! note "Jude 24-25" make you to stand before his glory blameless with exultation The ultimate hope of the one called to Jesus - to be made blameless
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Numbers 11:11
As if the Lord orchestrated Spurgeon's meditation to give me a spring board to what I need for the third day in a row... [[reflection-1-kings-19-8]] He sho
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - John 4:14
Today Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" was on John 4:14 !!! note "John 4:14" Being autistic and growing up in the Church led to a few a
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - 1 Kings 19:8
Spurgeon picked 1 Kings 19:8 this morning and his meditation was encouraging at a meta-level. Highlighting to me that we (Christians) in maturity can be refresh
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Psalm 84:11
Spurgeon's Morning and Evening today (actually the evening one) is for [Psalm 84:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+84%3A11&version
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Deuteronomy 33:29
Note reflections are not theological study Spurgeon's Morning and Evening today starts with: !!! note "Deuteronomy 33:29" What is it to be saved
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Romans 3:26
From Morning and Evening today, Spurgeon has thoughts on Romans 3:26. I need more context personally, so here's a newer translation of 3:25-26 !!! note &qu
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Galatians 5:1
Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" today is about the freedom we have in Christ. Freedom is a core concept of Christianity, and one no doubt bastar
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Galatians 5:24-25
!!! note "Galatians 5:24-25" Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" is a mediation on living in and following the Spirit. He says this: You w
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blog-post nic // cosmos
Reflection (Short) - Erets
I've been really buggin out about a project I'm working on and nearly forgetting to spend meaningful time during the day/mornings on reflection. Thank
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blog-post nic // politics
Reflection - They Can Come For Anyone
At some point in the recent history of my country, political tensions began increasing exponentially between our 2 parties, and I had hardly cared until right a
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection on Philippians 2:14-18
!!! note "Philippians 2:15-18" "Do all things without grumbling and disputing"... now, taking verses out of context is one of my biggest pet
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blog-post nic // reflection
Reflection - Morning August 31 2025
Morning, August 31 “On mine arm shall they trust." —Isaiah 51:5 !!! note "Spurgeon: Morning and Evening" Reflection By God's grace, I was le
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blog-post nic // reflection
Thoughts On August 21 2025
Intro Been struggling more with work - what matters? I can't help but feel like nothing... As a Christian I want to do my work "for an audience of 1&q
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blog-post nic // reflections
Reflecting on Romans 7:7-13
Passage Romans 7:7–7:13 (ESV): 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I
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blog-post nic // reflection
Knowledge and Faith
A Question What does it mean to be "faithful"? I wrestle with this question in various contexts pretty regularly - mostly because God has been so ridi
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blog-post nic // reflection
God Provides When He Takes Away
This post is meant to serve as a reminder that God's provision is about more than the chronology of things happening... For example he brought me a job whe
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blog-post nic // bible-project
What Are The Rewards In Heaven?
Intro I came across an article on the Bible Project on what it means to "store up treasures in Heaven" and it brought some clarity to the meaning of t
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Reflecting on BP Article on James - Faith and Works
Intro This started as one of [[my-thoughts]] and got long enough to warrant putting right in the blog Faith and works is a common point of conversation for Chri
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thoughts {'username': 'Nic', 'full_name': 'Nicholas Payne', 'email': 'thoughts.confusion898@aleeas.com', 'disabled': False} // wealth
💭 The Meaning of “Mammon” in the Bible | Matthew 6:24
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about the future, planning and saving, making sure to the best of my ability and
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thoughts {'username': 'Nic', 'full_name': 'Nicholas Payne', 'email': 'thoughts.confusion898@aleeas.com', 'disabled': False} // faith
💭 N.T. Wright on The Unseen Realm & Heiser - YouTube
I don't write enough short thoughts on theology stuff, I'm usually trying to have some longer thought to unpack or to su
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blog-post nic // faith
A New Perspective on Being God's Child
Intro I was in men's group the other day, and one of the things that came up almost inevitably is a debate between God's sovereignty and predestinatio
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blog-post nic // bible-project
The Design of Genesis 1-11 pt 1
Genesis 1 There is a cyclical pattern of Genesis 1-11. Introduction 1:1 may be a summary heading rather than the first "verse". Chaos The narrative be
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blog-post nic // bible-project
The Flood Story - Quilt Analogy
The Flood Story in the Hebrew Bible I'm slowly making my way through some Bible Project classes online because Tim Mackie is a fantastic teacher and BP has
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blog-post nic // bible-project
The Flood Story - Types and Baptism
The Flood Story and Jesus Jesus brings up the Flood story from Genesis just one time (in the recorded teachings we have). First to set the scene, Jesus and his
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blog-post nic // faith
Advent 2024 - Peace
Scripture Luke 2:14 (ESV): 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Edification There is a word we probably kno
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blog-post nic // bible-project
How To Survive The Flood
There a lot of flood stories throughout the history of the world, and the Bible is no different in this regard. God warns Noah of a de-creation event, whereby h
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blog-post nic // bible-project
The Two Houses
The Two Houses Context Reflection From the visual commentary Tim calls out a few things: `the rock` is supposed to first call us back to earlier in the sermon w
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blog-post nic // bible-project
BP - The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12 What do I desire that people "do to [me]"? Help if I need it - I want to live in a world where humans are helpful Listen to me and unders
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Reflection - Wisdom in Relationships 2
Passage Reflection James builds on this with `if any of you lacks wisdom then ask for wisdom it will be given to you`. James is arming us with some specifics fr
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Reflection - Wisdom in Relationships
This morning I finally felt some motivation for a short Bible Project video. The app is great (💯 would recommend) and gives me daily reminders that are unobtrus
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blog-post nic // bible-project
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
On Earth as It Is in Heaven [Video](https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven/) Sermon on the Mount 3 chapters filled with phrases that
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Chaos Dragon
Dragons are metaphorical images in the Bible Goliath -> armor descriptions Leviathan Dragon slayers can be enticed to become dragons themselves Jesus is the
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blog-post nic // olivet
olivet-mens-group-james-2023
James 2023 study of the book of James BP The Guy Greek: Iakobos (Jacob in English) Jacob is one of Jesus' half-brothers who became a leader of the Jerusale
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Hebrew Bible Full Class
[Class link](https://bibleproject.com/classroom-alpha/education-videos/session-1-what-earth-hebrew-bible/) [Classroom notes (Must be on home network)](http://pa
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Faithful
[Link](https://bibleproject.com/bible-studies/faithful/) Notes !!! Exodusds 34:6 Faithfulness - Emet (can be translated 'Truth') Related to "Amen
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Sabbath
[Link to study](https://bibleproject.com/bible-studies/sabbath/) Creation Brougt to completion on the seventh day in Genesis 1. It is the only day that does not
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Chara-Joy
[link](https://bibleprojectz.com/bible-studies/chara-joy/) Chara / Joy There are several words for similar feelings - example like `joy` has several synonyms. S
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Abraham and Melchizedek
[link to study](https://bibleproject.com/bible-studies/abraham-and-melchizedek/) Video Priests God creates Eden in which he places humans to be his royal image
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Tree of Life
Video Eden Biblical story begins in a garden, which is presented as a type of Temple. The top (center) is the Tree of Life, which represents God's life and
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blog-post nic // bible-project
Shalom and Peace
[study link](https://bibleproject.com/bible-studies/shalom-peace/) Peace !!! note "" In Hebrew the word is `Shalom` (Greek: Eirene). Basic biblical me
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blog-post nic // books
Screwtape
Chapters Below are just quick notes or quotes from each chapter as a reminder of what to go back to chat about. This isn't intended to be in-depth by any s