The Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III, stormed into the Mediterranean region and by 732 BC he had broken the Aramean-Israel alliance and captured Damascus. Northern Israel (i.e., the cities of Galilee) fell next, followed by Gilead. Following Assyrian custom, the people were deported and foreigners were brought in to occupy the land. (Conquered lands were much easier to controlContinue reading “Aah . . . Hope”
Tag Archives: Jesus
Who is on Your Road?
When Jesus told the story of the Samaritan, His immediate purpose was to provide an answer to the disingenuously posed question, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). The expert in the law (v. 25), was seeking to have his indifference toward others excused on the grounds that neighbor was too ambiguous of a term. It couldn’t beContinue reading “Who is on Your Road?”
To Judge or not to Judge?
“Don’t judge!” As much as anything else, this has been our culture’s mantra for last generation. We’re so emphatic about it that I saw a meme of a little girl pointing an accusing finger at Santa Claus and saying, “Naughty or nice, huh? STOP JUDGING ME!” Even Santa has been taken down by popular culture.Continue reading “To Judge or not to Judge?”
Thinking About Community (3)
It was John Donne who said, “No man is an island, entire of itself . . . Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The language of Mr. Donne may be antiquated but the truth he spokeContinue reading “Thinking About Community (3)”
The Power of the Table
Gregg Popovich is the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, an NBA basketball team. To say that he is successful would be an understatement. Consider the following: He has coached the team since 1996—that’s longer than any other current coach in professional basketball, football or hockey. He has more wins with the Spurs than anyContinue reading “The Power of the Table”
The Second Mile Attitude
I remember watching an NFL playoff game between Seattle and Minnesota. The game was in Minneapolis and the temperature at game time was – 6! (It did warm up during the game to at least -2). Most of the players (especially the offensive and defensive lineman) were wearing short sleeves. Part of the reason forContinue reading “The Second Mile Attitude”
No workarounds for us!
We’re all familiar with workarounds—those stop gap measures we employ when we don’t have the time, money, or opportunity to fix something correctly. What they sometimes lack in aesthetics they can make up for in functionality. For example, years ago the lock on my truck’s fuel door stopped working. I wasn’t concerned about the locking aspect but I alsoContinue reading “No workarounds for us!”
Jesus and Organized Religion (4)
There’s more to say from Matthew 23 concerning Jesus’ teaching about organized religion. These bullet points will give you a starting point for your own research and study. 3. Jesus was for humility and against pride. (v. 5-12) 4. He was against building walls and for building bridges. (v. 13-14) 5. He was against winning people toContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (4)”
Jesus and Organized Religion (3)
It seems that these days disciples of Jesus bear the responsibility of not only being apologists for anything and everything claiming to be Christian, but in the eyes of an increasing amount of people, they should be defenders of all religions and faiths—especially the radicalized ones. Read the vitriol of people like Sam Harris andContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (3)”
Jesus and Organized Religion (2)
There are several approaches we could take in regard to Jesus and organized religion. We could speak about Him promising to “build My church” (Matthew 16:18). We could look at His words to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3 and discuss how, despite the failings of some of the groups, He claims themContinue reading “Jesus and Organized Religion (2)”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 