The end of the first century was approaching. The first generation of believers were dying. The common expectation that Christ would return seemed remote. Hebrews calls the church back to the powerful image of God's unstoppable grace and promises.
For Jesus, the locked doors behind which the apostles gathered were no more a barrier than death had already placed before him. It is always easier to define barriers than to get beyond them. But this “Thomas event” declares that God's love overcomes all things.
There are the dark times in life, such as a doctor's report that "there's nothing more we can do," Those “Friday” predictions offer no Easter Sunday hope or joy unless you know about Jesus.
It is a human failure that we tend to tie our beliefs and faith to physical monuments, traditions, ceremonies, and organizational structures. John's approach from the beginning is to present Jesus as God incarnate, the “word made flesh” (John 1:14).
When you sit at the feet of Jesus you discover that God loves you and that he wants to bless you. The gift of eternal life cannot be earned even if you work as hard as Martha.
When I call my stockbroker for a report or advice I always routinely ask “How are you doing?” His response is always the same: “Living the dream!” Today, the goal is to make something of yourself, and sadly, that thinking has also invaded the modern
Our story begins with the arrival of a delegation of religious authorities from headquarters in Jerusalem, confronting Jesus and his dangerous liberalism: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?"
Jesus shocked both Gentiles and Jews alike when he said “to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Jesus lived those words and calls us to do the
In the business of choices God offers us a beautiful gift: forgiveness that can heal, restore, and change life. We do not remember Moses because of his greatness but because of his willingness to trust God and his striving to do God's will.
Everything in life is not easy, beautiful, or positive. We prefer to blame fate when life is ugly, but more often than not events are the result of our choices and we can usually talk ourselves into thinking our choices are right.