My friend, Aaron, and I walked into a Mosque on a Sunday afternoon looking for a fight. Or at least I was. Aaron was just being nice by going with me. I was in a class that required me to dialogue with Muslims about their faith and my faith with a slant towards apologetics. As an American, my first thought was a real live Muslim? If you’re not from here (America) you probably don’t know...
How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:24-25) So said Jesus to the rich young ruler who, when instructed to sell his possessions and follow Christ, wilted and walked the other way. You’ve probably heard the statistics. The income for...
לכן אמר לבני־ישׂראל אני יהוה והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה ובשׁפטים ג (Exodus 6:6) On the night on which He was betrayed, while their bold and often mystifying rabbi lead them in a tradition that they have practiced all their lives… a tradition which probably invoked the same sort of nostalgia, the same sort of deeply rooted emotional and spiritual emotions which we might associate with Christmas...
Following a day of worship, Easter egg hunts and family dinners (the odd combination of which deserves a blog post all its own), you might be ready to dive back into your weekly routine. But don’t miss what happened after Easter. In the rush to return to normalcy, take time to reflect on the rest of the tale. After all, a story that stars a risen Savior is far from finished. Here’s a rundown of...
In the past three years, I have moved three times. Each time I call upon the great physical strength of my friends – an area I am decidedly lacking in – and then offer them pizza. They don’t care about the pizza; it’s just a gesture. As we lug all of mine and my wife’s stuff down stairs, into a moving truck, and then back up stairs again, two thoughts occur to me. The first...
The boy knew about blood. A sign of sacrifice, it flowed through every festival and feast. His people saw the power and the promise in those streams, the blood of beasts. But when, amid the yearly plans, the old recurring rites, did he learn he was the Lamb? Maybe when his mother told him tales of men who sprinkled drops across the veil. Or when he saw the stains beneath the fingernails...
I’m easy to talk to. I’m very intelligent. I’m an excellent communicator. I’m hilarious. I’m creative. These are all lies that I tell people everyday in hopes that my image isn’t sullied. I don’t tell them with my words – that would be too obviously arrogant. Instead, I only let certain parts of me show so that no one gets the idea that I have something wrong with me. This is probably an exercise in...
I have always found the spiritual life intimidating at best. How do I ascend to those vast heights of knowing God when I live, not exactly in the Valley of the Shadow, but at least on the Plain of the Ordinary? I am often rendered immobile in my spiritual walk by a haunting complex which does its best to convince me that holiness and knowing God are out of my reach because the road to...
“What is the meaning of life?” The age old question, if asked of myself, or many a believer, will likely result in a prompt answer along the lines of “the Gospel,” “the worship of God,” or “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” But “What is the purpose of today?” is a question that I don’t always have an answer for. Let me rephrase that- I’ll likely have an answer. The matter is really...
Last week, I talked about my obsession with Human Planet, the BBC series that brings the triumph of manly dominion to our TV screens. I’ve since finished the final two episodes (in all their high-definition glory) and although I’m impressed, even moved, by how well the series depicts our God-given rule over the earth, the story still feels incomplete. What Human Planet fails to mention is the extent and exclusivity of man’s dominion. Right now...
Recent Comments