The New Testament Cites the Old Testament Many passages in the New Testament of the Bible quote parts of the Old Testament, which was written hundreds of years before. In some versions of the Bible, footnotes—added by the translators—refer us to the original text. Holy Spirit One verse, however, cites the source in the text, […]
When it Comes to God, Should We “Fake it Till We Make It?” Psalm 142 is a prayer of lament. David’s hiding in a cave, likely fearing for his life. He feels alone with no one walking alongside him or having any concern for him. He cries out that he has no refuge, no protective […]
Seek Ways to Make Our Faith Communities Relevant to a Postmodern World In the early 2000s there was much talk about the emergent church. The idea was to address shrinking church attendance by taking steps to be more pertinent to a younger audience, many who dismissed the religious practices of prior generations. These people weren’t […]
40 Prophetic Insights About Jesus, Justice, and Gentiles from the Prophet Isaiah In a world of distractions, this devotional Bible study on Isaiah reminds us where to put our focus and what this faithful prophet can teach us. Isaiah’s powerful words in the Old Testament look forward to a time when the Messiah will come, […]
A few months ago, we went to church on Saturday morning. Now we head off for a Saturday evening mass. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #50: 1. The worship leader directs us to “page one in the white book,” but what we find doesn’t match what they say. We’re confused and can’t follow […]
Celebrating the Sabbath People have different ideas about what you can and can’t do on Sundays, how you should and shouldn’t act. This ranges from Sunday being the same as every other day to it being a solemn set-apart time when you go to church, rest, and do nothing else. Though I have never pursued […]
In my last post I noted that the Bible says we are to fear God—and I confessed confusion over precisely what that means. The next step in my progression of thought is to recall that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and of understanding. I think that means it’s okay I don’t […]
If We Can Fully Understand God, Then He’s Not a Very Great God Some people are confused when they hear about Jesus or read the Bible. Because they don’t fully understand everything, they dismiss him, waiting until everything makes sense. It never will. At least not during our existence here on earth. This is the […]
A Thought-Provoking Look at Faith, Persecution, and Navigating Right and Wrong Reviewed by Peter DeHaan The movie Silence is a fictional account of two Jesuit priests from Portugal who seek permission to travel to Japan in 1639. They desire to investigate what happened to their mentor. His written communication had stopped, and a rumor circulated […]
This church is huge, the largest so far. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #49: 1. I wonder if I’ll find a space in their packed parking lot and fight off the urge to flee in panic. Large churches need parking attendants. What can you do to help people find a place to park […]