Author Archives: Shirlee Abbott

Uprooted Sin

When you uproot one sin, don’t replace it with another. Don’t replace slavery with Jim Crow. Don’t replace segregation with discrimination. Don’t replace hatred with a sense of superiority.   My mother always said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” … Continue reading

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My Sins

“O Lord, forgive me my sins, the sins of my youth, and my present sins, the sin that my parents cast upon me, original sin, and the sins that I cast upon my children, in an ill example; actual sins, … Continue reading

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The Sins of Our Fathers

  We like to think, “It was them, not us.” We prefer to ignore the sins of our ancestors.   Slavery and segregation Punishing the innocent, protecting the guilty Corruption and greed Calling good things bad and bad things good … Continue reading

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Shelter from COVID-19’s Spiritual Implications

  Life in Abundance ministers in 56 disadvantaged communities in 14 African and Caribbean countries.  COVID-19 has escalated the need:   “We recognize the severity of this for the urban and rural poor we walk with, many of whom live … Continue reading

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The Church Laments

  The COVID-isolated Church laments, but not at the level of the Old Testament exile:     Lamentations 2:6 (NIV) He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has made … Continue reading

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Schoolhouse Laments

  Education! Lots of room to lament, especially during this season of isolation.   Students lament the  loss of contact with friends. Parents lament their new roles as home educators. Teachers lament the students’ lack of progress. Taxpayers lament the … Continue reading

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Christ’s Lament

Christ wept for His city: Luke 19:41-42 (NIV) As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace.”   Let’s follow … Continue reading

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My Lament

  I’m taking my cue from the book of Lamentations and writing my own broken-hearted prayer:     Our cities are a mess, Lord. – Empty sidewalks. – Boarded businesses. Marked by desolation and destruction. People are a mess, Lord. … Continue reading

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How?

  We look at the news reports, and we wonder:     How? How did this happen? How did we fall this low? I noticed a title on someone else’s post: A Lament. It sent my mind to the Bible … Continue reading

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Unjust Shelter

Proverbs 17:15 (NIV) Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent– the LORD detests them both.   Did authorities look the other way as an officer accumulated 17 complaints? I did some simple research and found a Reuters article from three … Continue reading

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