John the Baptist is an amazing figure in the New Testament. His birth was miraculous. Both of his parents (Zacharias and Elizabeth) were too old to bear children. Regardless, the angel Gabriel announced that he would be born, filled with the Holy...

There are many things in our culture that suggest the need to give. Sad faces of malnourished dogs and cats motivate many to donate. Graphic videos of storm-ravaged villages move folks to support relief agencies. But perhaps the most notable image...

It is amazing how many Biblical phrases we have embedded in our everyday language. Just for fun, take a look at the list in the next paragraph and decide whether or not you think they came from the Bible. (I will use phrases out of the King James...

We are entering the season of Christmas and those wonderful old hymns are all around us. You have to grin a bit when you realize that our very secular world is playing Christ honoring music.  Everyday, the message that the Messiah has come (in the...

In the age of fad diets, I thought I might focus our attention this week on the Diet of Worms. No, I am not talking about ingesting some wiggling fish bait. Actually, I am referring to an official gathering of church officials that occurred in 1521...

  I can still remember the moment when I first translated the Hebrew term for “praise the Lord.” It was late at night and I was working hard to get through Seminary. My Hebrew class was killing me (foreign languages have always been my...

What can we all expect from a true friend? Well, the apostle Paul commented to his friend, Philemon that he anticipated, expected something out of their friendship. In Philemon verse 20 he said: “I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit...

The unthinkable happened the other day. I saw Christmas decorations and holiday gifts out on display. And it is not even Halloween! But instead of complaining to the store manager, I decided to use this opportunity to start thinking about what...

Everyone is afraid of something. Some of our trepidations are minor in nature. For example, most of us don’t like mice scurrying around under our feet or trips to the dentist. Some fears are rational. We ought to feel apprehensive about law school...

I am teaching through the New Testament book of Philemon, and that short book of only 25 verses tells the story about a rich man (Philemon) who had a slave steal from him. It seems that the slave (Onesimus) ran away and ended up in Rome where the...

After the events in Las Vegas, all our hearts are filled with sorrow and grief. We mourn for those who lost loved ones, for those who were physically injured and for all those who will carry the psychological scars with them for the rest of their...

I am certain that we have all heard this announcement as we settled in for a flight. The script goes like this: Oxygen and the air pressure are always being monitored. In the event of loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will automatically appear...