Immanuel – God With Us
I have a vivid recollection of the first time it hit me that Jesus is God. It was a profoundly shocking realization. I can recall being at the university, the time of day, the weather outside the window, and the exact classroom and seat in which I was sitting. To date, that remains one of…
Read MoreFighting on the Lord’s Side
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail…
Read MoreEat, Drink, and Be Merry
At one point in my software development career, a firm hired me to handle a broad range of IT activities for their accounting department. I was immersed in a sea of activities and terminologies that I did not understand. To wrap my mind around my new environment and responsibilities, I went back to school and…
Read More“The Spirit Expressly Says…”
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.– 1 Timothy 4:1, ESV I am intrigued by the adverbial modifier ῥητῶς in this verse – “expressly.” It would have seemed sufficient to say, “The Sprit says …” but Paul…
Read MoreYou Have Been Commissioned by Jesus
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.– Acts 8:4, NIV-1978 The scene above follows the infamous stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, the stoning which Saul/Paul seems to have given oversight, and certainly approval. Following the death of Stephen, “a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all…
Read MoreSince You’ve Been Raised With Christ
Last week we looked at our passions – those things our “gut” (φρήν) longs after. This week we shift ever so slightly and look at the reason for that longing. It is found in the preceding verse that formed the baseline for last week’s blog posting. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts…
Read MoreFuel Your Passion
What do I love? About what am I deeply passionate? What “tugs at my heartstrings” and drives my decisions? Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.– Colossians 3:2, NIV-1978 Translators have a difficult task because, often, the task of translating a phrase from one language and culture to another language in an…
Read MoreWaiting . . .
Those of you who have followed my writings for years will know that I have a cardiologist, Dr. James Bradford Diestelhorst, stemming from a pair of life-threatenng events in 2012. If you have an appointment to see Dr. Diestelhorst at 10:30 in the morning, you will see him at 10:30 in the morning. He takes great pride…
Read MoreThe Blessing of Affliction
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.– Psalm 119:71, ESV This is not an oft-heard sentiment. Rather, our response to any sort of affliction is typically intonings of depression, complaint, or simple whining. I don’t know that I have ever heard (outside of this psalm) an individual express gratitude for…
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