It was an issue in the Garden. Without it, so many years later, we still miss the mark of what God is looking for in us. Without trust the Bible says we cannot please him. Why would it be such a non-negotiable then and now? And if we had the courage of Abraham, and Moses, […]
Did Jesus die on a tree not only for us, but also for the tree on which he died? The question made me uncomfortable. But I couldn’t deny that a broken trust and resulting curse have done more than tear into our humanity. As the Bible sees creation as full of the glory of God, […]
Who among us hasn’t seen the pain we can bring to ourselves and others by thoughtlessly saying the truth without humility, love, or wisdom. Those who accused Jesus of being a sinner, or worse (demon possessed) weren’t all wrong. They were followers of Moses. They had heard the rumors about Jesus’ birth, and were not […]
Just before Jesus healed a blind man (to release him from spiritual dependence on men who thought they could see but couldn’t), there is an eye-opening conversation recorded in John chapter 8. That episode picks up as a group of Moses’ followers drag a woman caught in adultery before Jesus. Hiding their real intent to […]
I’ve been sitting here reading a question over and over that any of us can find in the ninth chapter of John’s gospel: “…And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was […]
What are we to make of joyless religion or faith? We’ve spent quite a bit of time emphasizing that the goal of Christ is love for our neighbor. So what about joy? What if we find that we don’t know what to make of the words of David when he sings about a kind of […]
In thinking back on the last conversation, it seemed to me that we actually stayed within ourselves as “friends” better in talking about different perspectives of prophecy (which can be such a divisive issue) than we did in dealing with the role and meaning of love. Ironically, sometimes love can be so intuitive that even […]
Earlier this week, an Egyptian army chief and Minister of Defense warned that the political crisis in Egypt could lead to the collapse of the state. Today more protests are planned after Friday prayers. Events resulting from mass protests to the policies of President Morsi (Mursi) is putting the spotlight on an ancient nation mentioned […]
Samson is one of the most interesting people of the Bible. Like the Philistine Goliath, he’s remembered for his legendary physical strength. After killing a lion with his bare hands, he took on a whole army with the jawbone of a donkey and, in his last act, pushed down the pillars of a huge temple […]
