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Common English Study Bible
Cokesbury had a huge sale last week and it included the Common English Study Bible. I was able to obtain this translation when it first came out through the generosity of the publisher, and I’ve found it to be a refreshing translation. It certainly has its “quirks,” but for common reading (and for me it’s so helpful in reading the…
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And we’re back
The blog was down the last couple of days as I was trying to navigate Google’s new payment systems and how they charge for website domains, etc. Huge hassle. I’m probably the only one who is upset, but I’m back. Whew.
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Nelson Mandela
A brief overview of the life of Mandela.
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The Anticipation of the Season
32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told…
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The Pope, Pentecostals, and the Gospel
Dale Coulter gives a Pentecostal critique of the Pope’s exhortation, “The Gospel of Joy.” Again, the huge temptation is to focus on one small section concerning the Pope’s critique of greed in capitalism, but there is so much more in this exhortation. One particular paragraph I am meditating on: The pursuit of an equality of status at all costs produces a radical…
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The frivolous and the fundamental
I am taking up regular Advent reading (HERE), but I am also continuing my regular reading pattern I began just before Advent. That reading has me in Mark 12 today (for my Gospel reading). Also, don’t forget you can follow Advent through some good devotional resources HERE. As Jesus’ time on earth is drawing to a close, the intensity of…
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More “harmful” words from the “Marxist” pope
Pope Francis’s communication, “The Joy of the Gospel,” has been panned by all God-fearing true capitalists. (And we should all be true capitalists, thus making us God fearing.) A few lines out of a 50,000 word document has enraged economic purists all over the Western world. As for the other 49,000 or so words… we might want to pay attention to…
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Praying the impossibilities into possibilities
A few days ago I was meditating on the Isaiah 2 text for the first Sunday of Advent. The challenge from the Spirit when I woke up that morning was this: pray differently. One of the texts for next Sunday is Isaiah 11:1-10. It seems I am still being stirred by the Spirit to pray differently. It is to pray the impossible prayers.…
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Preparation in Advent is more than individual effort
16 Wash! Be clean! Remove your ugly deeds from my sight. Put an end to such evil; 17 learn to do good. Seek justice: help the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let’s settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will…
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Happy New Year!
It’s the first Sunday of Advent, so for the church… HAPPY NEW YEAR! The Church has been on a different calendar for centuries, but evangelicals and Pentecostals don’t always recognize it. It’s too much of a “dead ritual,” or some such thing. I’ve learned to appreciate these seasons, especially Advent and Lent, helping us prepare for Christmas and Easter then…
