The Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Introduction. “Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven pillars.” (Proverbs 9:1). This verse pictures the quality of wisdom as a wealthy woman who has built her lavish mansion with seven columns that support and stabilize her home. She welcomes all who want to partake of …
A Question: Is there Absolute Truth? Are the Gospels true? Can we trust the Gospels? Since we base all the following on Scripture, particularly the Gospels, this is the first question that needs to be answered. If we can’t trust that the Gospels are true and God’s Word, then all the following answers to the …
Friends with God – Abraham and Moses. “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24). Why did God create mankind? He didn’t need to, because He is utterly and eternally complete within the intimate communion of the Trinity. So He doesn’t really need us as if we could complete Him in …
For the Birds, An Introduction. “First this: God created the heavens and the earth – all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.” (Genesis 1:1-2, MSG). Since the fifth day of creation in Genesis 1:20, birds …
The Holy Women of Israel – Miriam. “Many daughters have done well, with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness, but you excel them all… A woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord in wonder and awe, she shall be honored and praised!” (Proverbs 31:29-31, Amplified Version). Did you know that the Talmud, …
The “Holy Women of Israel” – Esther. “Many daughters have done nobly, virtuously, and well, with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness, but you excel them all… A woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord in wonder and awe, she shall be honored and praised!” (Proverbs 31:29-31, Amplified Version). Did you …
The Jewish Roots of Grace. “For you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in faithful covenant lovingkindness.” (Nehemiah 9:17). Since Christianity is essentially a Jewish faith, an offshoot of Judaism, we will find the roots of common Christian terms in the Hebrew Bible. Grace is one of …
Conversations with Christ in the Gospels – Introduction. “Jesus said and did countless things that I haven’t included in my testimony here. If they were all recorded one by one in detail, I can’t even imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books. The entire cosmos doesn’t have room for all …
Take Heart! The Paralytic Man on a Stretcher. “They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Take heart, (‘Tharseo’), son. I forgive your sins.” (Matthew 9:2). (Please Read Mark …
In A Word: Introduction, Skim at Your Own Risk. CAUTION. In this era of amazing advances in technology, there are sometimes unexpected consequences that turn out to be harmful to our Christian faith. One of these harmful improvements is the flood of believers who read scripture online, on the smart phone, on the computer screen. …
Fresh Water: For Hagar and Ishmael. There were many times in the Hebrew Bible when God appeared in bodily form as a man. But can Yahweh be seen that way? Can one visibly witness a sighting of God face-to-face? There are a couple of reason why this contradicts Scripture: God is a Spirit (John 4:24). One …
Thin Places – Introduction. “The thin place is where the veil between this world and the next is so sheer that it is easy to step through.” (Barbara Brown Taylor, Home By Another Way). This term from an ancient Celtic tradition has stood the test of time. The idea of a thin place between heaven …