“Praise the Lord!” And so begins one of the glorious types of Psalms (Ps. 111) from the Psalter, built on a recognition of God’s many blessings. What a perfect time of year to consider the Thanksgiving Psalm more deeply and maybe even write your own! There are many types of Psalms, but two predominate: the […]
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Why Resurrection Cover-ups Failed
Cover-ups have a bad historical track record for one reason: people talk! While that might ...
How to have a ‘wow’ moment in group Bible Study
I remember it like yesterday About 15 years ago, a group of girlfriends and I decided to meet monthly in one another’s homes to read through a Biblical book, share insights and enjoy each others’ company. It turned out to be a pretty unbeatable formula as we realized most of us thrive when two basic […]
A Surprise Lesson from Joshua
The burning bush and Red Sea parting may be some of the most well-known stories of the Hebrew Bible. But do we realize Joshua had his own exceptional signs of God’s guiding presence? This came to light recently while rereading Joshua. Some quick background: Moses had finished his role leading the Children of Israel from […]
What Mark’s Gospel Can Teach Us – Announcing new in-depth Study Opportunity!
While national characteristics can be exaggerated (i.e. ‘all Italians talk with their hands’), the description of Americans as a people of action is born out in hundreds of examples. And that’s one reason why the Gospel of Mark might have special appeal to anyone with a proclivity toward action. Mark is the Gospel that most […]
Revelation’s Other View of Christ: Incompatible or Inclusive?
From pastoral shepherd caring for his flock to mighty warrior bent on destruction — here are two New Testament views of Christ so opposite that, on first glance, they seem incompatible. The Gospels and the book of Revelation give both. Why? One of the favorite tourist treasures from a trip to Jerusalem is visiting a […]
Breaking barriers in Joppa: Lessons in Inclusion
One of the wondrous things of landing at Tel Aviv’s shiny, modern airport is being transported to an ancient Biblical site within thirty minutes of clearing customs. On a recent trip we did just that – left Ben Gurion airport for ancient Joppa, the southern part of a 1st century C.E. (Common Era) port city, […]
