If you want to spend your time with a complicated study try doing some research on calendars and dating systems. The details of how various cultures have tried to keep a record of time while making adjustments for lunar or solar cycles is mind bending. Natural new beginnings— One thing that seems clear is that […]
It has now been more than 2009 years since the birth of Jesus. The Middle East remains at the swirling center of worlds news. The descendants of Abraham and Sarah are still fighting over a small strip of land. Many of us see the rockets going into and out of Gaza as being linked, not […]
Going into the Christmas holiday, I was focused on what can appear to be the scandalously generous side of grace. Found myself drawn back time and again to the priceless gift expressed in the words, “The Word (God) became flesh and lived among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only […]
Never got the last winter storm that was supposed to materialize today. Instead we got a lot of rain and a flood watch. The Grand River, for which our town is named (Grand Rapids, MI), has developed an ice jam and backed up to flood stage. Now the wind is kicking up and the temperature […]
In the eighth century before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish prophet Micah predicted, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). Then there are […]
Tonight the Discovery Channel is running a three hour special on Jesus: The Complete Story. Consecutive hours will address The Early Years; The Mission; and The Last Days. Advertising copy for the first segment reads: “Explore the strange fables that surround Jesus’ birth. Follow the childhood and early adult years of Jesus using a first […]
With the weather forecast calling for more snow and near blizzard conditions for later in the day, a local weather forecaster says that only a collision with the sun will keep it from being a white Christmas in West Michigan this year. So far, December has seemed more like January or early February around here. […]
Who hasn’t been frustrated trying to find the perfect Christmas gift? So why bother? Probably for any number of reasons… none of which is more important than giving out of a heart that is once again being warmed by the true meaning of the Christmas story. The Gifts of the King Continued from Christmas Morning […]
Sometimes the best thing about Christmas is the anticipation. When the day actually comes, it passes all too quickly … often leaving warm memories mingled with unrealized hopes and let down. The real Christmas story follows a similar pattern… Continued from Children Waiting Finally Here! After 400 long years, the silence was broken by unkind […]
Over the years, the ethnic relatives of Jesus have not been the only ones to ask, “If Yeshua was the Messiah, where is the peace he was supposed to bring? The prophet Isaiah clearly predicted that in the days of the promised King, ‘They will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning […]
A friend sent me this four minute and 33 second YouTube link that seems to say something about our discussion of the last couple of days. I have never heard about Nick before. But I’ve found several links on YouTube that tell his inspiring story. He doesn’t call himself Saint Nick, but I am. Here’s […]
Do you remember how hard it was, as a child, to wait for Christmas? Our parents told us to be good, as if being good as children was possible. Hopes and fears raced through our minds as time slowed to a crawl. Continued from, Freedom to Choose… Children Waiting When the king came looking for […]
One of the ironies of a modern Christmas is that gifts around a tree are at the center of our celebration of an ancient story… a story that begins and ends with a tree-centered gift of immortality (Genesis 1-3; Revelation 22:1-3) Continued from, In the Beginning… Freedom to Choose Hiding in the shadows, a rebel […]
All over the world the story is being told. Around a campfire on the African Savannah, under the star filled skies of the Australian Outback, in the storefronts and meeting halls of Asian and American cities, gravely voices rise and fall with emotion, telling the oldest of stories, phrase by phrase, once again… as if […]
In a provocative article called “How Can the Bible be Authoritative?,” New Testament Scholar and Bishop of Durham, N.T. Wright, discusses a problem that many of us have wondered about. In short, the question he raises sounds like this: If the Bible is a God-breathed story written to people living in another time and culture, […]
Saw an interesting news report this morning that talked about neighborhoods that are considering printing their own money. Erika Slife of the Chicago Tribune.com writes, “Residents from the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Riverwest and East Side are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss printing their own money. The idea is that the local cash could be […]
Seems to me that if appointing anyone to the church office of elder or deacon– man or woman– would significantly divide the church over whether such an appointment was forbidden by the Bible, the better part of wisdom is to avoid such action until the church can act with unity. The New Testament is clear […]
The conversation we began yesterday about women and the Bible shows how many of us are trying to understand the intent of God for gender-based roles in the home and church. Together we have seen how followers of Christ divide over the interpretation and application of statements made by the Apostles Paul and Peter in […]
As President-elect Obama formally announces his national-security team later today, news reports predict that he will appoint several women to top posts. Former rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, will replace outgoing Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State; former Security Council Member and Assistant Secretary of State, Susan Rice, will be his choice for US Ambassador to […]
Why did God judge Sodom and Gomorrah? Most of us could answer the question. We’ve heard about the same-sex culture and out-of-control sexual aggression that Sodom and Gomorrah are known for (Genesis 19:1-10). But is there a story about the twin cities that we might have missed? Let’s take a closer look. Sodom and Gomorrah […]
