Tribulation: On Groups and Causes Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But […]
People don’t like being challenged. Unknowingly, I pushed buttons recently. An acquaintance posted on social media a slanderous and inaccurate comment about a public figure. I simply asked for sources but it ignited a firestorm of abusive dismissals of me and any position that my question seemed to imply. When Jesus entered the temple complex […]
Making Israel Great again Straddling two positions is awkward—spiritually too. Jesus’ followers live in two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and that of the world. The world is inescapably close and screams loudly; God’s kingdom comes, slow and gentle, like sprouting corn. Its fullness lies in a misty future. It’s easy to become confused. Six weeks […]
So, You Want to Be like Jesus, Do You? What would you think if you heard that a person’s close friend was deathly sick but the person did nothing for a day or two? You’d think they were uncaring, right? Unfortunately, that’s what Jesus did when He heard that Lazarus was ill. By the time […]
Once in a while someone jumps to a conclusion about who we are before they really know us. It creates all kinds of awkwardness. Based on their impression of us they develop expectations. We feel under pressure; they feel frustrated when we don’t deliver. It happened to Jesus. Here’s an example. Someone in the crowd […]
Blast off in a rocket must be one of the most exhilarating experiences. The astronauts can look from their tiny cockpit window and see the launch pad receding from view in a haze of scorching rocket exhaust. As the rocket jettisons each stage, the coastline becomes smaller and the launch pad is no longer visible. […]
Elderberries and exercise are just two of the many recommendations made to stay healthy. Along with vitamin C they help strengthen the immune system. But what should we do to maintain our spiritual health? One of the prayers Jesus told His followers to pray points us beyond taking wise precautions to avoid sickness. Be on […]
Experienced athletes prepare themselves for an event by various warm-ups including stretch exercises. Stretching helps avoid injuries to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It also prepares the body to go to the next level of performance. A series of interactions in Luke 7:17-35 seem to have a similar spiritual function—preparing for the kingdom of God. […]
In 1820 Thomas Jefferson produced his own harmony of the Gospels. Using a razor and glue he cut and pasted passages from the four Gospels, in chronological order. However, he excluded any mention of miracles and ended with the sealing of Jesus’ tomb. Jefferson did not believe in God’s supernatural involvement in this world. His […]
Do you know that we freeze-dry people? What I mean is that we only see them as they were when we first knew them; we struggle to accept that God changes people. Our image of them is stiff and brittle. When a new reality in someone’s life challenges our inflexible view, the image shatters and […]