The purpose of the Bible’s 66 books is to reveal God to us. More specifically, the Bible reveals Jesus to us. The Old Testament anticipates him, while the New Testament celebrates him. This is perhaps best portrayed through The Jesus Bible, which smartly places the focus of the biblical text where it belongs: on Jesus. […]
We’ve discussed whether we should visit today’s church because we went there fifteen years ago. Although they have a different pastor now, we know many of the people, some from our prior involvement and some who we met more recently. The pastor was out of the country, serving as a military chaplain; today is his […]
Doctor Luke records a curious line when writing about the early church. He says “…some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees…” That means some Christians were also Pharisees, a Pharisee Christian. How strange. Isn’t that a contradiction? Pharisees and the Sadducees Judaism at the time was comprised of two main […]
Gamaliel Offers Wise Advice for Whenever Religious Factions Stand in Opposition Paul’s in jail, imprisoned for doing what God told him to do. This isn’t Paul’s first incarceration for his faith in Jesus, and it won’t be his last. When his trial finally begins, his detractors levy four charges against him, which they use to […]
Biblical Murderers and How They Relate to Us Consider some of the best-known biblical murderers. Cain Kills Abel We’re only four chapters into the Bible when the first murder occurs. Cain kills his brother Abel. The account in the Bible suggests that Cain premeditated his actions. First degree murder. But let’s not view Cain as […]
My wife and I aren’t romantic types. I’m not sure if I’m just bad at the planning and execution or if it’s not all that important to her. Nevertheless, I do put forth a futile effort from time to time. Years ago, it all started a couple of weeks before that, she asked for a […]
Wasn’t Visiting 52 Churches in a Year Enough? No way. Not even close. Let the journey of discovery continue in this poignant sequel to 52 Churches. This time we take a wider swath as we visit more of Jesus’s churches. More variety. More cringe-worthy moments. And more of God at work. Yes, you’ll get all […]
We walk into the church and receive an engaging welcome, as two greeters celebrate our presence. “If you’d only come in a couple weeks,” they playfully jest, “you’d be able to meet our new minister.” They’re most excited about her arrival, anxious for her time as their shepherd to begin. I tease that we could […]
I blogged about Tamar and her lustful half-brother who raped her. I spent three weeks reading and re-reading this story, meditating on it and trying to make sense of it. Despite that, five perplexing verses still mystify me. Surely there’s some historical context I don’t comprehend, still I’m left with the feeling there’s more to […]
After Jesus rises from the dead, he spends a few weeks hanging out with his followers. He tells then to stay in Jerusalem, waiting for a surprise Father God has planned for them: the gift of the Holy Spirit to come upon them and give them power (Matthew 28:19-20). This is one of God’s instructions […]