When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them a short little example. It’s commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” (though some suggest “The Disciples’ Prayer” would be a more appropriate label.) Others refer to it as “Our Father” after its opening phrase. The Lord’s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13. In the NIV, […]
When it comes to giving to others there are two schools of thought. One is to give to whoever asks and the other is to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. The problem is, both of these are taught in the Bible, so which is it? The answer, as with many […]
In my prior post, “Listen to Understand,” I noted that listening to Jesus results in more understanding; not listening produces confusion. This parallels Jesus’ teaching about the “talents” and the “minas” (both words refer to denominations of money). These parables, though differing in details (likely because they were given to different audiences at different times) […]
Doctor Luke writes that Jesus tells the people to listen carefully to what he says. When they do, they will understand—and then even greater understanding will follow. But there’s a warning, too. Those who don’t really listen will lose whatever understanding they currently have. Listening to Jesus results in more understanding; not listening results in […]
When we ask God for something, is it a “once and done” effort or should we pray repeatedly until our request is granted? I think the answer is yes! If we truly believe God hears our prayers, then we only need to ask once. (And what’s the point of praying if we don’t think he […]
One time Jesus skipped the ceremonial hand washing before he ate. The Pharisees took notice of his omission and were about to criticize him when he took preemptive action, giving them teaching about six woes: When considering these six woes, ceremonial hand washing isn’t a big deal. [Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s […]
“Can we have a garden?” My bride’s question caught me off guard. We’ve not had a garden for 25 years, not since we moved house. “No!” was my emphatic reply. I wasn’t about to dig up the lawn for a garden; plus our rapidly expanding maple trees provided too much shade for there to be […]
When we made our list of churches to visit, we included everything found under the heading of “churches,” which we would adjust as needed. Next up is a “meditation group of self-realization fellowship.” Since our mission is to visit Christian churches, if there’s any evidence of this being a Christian community, we’ll check them out. […]
I’ve never considered myself to be a creative person, not like artists and musicians or architects and engineers. While I may be good at tweaking something existing, making something new is not how I’m wired. I’m definitely a left-brain thinker: analytical and logical, a processor of information and problem-solver. Yet, I’m also a writer—and writing […]
Jesus said, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus came for the sick. (Since he came to heal and to save, we may be able to comprehend this both literally and figuratively, that is, the physically sick and the spiritually […]