There were three major periods in the preparation of the apostles for the work that laid ahead of them: first, they had three-and-a-half years of watching Jesus work; hearing him teach; asking him questions; and, …
The Courageous Christian
I’m always grateful when the news media gives credit to people who have done very brave things. It is so good to see these people and to hear what they have to say about how …
The Power of the Spirit
View PostWater Baptism #2
Sometimes it takes a while to mess up your life. Sometimes you can do it pretty quickly. And the odd thing about it is how terribly hard it is to turn it around, and how …
Water Baptism #1
There is something truly satisfying about the Christian rite of baptism. I’ve baptized a lot of people in my time, and I never tire of seeing the joy on the faces of people who are …
About Pentecost
View PostThe Power to Love
A man can live without food…for a while. He can live on short rations for quite a while. But sooner or later the body withers and dies. We know what it looks like, because we …
The Gospel of John #12
I can understand why Jewish leaders were concerned about Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ. If I were Jewish, I would probably feel the same way. I know I am profoundly disturbed by …
The Gospel of John #11
It’s fascinating that the longest discourse of Jesus in the entire New Testament is also the most private, the most intimate, the most personal. It is the night of the Last Supper and he’s going …
Everything Is Beautiful
I used to wonder at the decay of popular music in all of its forms. Why wasn’t anyone writing beautiful music? It seemed almost as though they had lost the ability. And then I read …
The War for Your Children
Not a few Christian folk are beginning to worry. They’re thinking that they may be losing the culture war. The strongest evidence they see: their young people are abandoning the faith in droves. You know, …
The Fifth Sabbath
I think the disciples had spent the last five weeks in a state of shock. They were running high before Jesus was arrested and crucified, and it’s hard to imagine their thoughts after he was …
A Mother to Remember
What would happen to you if you were down and out and there was no one to help? Where would you be if you were sick and broke in a strange city with no place …
Love the Little Children
With Mother’s Day approaching, did it ever occur to you who it is that actually makes Mother’s Day possible, meaningful? Children, exactly. Without children, there’s no mother; and without mothers, there’s no Mother’s Day. So, …
The Gospel of John #10
Have you ever wondered why it is that Christian people feel they are never alone? It’s true, you know—we are never completely alone. In the night of the last supper, Jesus told his disciples: If …
The Gospel of John #9
One of the saddest things about the ministry of Jesus is the number of people who believed him, believed his message, believed what he said about who he was, believed on him, but could not …
Closer to Christ
If you could have lived during the time of Christ, would you have wanted to be close to him? Would you have wanted to be with him? I think it’s fair to say that, by …
A Relationship with God
Not long ago, Someone I respect very highly commented that she did not have a relationship with God. She believed in God, she practiced her faith assiduously, but did not believe she had a relationship …
The Gospel of John #8
Jesus defies explanation. You can’t just put him in a category and then say you have him figured out. Nearly every conventional idea of Jesus is contradicted by the basic source documents—the four gospels of …
The Gospel of John #7
I must confess, I was a little puzzled at the reaction of the Jewish community to the movie The Passion of the Christ. But when I reflected on some of the persecution of Jews by …