Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old.  You may take it from the sheep or from the goats…  Exodus 12.5Dave Day, Jr. and his wife Kim have been members of our church for years.  They raise sheep.  Last Sunday I preached about the Passover lamb, and Dave caught up with me to share some insights with me about year-old male lambs.He noted that shepherds don’t have much use for “ram lam...  Read More

“I’ve tried everything and nothing works.”“You NEVER listen to me!”“There is nothing on TV tonight.”Most of us have said (and have heard others say) things like this.  Words like “always/never” or “everyone/everything” or “all/none” are universal terms.  Yet in ordinary speech we use them in non-universal ways, and we expect others to understand that “all doesn’t always mean all”.If I say “I alway...  Read More

In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in “mob justice”.  A mob is a group that refuses examination and suppresses dissent.  A mob is persuaded less by evidence and more by outrage or fear.  The members of the group fuel each other emotionally and, by oppressing or ignoring dissent, develop moral certainty about their perspective.  That all members agree proves that they already know the truth.  ...  Read More

I enjoy playing the bass.In fact, the role I play—and enjoy playing—in life is similar to the role of the bass in the band.The bass isn’t a showy solo instrument.The bass is rarely gaudy or extravagant.  It’s rather plain.It’s not out in front.  The bass is behind the scenes.With the drums the bass forms the foundation of the music upon which everyone else – the guitars, the vocals, the keyboards ...  Read More

In praying for people one dislikes, I find it helpful to remember that one is joining in Christ’s prayer for them.  – C.S. LewisThere is no indication that the father in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son approved of his son's reckless lifestyle or that he wasn't disappointed with his son's decisions. My guess is that the son knew his father wouldn't approve and would be disappointed. That's most ...  Read More

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;he breaks out against all sound judgment. (Proverbs 18.1)A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,but only in expressing his opinion.  (Proverbs 18.2)The one who states his case first seems right,until the other comes and examines him.  (Proverbs 18.17)After receiving my master’s degree, I took classes toward a second master’s degree.  One of my profe...  Read More

…I recently came across this fragment of text that appears to fit well between Genesis 3 and 4…The LORD God drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. And Adam and his wife tilled the ground and ate bread by the sweat of their faces, as God had said.  And it came to pass, as Adam ha...  Read More

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  (Matthew 23.37 // Luke 13.34)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?  (Acts 7.52)The first quote is from Jesus, the second from Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  We read these words and simply recognize them as statements about the history of Israel.But let’s think about Israel’s killin...  Read More

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righte...  Read More

The piece of conspiracy propaganda that has carried perhaps the most weight throughout the 20th century is a booklet entitled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.First appearing in Russia in 1903, the origin of The Protocols is still something of a mystery, though it is widely believed to be the work of Tsar Nicholas’ secret police.  Tsar Nicholas’ authority (and European autocratic power in gener...  Read More

European antisemitism took a more secular turn in the 19th century when the Rothschild family rose to prominence in the banking world.  Nearly every modern antisemitic conspiracy theory about “organized Jewry” running Wall Street, the Federal Reserve, the media, Hollywood, the American government, or the entire world is based on the famous Rothschild family of the 19th century.Mayer Amschel Rothsc...  Read More

One of life’s little wonders is that during your sleep and at a very young age, you learned how not to fall out of your bed.Julius Caesar thought elk have no knees.A friend once posted a controversial point on Facebook.  I disagreed and responded at length, explaining my disagreement.   The friend responded; we volleyed a few times.  Finally, frustrated that I still wasn’t persuaded, my friend wro...  Read More