(Table Talk 2) The after dinner speech (at the Passover) started with a message about fear. Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” (John 14:1a) Most translations use the word “troubled” here in this verse, but The Message paraphrase puts it this way. “Don’t let this rattle you.” In other words, don’t be […]
There is so much that we cannot comprehend right now, and unfortunately, it’s our nature to try to figure things out and control them. That doesn’t mean we should stop asking or seeking. In fact, it means that we should keep searching and discovering, realizing that we’ll only discern in faith what He wants us […]
For Michelle He Who Has Ears… In the Garden of Gethsemane there was an altercation at the arrest of Jesus. In defense of the Lord, Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of one of the temple guards who served the High Priest. All gospels report this but only John names […]
For Michelle Have you ever built a sandcastle? If so, hold that thought. I’ll come back to it later. Here’s the afterlife story I’ll focus on from John 8: As he (Jesus) was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They […]
Afterlives, Chapter 2 For Michelle I was blessed with two sons. Though they’re adults now with families of their own, I still remember many times their childlike behavior was endearing. As little boys, they each had their heroes. Mickey Mouse, MacGyver, Teenager Mutant Ninja Turtles, Luke Skywalker, and other unreal figures. Once when we went […]
This past week our daughter-in-law passed away after fighting for almost five years with cancer. She asked me once if I could write something about Bible people who met Jesus and then were never the same. She and I decided to call it “Afterlives.” I’m just getting around to writing this, but I know that […]
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 This is only one place of many in scripture that mentions God’s right hand. I’ve often wondered why this characteristic […]
I have a feeling that if I hadn’t grown up in the Bible Belt, going to church every Sunday, learning Bible verses and influenced by the faith of my forefathers, I would be questioning God’s existence and work in the world constantly. I’ll admit I know so very little about faith; even though I embrace […]
How does God communicate with mere mortals? In the Old Testament, God’s voice was audible to some people. Samuel, for instance, heard God calling him in the middle of the night, and at first he didn’t recognize it. Finally, when it was clear that a human voice wasn’t calling him, he realized the direct communication […]
Have you ever felt like you’ve hit a brick wall? A dead end? Maybe it’s in a career path. Maybe in a relationship or a project. I find myself at this point in my writing journey. When I expressed that feeling to a friend, she asked me if I knew the difference between a dead […]