In our earlier discussion of “The Gambler” one of our friends started a discussion that seems to pit Paul against Jesus, and “life in the Spirit of Jesus” against the “Christianity of Paul.” The lingering subject surfaced again repeatedly in our last discussion about “things that last” longer than a tattoo. Seems like we are […]
Was interested to read a BBC article today about an Atlanta woman who got a tattoo to celebrate her participation as a 2012 Olympic torch bearer. Only after sending a picture to a friend did she discover that her badge of honor was misspelled. The good natured woman said that, even though the parlor artist […]
Jesus isn’t remembered for saying many predictable things. But the unexpected quote that has had my attention today is when our Teacher suddenly talks to one of his most committed disciples as if he is talking to his enemy. One minute he is blessing Peter and telling him that he (Peter) had been entrusted with […]
How much of the world beyond has echoes, or reflections, in the world we know? While thinking about the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I’ve been thinking again about The Gambler, the Don Schlitz song that Kenny Rogers made famous in 1978. While The Gambler isn’t Bible, the perspective it offers from the mouth […]
What is the faith that pleases God? Is it found in believing that He will do whatever we ask of him as long as we don’t second guess (doubt) our own faith—and him in the process? Or is the faith that God is looking for the kind of trust that leaves the decision of our […]
A fascinating online science article reports that researchers have determined that the Greenland Shark is the slowest shark in the world, cruising at speeds less than 1 mile an hour. After tagging the GS for electronic data collection, the scientists also learned that it lives in near freezing water (36 degrees) farther north than any […]
Among the news stories today of Egypt’s post-election crisis, Syria’s civil war, and the G20’s alarm over the Eurozone’s fiscal challenges, is Prince William’s advocacy for the endangered Rhino. Poachers reportedly can get 60,000 black market dollars per kilo (2.2 pounds) for a tusk that is believed by some to have powerful medicinal value. That […]
We’ve often heard that the Old Testament primarily uses the Father-child relationship to picture God’s relationship with a nation (Hos 11:1). It is a collective, chosen family that is given the hope of a mysterious King/Son who then in turn is referred to as “Everlasting Father” (Psa 110:1) ( Isa 9:6). But it is primarily […]
We’ve camped for awhile around the idea that the longest song in the Bible (Psa 119) celebrates the Law (Torah) of God, and that it ends with a cry for help: ‘I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands (Psa119:76). The previous song (118) also contains […]
Why is the shortest 2-verse song and chapter of the Bible (Psalm 117) separated by only one other song (118) from the longest 176-verse song and chapter (Psalm 119)? While guessing that there is more than trivia and coincidence in such an unusual arrangement of songs, I think I see additional irony. As Steve of […]
