The book of Acts records the conflict between the first Christians and the pagan communities they were evangelizing. Those communities said they were advocating customs unlawful for Romans to adopt (Acts 16:20), that they were “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). Have you ever wondered what they meant by that? An article in the … Continue reading »
Tagged with Bible …
Barzillai’s Legacy
Barzillai was one of the people who helped King David during the period when David’s son Absalom was trying to usurp the throne. (See 2 Samuel 17:27-29.) Later, when David had regained the throne and was rewarding people who’d been loyal during the rebellion, Barzillai shows up. He’s there to help David get back across … Continue reading »
Samuel, You’re Not So Hot
Samuel wasn’t all that hot, you know? I mean, okay, he was a prophet. He has two books of the Bible named for him. He was the last judge of Israel, and God used him to commission the first two kings of Israel. But with that kind of pedigree, you just assume Samuel must be … Continue reading »
Dealing with the Devil
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”—John 10:10 As a rule, Presbyterians don’t talk much about the devil. But this month, we’re going to begin reading C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters in the pastor’s Bible study. The book imagines a correspondence between … Continue reading »
What’s Your Problem?
There’s a fascinating conversation between Moses and God in Exodus 4. You know the story. Moses has just been called to lead the people of God up out of bondage in Egypt. God wants Moses to go tell Pharaoh to let his people go. But Moses doesn’t want to go. He’s got a new life … Continue reading »
How to Invite People to Church
Jon Acuff hits the nail on the head again, with this post about how to invite people to church. “It’s funny because it’s true.” (Acuff’s Stuff Christians Like is worth bookmarking. I’ve been reading it for about two years, which is almost in dog or internet years. Once, I even quoted from “The Prayer Ninja” … Continue reading »
Sharing Good News (a Lesson from the Bible)
One of my favorite Bible stories is found in 2 Kings 7. A neighboring empire had attacked Israel and Jerusalem was under siege. The city was surrounded, so nothing could get in or out, and people got very, very hungry. But one night, God caused the besiegers to hear the sound of a great army. … Continue reading »
Second-Chance God
He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. … Continue reading »
Codex Sinaiticus is online
If you’d like to see what a manuscript of the New Testament looks like, you can now see the entire Codex Sinaiticus here. For more information about Sinaiticus, more information is here and (always) Wikipedia.
Interviews with N.T.Wright
The Presbytery next door had a pastor’s retreat with N.T. Wright as a guest speaker. Great chunks (all?) of his talks are now on YouTube at LRPtv (Los Ranchos Presbytery TV). If you’ve never heard of Wright, you owe it to yourself to listen to some of these.