Made for the rich, used by the poor; Unexpected by friends, feared by enemies; Filled with death; emptied by life; Wanted by none, needed by all; Saying nothing, declaring everything; Explained with a lie, revealing the truth;Denied in time, believed forever. What confidence is this, and what difference has it made?
In July of 2011, a 33-year-old Norwegian bombed an Oslo government building and then gunned down scores of guests at a Labor Party youth camp. Seventy-seven people died, and many more were injured. Prior to the attacks, the young gunman wrote a lengthy manifesto titled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence. In chilling detail, he [...]
At the Shepherd’s arrest, the sheep scattered, just as Jesus had predicted (Matt 26:31). At the time it didn’t make sense, just as now so much doesn’t make sense in our own lives. Yet today we can see how that dark moment was combined with with so many broken pieces into a mosaic of salvation [...]
What makes something biblical? The easiest answer may be that, “If something is found in the Bible, it’s biblical.” But that means polygamy, slavery, and genocide all qualify. Another approach is to say that an idea or practice is biblical if it is consistent with the values and nature of the Bible. That’s probably a [...]
In November of 1947, Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, lobbied for a United Nations resolution that would divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Truman later expressed his faith in the reborn state of Israel saying, “I believe it has a glorious future before it—not just [as] another sovereign nation, [...]
Today, Bethany is a little Arab neighborhood that lies behind an Israeli security wall, on the eastern slope of Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. On a recent visit, I had a chance to meet this man who was selling a refreshing pomegranate drink. As it turns out, he lives within a hundred miles from my house [...]
Moses asked Israel to remember their Exodus Passover on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan (Lev 23:5). He said the next day (the 15th) was to begin seven days of Unleavened Bread and called the first day a no-work/Sabbath (vv 6-7). Moses went on to say that, once Israel was in their promised [...]
In the February 2 issue of Newsweek magazine’s “Beliefwatch”, Lisa Miller, writes, “You likely believe that when you die, you’re going to heaven. More than 80 percent of Americans do. But in what form? Are you “you”? If so, are you old or young, fat or thin? If not, what are you? An angel? A [...]
Without hope no one can live. Yet, hope can be cruel. Solomon reminds us that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov 13:8). So much of our unhappiness is the result of thinking we are going to get something better than we end up with. Yet no one will argue that disappointment and despair are [...]
I heard it 40 years ago. I was taking what seemed to be a fairly uninspiring course on the historical geography of the Bible. At the time I didn’t realize that the professor was teaching his last class. His health failed mid semester and he didn’t return to teaching. Even though my memory is a [...]