What compels you? What drives you to do what you do? What motivates you to act? These questions arise whenever I read 2 Corinthians 5. This passage so captivates me that I plan to write six articles on it in this year’s Bible Advocate. It’s compelling, not the least because it begins with Paul saying […]
In exploring the ministry of reconciliation this year, we will spotlight six chapters from the Bible to aid us in understanding it and all its implications for life in the church. But before we jump into our first selection, here’s a fascinating piece of trivia. Have you ever wondered how the Bible got the indispensable […]
Tuba players can be difficult neighbors. Denise discovered this firsthand as a property manager for an apartment complex. “He just didn’t understand that he shouldn’t play his tuba at two o’clock in the morning.” Of course, situations like this tend to escalate quickly. Neighbor A (the tuba player) wakes Neighbor B. Neighbor B parks in […]
Like many other women, I can look you in the eye and carry on an intelligent conversation while overhearing two or three other conversations taking place around me. It’s a gift and a bother. My husband calls it eavesdropping. I call it paying attention. We recently sat at a restaurant enjoying a pleasant buffet-style breakfast […]
Along the muddied banks of the Jordan, thin reeds, the color of sage, reached toward the sky, bending gently in the breeze. A silver mist clung to the water’s surface, and as the sun pierced the clouds, the haze glistened in the morning light. I would have preferred solitude, being alone with my thoughts and […]
In the Bible we find a wonderful story of reconciliation between two brothers, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 33). For a long time they lived separated from each other due to Esau’s anger and Jacob’s fear. Jacob, influenced by his mother, Rebekah, stole the blessing that by law belonged to his brother. Esau’s anger and frustration […]
Venturing out on the lonely highways and byways of Asia Minor in the days of the early church put travelers at risk of robbers, beatings, and other perils. Seafaring journeyers also faced multiple dangers, and the apostle Paul experienced them all, on land and sea alike. Perhaps the hardest thing he had to endure was […]
If the Ten Commandments are for Christians, why aren’t the feast days? With many Christians, we view the Ten Commandments, summarized in the Great Commandment of Jesus to love God and neighbor, as God’s will for all people at all times. The Ten Commandments, written on stone, held a central place in the old covenant, […]
I found an old, old Bible Tucked away with other books. And felt perhaps a treasure lay within its pages — so I looked. I didn’t find a treasure rare inside the book itself. But upon the faded pages were gifts beyond man’s wealth. The words told a wondrous story A time I’d never […]
I set out as a young man to refute Christianity. I met some young Christians who challenged me to intellectually examine the evidence for Christianity, and I agreed. I aimed to show them, and everyone, that Christianity was nonsense. I thought it would be easy. I thought a careful investigation of the facts would expose […]
