While growing up and hearing stories of Jesus and his followers, and later reading them myself, the two terms disciples and apostles just kind of mushed together. They were interchangeable, weren’t they? One of the joys of Bible study is learning distinctions that open new vistas that actually make a difference in our everyday lives. […]
“Holy flattery”. That’s how Martin Luther described this shortest of Paul’s seven authenticated epistles since Paul uses every rhetorical technique, including bald flattery, to encourage Philemon to take back his runaway slave, Onesimus. Why Philemon, the letter, has become a favorite for me–especially when reading it aloud in a Bible Study group–is for the insight […]
A favorite ‘bucket list’ item of spiritual seekers is reading the Bible through at least once in their life, and preferably within a set time frame such as a year. Yet for many who have tried this noble undertaking, Leviticus often stands as the dividing line between the sheep and goats – between those who […]
One of the special treats of deeper Bible study is having a feel for the differences in Paul’s seven authenticated letters (I Thessalonians, Philippians, I and II Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, and Romans). Years ago I would read various citations from several of them and they’d kind of mush together. But having studied them now in […]
May is an ideal time to focus on leadership, given all the graduations and accompanying speeches. One of the most stirring commencement talks I’ve come across is by the Admiral in charge of U.S. Special Operations Command, William H. McRaven. This link will take you to the speech he delivered at his own alma mater […]
Since our theme is leadership this month of May, let’s talk about a rather obscure event in Jesus’ ministry that illustrates one of leadership’s tougher aspects: declaring the sacred cows of our lives that are broken and need fixing. Matthew 21 tells one of those stories that can leave us scratching our heads more than […]
