“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be […]
It’s that time of year again. Resolutions. The New Year welcomes full gyms and empty bank accounts. For many Christians it also brings more attention to Bible-reading/devotional plans and “quiet time” discipline. I certainly hope to be more diligent in that respect. The quiet time has become stock language for Christians. By it we mean that dedicated times and spaces where we meet alone with God in Scripture and prayer. Drawing […]
“. . . and the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne” (Rev 12.4-5). For nearly 200 years we have loved the […]
“In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, “I am the Son of God.”‘” (Mt 27.41–43) Tell me if […]
White cops, Dead black men. Black snipers, Dead white cops. White, black, brown, or olive, Cain by any other name is still Cain (Gen 4.1-8). A spear. Brother-killer. The antithesis of God’s son (1 Jn 3.11-12). The spirit of antichrist that is already in the world (1 Jn 4.3). Most white cops don’t shoot black men. Most black men don’t snipe cops. Nevertheless, we exchanged God’s world of […]
Eugene Peterson wrote in 1983, before the Internet and smartphones: “The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly, but so inanely. Not so cruelly, but so stupidly. There is little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture. We have celebrities but not saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of bored insomniacs. In famous criminals act out the […]
Tennessee legislators recently sought to make history. They voted to declare the Bible the official state book of Tennessee that if signed would’ve been the first such law ever in America. Tennessee has a state tree (tulip poplar), state bird (mockingbird), state butterfly (zebra swallowtail), and state fish (largemouth bass, of course). Why not a state book? Along with the obvious constitutional concerns, Governor Haslam vetoed the bill citing it “trivializes […]
In 2013, PFC Bradley Manning was convicted as a national traitor for leaking classified military information. He faces 35 years in prison. Or does “he”? It seems Private Manning has declared himself to be Chelsea Manning, his long-time inner and true identity. After his arrest he released this statement: “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea […]
“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; but You, O Lord—how long? Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of you in death; in Sheol who […]
The current Powerball estimate is over $1 billion and counting. It’s no wonder a recent article in The Atlantic cited this staggering statistic: “According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, lotteries took in $70.1 billion in sales in the 2014 fiscal year. That’s more than Americans in all 50 states spent on sports tickets, books, video games, movie tickets, and recorded music sales.” The article concludes: “In an age […]