The Genesis of an Idea A while back I was looking at the Twitter feed of an author I follow. She was posing a question to her followers; what the most beautiful church is you have ever seen. The query elicited many responses, and photos. Every answer was a spectacular church, often of historical note. …
Final Exam This week’s text is Matthew 16:13-20. This is the tale of Peter’s declaration of who he thinks Jesus is. Really it is more of a final exam. Jesus is moving ever closer to the final act of His earthly ministry, and He has gathered the crew and asks them who do people say …
Has to Be Something Better, Has to Be Last week I discussed whether humanity should go out seeking alien life. In the end I concluded that yes we should. This week I want to examine the odds of finding another earth like planet with some kind of similar life. Then I wish to discuss some …
Confronting an “Outsider” The text for this week is Matthew 15: 10-28. This is comprised of two stories. One is about what defiles a person, things going into our mouth, or things coming out of our mouths. The other is about the persistent faith of a Canaanite woman. It is this second tale that I …
Advertise What to Whom? I watch a fair amount of science fiction. I practically memorized the original Star Trek series in syndication. Then I did memorize Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. I mean every character’s lines. I’m in for about any sci-fi movie or series. One thing that many of these shows have in …
Jesus Can’t Get a Break The text this week is Matthew 14: 22-33. This like last week, sees Jesus trying to get some alone time to recharge and to pray. After the crowds from the feeding of the 5000 have gone, Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat and go to the other …
Is Wealth A Blessing? Many people, including me once upon a time, will speak about being blessed in relation to their material well-being. They will say things like “I am blessed to have a good job”, or “I am blessed to have a nice house”. One must look at these kinds of statements logically. Think …
Chasing Jesus This week’s text is Matthew 14: 13-21. This is the famous feeding of the five thousand. This is an important miracle because, other than the resurrection itself, it is the only miracle that appears in all four gospels. The story starts with Jesus withdrawing from the crowds and going off by Himself to …
The Scope of the Question The great edifice known as The National Security State conjures up men in black who operate in the shadows. Perhaps it evokes the memory of Colonel Flagg, the hapless intelligence officer from the television show MASH. Regardless of what image comes to mind there is often an underlying sense that …
Disconnected Parables? This week’s text is Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52. This is yet another series of parables, not totally agricultural as in the past two weeks. The series of parables seems to be disconnected and rather random. One is the parable of the tiny mustard seed growing into a strong tree. Another is yeast rising …