Although the terminology and even the timing vary between the various Christian traditions and perspectives, a generality is that first, someone decides to follow Jesus and then the Holy Spirit is given to guide and direct them. While each stream of Christian thought assigns different terms to these events and has a diversity of understanding […]
The Great Three in One The prophet Isaiah gives four descriptive names for Jesus. They are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. However, I tend to think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer, and so forth, but not so much the names Isaiah gives. In fact, to me, Wonderful Counselor seems […]
Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say? Did you know there are multiple versions of the Lord’s Prayer—the prayer Jesus used to teach his followers how to pray? Matthew records the most common version, which goes something like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be […]
I was recently on LinkedIn and a familiar name from long ago popped up as someone I might know. At least it was a most familiar name, for in this instance my friend’s name was preceded with the word Rabbi. I was intrigued. I knew him through work and hadn’t seen him in twenty years. […]
The book of Jude—which I’ve blogged about quite a bit—addresses ungodly men in the church, not those outside the church. Jude’s key passage is verse 11, where he compares ungodly men in the church to Cain, Balaam, and Korah. It’s noteworthy that each of these men has an overlooked connection with God, as do ungodly […]
I’ve worked at home for over twenty years. With a home office, it’s critical to have a professional, work-like environment. This is especially true when you are on a phone call (or video call). There can be no household noises, such as blaring TVs or radios, crying children, barking dogs, or talking spouses. These sounds […]
At a church I recently visited, members shared prayer requests as part of the service. One lady raised her hand and simply said she had an “unspoken request.” Though I’ve not heard that phrase in a long time, it was a common utterance at a church I once attended. It was almost always said by […]
Several of the Psalms are attributed to “the sons of Korah.” These sons of Korah could have been the writers of those songs/prayers or perhaps the ones tasked with sharing them with others; that would effectively make them performers. It makes me wonder if the group called “The Sons of Korah” ever performed to standing-room-only […]
The Connections Between Faith and Writing Last weekend I attended the Festival of Faith and Writing conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the words “faith” and “writing” both appear in the conference name, I expected the benefits of attending to be primarily writing related. While my expectations to learn more about the art and craft […]
We know Cain to be a murderer—and we vilify him for it. What we often fail to consider is that Cain had a relationship with God. Consider that Cain gave an offering to God that wasn’t requested or expected. (Cain lived centuries before God instructed Moses about the need to give him offerings.) Also, consider […]