War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds was written by H. G. Wells in 1898. Though it hardly raises an eyebrow by today’s standards, it was pretty heady stuff then. England was at the height of its imperialism and creatures from another planet would be considered about the only qualified candidates to take down the Empire. Scientists were speculatingContinue reading “War of the Worlds”

Love and Spaghetti Trees

It was several years ago that the BBC ran a piece about a bumper spaghetti crop in Switzerland. There had been a confluence of ideal conditions for the Swiss farmers:  a mild winter, the nefarious spaghetti weevil was practically non-existent that particular year, and the Swiss, long known for their precision, had developed a strain of spaghettiContinue reading “Love and Spaghetti Trees”

Getting Started in 2 Thessalonians

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians was written not long after his first one. It’s brief (47 verses) but has at least three objectives. The one that usually gets the most attention has to do with his desire to correct the mistaken view some had formed regarding the return of Jesus (2:1ff). Paul’s subsequent discussionContinue reading “Getting Started in 2 Thessalonians”

Celebrities or Servants?

I caught the last snippet of a commercial where someone was identified as a celebrity landscaper. Well of course—why just be a landscaper when you can be a celebrity landscaper? The possibilities are endless: celebrity school teacher, celebrity pharmacist, celebrity construction worker. And let’s not forget the kids—we can have celebrity teenagers, celebrity children, and celebrityContinue reading “Celebrities or Servants?”

Water into Wine

Numerous contemporaries of Jesus speak of good wine not possessing intoxicating qualities (Pliny, Plutarch, Horace, etc.). In fact, they describe in detail the measures taken to produce such a drink. There’s no reason then, other than cultural bias or biblical ignorance, for insisting that when the master of the banquet spoke of what Jesus made as “choiceContinue reading “Water into Wine”

Building the Patience Bridge

I heard a college president speak to a group of honor students. He congratulated them on their academic achievements and then went on to make the point that what would determine whether they would be successful in their chosen fields wouldn’t be their technical or academic knowledge—but the utilization of their soft skills. He notedContinue reading “Building the Patience Bridge”

A Tree in the Rocks

Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God,” (1 Samuel 23:15-16). When we were living in central Arkansas, one of our favorite places to go was Pinnacle Mountain, located just west of Little Rock. As the picture suggests, it’s not much more than aContinue reading “A Tree in the Rocks”