Curtis Shelburne

The truth about dragons: They can be beaten

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Religion columnist

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I built a dragon last week. He was only a very small dragon, I’m afraid, and not very strong. We’ve had at least one much larger dragon who was far more daunting. This one only breathed fire two or three times, and I had to supply a... Full story

The good news of immortality is real

By Curtis K. Shelburne

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I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it, but at least it no longer surprises me as much as it once did. I’m sitting in my barber’s chair, indoors, and a gentle snow is falling onto my shoulders and gently to the ground.... Full story

It pays to know the ways of your enemy

By Curtis K. Shelburne

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"Thou shalt not kill.” Well, nobody’s perfect. I actually committed a killing right in the sanctuary of our church awhile back. No, I didn’t throw someone into an irreversible coma by preaching them to death during a service.... Full story

God is worthy of our worship

By Curtis Shelburne: Religion columnist

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Going to church. Let’s be honest. It’s easy for us to think of it as more of a duty than a privilege. We forget that the God who gave his own Son out of his deep love for us richly deserves committed lives and worship. And lives without... Full story

Snow calls back childhood memories

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A white Christmas may not be as precious to folks who live where a snowy Yuletide is the usual order of the season, but to me a white Christmas is cool in every sense of the term, and that is exactly what we had this year! I agree with the fellow... Full story

Singing the right tune for the new year

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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Although I certainly wish for you and yours a happy and blessed New Year, I confess that I’m rarely terribly excited about New Year’s fanfare. (I like almost any reason for some days off and time with friends and good food, so I’m... Full story

A little child shall lead them

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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The Lord Jesus and Charles Dickens were both right: the way to be saved is to become a child.That’s not easy. We spend most of our lives trying to be all grown up. Sadly, we generally succeed.All too often, our imaginations start to shrivel... Full story

Bethlehem is about what God has done and still does

By Curtis Shelburne: Local columnist

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The glory of Christmas is that it centers on something only God could have done. No committee could ever have come up with Bethlehem. While God was busy saving the world, they’d have still been arguing over the shape of the table or the... Full story

Lessons from the beasts around the manger

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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C. S. Lewis once wrote a poem entitled “The Nativity” as he reflected on the qualities the animals brought to the stable on the first Christmas: Among the oxen (like an ox I’m slow) I see a glory in the stable grow Which, with... Full story

The holidays can be holy days of genuine Joy

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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My kids tell me that I’m younger now than I was when they were growing up. I think “childish” may be what they have in mind; I prefer to think in terms of “younger.” It seems to me that the transformation started... Full story

New bed provides marital peace

By Curtis K. Shelburn: Local columnist

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  You are presently reading the words of a man who, for a few days at least, is almost bulletproof, maritally speaking. All this present status of lofty high regard cost me was a four-figure purchase and some serious hauling and lifting. You... Full story

A season for everything: A time to unplug

By Curtis Shelburne: Religion columnist

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I’ve always liked the words of the wise man in Ecclesiastes 3: “There is a time for everything, / and a season for every activity under heaven: / a time to be born and a time to die, / a time to plant and a time to uproot, / a time to... Full story

God comes to the rescue

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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It’s amazing how often we can find ourselves within the pages of the biblical Book of Psalms. Consider Psalm 130. I hope we’re not in this psalmist’s sandals often, but anyone who has lived very long can empathize with him.... Full story

Blessings lost when people are divided

By Curtis Shelburne: Local columnist

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Some of the most beautiful truths of the Christian faith can be found in our great hymns, the treasures held mostly in common by Christians of all flavors. We may be divided over lots of molehills made mountains, but, thank the Lord, even behind the... Full story

Gospel helps us be right with God

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Local columnist

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I write and preach a lot about grace. More than a few reasons lie behind that fact. The most obvious is that I need a lot of grace myself. But the next is also true: God’s grace is so amazing that nothing else is worthy of our focus. The... Full story

'Curtis Shelburne' Archive