The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) share similarities with each other, including their versions of Jesus’ parables. (The Gospel of John doesn’t contain parables.) When I discovered that Jesus’ parables constitute over one-third of the Master’s teachings in these three books, it was time to treat them as more than loved stories whose characters […]
If someone were to think of the Psalms ‘only’ as hymns of praise, often set to music, they’d be missing why they’ve been so central to the worship of God throughout both Jewish and Christian history. In addition to the beauty of their poetry and musicality, the Psalter is the only Biblical book in which […]
If you love golf, you probably know about a gem of a film, Seven Days in Utopia. You might not have connected it to the New Testament’s Book of Acts, but see what you think as you read. (Note: you won’t learn enough here to need a ‘spoiler alert’, so treat yourself to the film […]
The third part of this Galatians series addresses relevancy. If we can’t apply what we’re learning, what’s the point? My favorite question in studying the Bible is just two words: “so what”? It’s similar to three simple guidelines when pouring over a text, similar to the methods we’ve explored in these two months of blogs […]
The second blog in this Galatians series highlights the world behind the Letter, including the circumstances and concerns of Paul and the Galatian converts. Paul set out to share the message of grace and salvation with the Gentiles, but Galatia was not a targeted area. Yet that’s where he ended up when becoming ill on […]
