The word baptize is only found in the New Testament of the Bible. Prior to John the Baptist preforming this water ceremony, it is never mentioned. John, by the way, baptizes Jesus. The Old Testament doesn’t mention baptism and there is no biblical account of its origin. It seems to have just started on its […]
Happy Easter! Easter is a celebration, not of chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies, but of the greatest event in history. Christians everywhere know what this is, and we use big words and confusing terms to explain it. Most people outside our circles don’t have a clue what we’re saying. Sometimes we don’t either. On Good […]
The Myth of Self-Sufficiency The ideal in the United States is personal self-sufficiency. But this is a myth, an unattainable pursuit that will eventually leave us broken or alone—or both. John Donne understood this. He said “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” We need others; […]
Meeting in Jesus’s Name Jesus says that whenever a few people get together in his name, he will be there. Isn’t this what church is? Jesus shows up when we collectively meet and treat him as the main attraction; this is the church at its most basic and purest level. Though we typically think of […]
Whenever I come across the word Pharisee in the Bible, my first thought is, I’m glad I’m not a Pharisee. Then I rush on to read the next verse. Pharisees comprised a sect of Judaism. A religious bunch, they received the bulk of Jesus’ criticism over their conceited behavior and self-righteous attitudes. Though Jesus accepted […]
Of the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible, my favorite is Luke’s. Luke also contains the best-known account of Jesus’ birth, made popular by the Peanut’s character Linus. Watch Linus explain what Christmas is all about. This well-known clip is from the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Debuting over fifty years ago, […]
Christmas is almost here; my mind swirls with a jumble of thoughts as I try to connect the calendar with my celebration of Jesus. Here are three items I’m considering: 1. When my wife and I were in a state of transition between one home and the next. Most of our belongings, including everything relating […]
My wife wishes people a “Merry Christmas,” while I say “Happy holidays.” We both have our reasons for doing so, and we are both right. It’s important to us to keep Jesus as the central focus of Christmas. One way my wife does so is by wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas”—every chance she gets. She […]
Celebrating the Bride of Christ Did Jesus have a wife? The answer is “Yes!” Most assuredly, Jesus had a wife. However, before you accuse me of heresy, let me admit this is a misleading question, a twist of semantics Yes, Jesus did have a wife and does have a wife—not a physical, literal wife, but […]
By George Barna (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) In Revolution, Christian futurist, George Barna deftly and convincingly communicates that our world is on the leading edge of a revolution—and that virtually everyone is oblivious to it. Barna states that “this revolution of faith is the most significant transition you or I will experience during our lifetime,” […]