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About Gary Cleveland

An old chunk of coal waiting to become a diamond some day. I spend the bulk of my time focused on spiritual development. I teach, preach and stand by the hurting and wounded. I believe our heavenly Father offers us daily opportunities to discover who we are and what we can yet become. I serve as a bringer of good news in and around the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Importance of Thinking Theologically

Posted on October 26, 2011

The Bible is crammed with material proclaiming to be of eternal importance and consequence.  From beginning to end there are teachings, commandments, stories, poems, allegories and character studies.  It is, to say the least, a repository of teaching for which … Continue reading →

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Simple

Posted on June 15, 2011

Simple often trumps complicated. Simple keeps the main thing the main thing. Simple is very seldom beside the point. A few days ago Deb and I traveled to Tennessee to visit her parents.  Per usual, we went out to eat … Continue reading →

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Mother…. Child….. Wedding and Wine

Posted on May 6, 2011

I never liked my mom telling me what to do. The older I got the more it bugged me.  I resisted, rebelled and revolted. Thing is….she was mom and I usually wound up giving in and doing as she said. … Continue reading →

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The Surprising Grace of God

Posted on April 20, 2011

Put God in a box and He’ll bust out every time.   Get Him all figured out and He’ll surprise you, enlighten you and thrill you with His ways. Recently when working through Genesis 4 & 5  I encountered an … Continue reading →

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What Good is Church?

Posted on March 28, 2011

Last Fall I read James Bryan Smith’s trilogy on Spiritual Formation.  The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life and The Good and Beautiful Community. Smith begins the series with the exploration of who God is, then moves … Continue reading →

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Book Review – Mark Batterson’s Soul Print

Posted on March 11, 2011

Ever since reading Mark Batterson’s Wild Goose Chase, I had anticipated reading more of his insightful and revealing and inspiring work. Soul Print was not a disappointment. He writes with a purpose and a flair for turning the reader to … Continue reading →

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The World Awaits

Posted on February 24, 2011

I write these thoughts as I prepare for a shared dialogue sermon with Aaron Johnson this   Sunday at Oakhaven Church in Oshkosh.  For more about Dr. Johnson’s presentations here in Oshkosh, see any of the following links: UW Oshkosh … Continue reading →

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Book Review- Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb

Posted on February 22, 2011

All too infrequently Christian perspectives are given which seek to glamorize the Godly life as easy, convenient and happy. If you read Crabb’s book with that anticipation you will be disappointed and perhaps even a little miffed.  The book, Shattered … Continue reading →

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Reason for Hope

Posted on January 30, 2011

What did Peter know about hope? He was, from all we can gather, a successful fisherman.  He and his brother Andrew spent a lot of time fishing on the Sea of Galilee.  They knew how to mend the nets, how … Continue reading →

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Hopeful Travelers

Posted on January 20, 2011

I believe it was C.S. Lewis who once said, “it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive”. Likely he was building upon the earlier statement by Robert Louis Stevenson quotation, from Virginibus Puerisque, 1881: “Little do ye know your … Continue reading →

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