Category Archives: Bible and Theology

What God says through scripture, and how people work to understand it.

What is Christ Quickening?

“God made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).” What part of me has Christ made alive today? When I look for the new thing that the Lord is doing, I find satisfaction and joy. By contrast, when I rivet … Continue reading

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Is this your hope? I hope so :)

Overheard at Greek Devotions: “Hope is disciplined waiting with full expectation of receiving.” This reminds us that hope is much more than wishing, it is waiting. And hope pushes us to not only wait on occasion, but to discipline ourselves … Continue reading

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THE Secret to Christian Living

Usually, I like to hedge bets. I couch my claims with “in most cases,” or “usually,” or other qualifiers. But here is one I will go out on a limb for. My pastor, Clyde Parker, summed up the secret for … Continue reading

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Digital Bibles Produce Living Disciples

Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer publish a print copy of its iconic encyclopedia. After 244 years, sales had dropped to such a low rate that changes had to be made. The cost of $1440 for the print copy couldn’t compete … Continue reading

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Prayer for Lent

At this time of year, I like to repeat St. Ephraim’s prayer: O Lord and Master of my life, take from me a spirit of laziness, faintheartedness, love of power and idle talk. But freely give to me, your servant, a … Continue reading

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The Job of Answering Questions

  Gordon McDonald’s review of the biography of Steve Jobs challenged me. The whole article is good, and McDonald closes each observation with discussion questions that could inspire fruitful discussions with your family or church leadership team. Apparently, Jobs was … Continue reading

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What is In in?

This morning I was privileged to participate in group devotions — in Greek! We studied the first fifteen verses of Ephesians with plenty of parsing, computer programs, and grammatical analysis. However, the Greek is very much like the English (what … Continue reading

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Short-term Mountains

On Sunday, I taught about the transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9:28-36).  What joy James, John, and Peter felt when they saw Jesus in all his glory! Unfortunately, in the next story, they walk down the mountain and face a problem … Continue reading

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Ukuleles and Ordinary Shepherds

Our church’s children’s program featured a Ukulele Angel Choir this year! The charming Christmas play also featured the typical church kids-turned-shepherds for a day. They were not polished actors, but they told the story. Actually, I believe they told the … Continue reading

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You Don’t Get; But You Do Get

“When [the disciples and Jesus] were together for the last time they asked, ‘Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?’  He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is … Continue reading

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