The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant – Please read Matthew 18, especially v. 21-35. CONTEXT a. Matthew 18 is apparently one long private conversation between Jesus and his disciples, and the gospel values here are certainly at odds with the ways of the world. This chapter is concerned with a fascinating variety of topics about …
“If you listen carefully you can hear the truth from the unlikeliest sources, especially from the unlikeliest sources, from an enemy, from a stranger, from children, from nuts, from overheard conversations, from stupid preachers… Are not great discoveries also made at the unlikeliest moments?” (Walker Percy, The Second Coming, p.181) One of my family’s favorite …
We have a Christian home, but we celebrate many Jewish traditions. Why is that? Much of our motivation to add Old Testament rituals, fulfilled in Christ, to our family life is due to our fascination with the Jewish roots to our Christian faith. We like to spend time: immersing ourselves in the same Bible that …
The imagination is the intellect at play, it is reason listening to a story. Of course Jesus, who invented the human mind, planned the learning process to include the capturing of the imagination. The master teacher, he loved to express his vivid and agile imagination whenever he could. Jesus loved to tell stories, all kinds …
To begin the House Blessing, everyone present gathers in the living room. An official leader, eg., a priest or a pastor, can be invited if desired. It is often recommended that you alternate leadership and reading from room to room. That way, more people can participate and take ownership as you pray through the house. …
On Worship as Lifestyle. “Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? With eyes wide open to His mercies, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: I encourage you, as a act of sensible, intelligent worship, to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifice. Make …
Living the Bible. Why did so many of the Pharisees get straight A’s in Old Testament Survey classes but flunked the Messiah course? After all, they were scholars of Scripture, they knew every word intimately. Yet they somehow missed the prophesied Messiah when He was staring them in the face. Maybe they were more interested …
The Effective Learning Culture for Home, School and Church. There is no such thing as a “brain expert.” The human brain is so complex, the most complex piece of creation in the universe, that there is no end to the mystery of how a brain operates. We learn from the latest research, but there is …
Be Salty “You are the salt of the earth.” (Matt. 5:13) What did Jesus mean when He flatly stated that His followers were to be the salt of the earth? In other words, Christians are called to be salt. What was He getting at? Since salt has so many qualities and purposes, it seems the sky is …
Icons – Windows to Heaven Icon is the Greek word for image or likeness. All of us are living icons, made in the image of God. Jesus is also a living icon, since “He is the image, the exact likeness of the unseen God.” (Colossians 1:15). An icon is not an object to study or …
Incarnational Teaching. In the beginning was the Word… And the Word became flesh and pitched His tent with us… Full of grace and truth. (from John 1). Is there a better model for Christ-centered teachers than the Incarnation? Let’s think about this… Master teacher Jesus could have chosen any method whatsoever to communicate the truth …
Meditation on a Thorn Bush – FRET NOT “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found.” (Joy to the World, Isaac Watts) Many years …