Something Special For me the Christmas season has special meaning on two different levels: the spiritual and the familial. Every year celebrates two corresponding realities: the love of my Savior and the love of my wife. My final Christmas separated from my Savior took place in 1961. And, my final Christmas separated from the woman …
Many people today feel like they are adrift in a deep and expansive sea of competing worldviews. They are searching for truth and meaning for their lives. Too often, however, they ignore the greatest treasure they have access to for building their own worldview — the Bible. In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Crossway, …
For six and a half years we worked our way through the Psalter psalm by psalm (Psalm 1 through Psalm 150). After reading each psalm at the start of our Sunday morning class, we then prayed sentence prayers based upon that psalm. Then, as I taught through the Hebrew Psalter in seminary courses exegeting each …
Nazareth Most of my posts in this series up to this point have involved sites more related to the Old Testament than to the New Testament. The New Testament alone specifically mentions the town of Nazareth. The town sits about 20 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and about 15 miles west of the Sea …
Praying the Psalms brings songs to the heart. As the psalmist speaks, his words join with the music arising from his harp like incense rising toward heaven. Nothing prepares us for corporate prayer like personal prayer. Nothing prepares us for personal prayer like putting the prayers of the psalmists into our own words. Above all …
For Passion Week I have written a series of meditations following Jesus and His disciples on each day, starting with Palm Sunday. The meditations are published on the Canyon Ministries blog “GuidePosts.” Below are the first three with links. Each day I will add another link. With most of us in lockdown due to the …
In 2014, as part of my participation in the ministries of Abraham Lincoln Foundation of Albania (ALFA), Robb Provost (ministry director) asked me to prepare and present a study about “shalom living” from the Old Testament. Throughout the history of ALFA team members sought to demonstrate this kind of living and ministry in the country of …
Earlier we discussed whether Jesus healed one man or two men on His journey between Jericho and Jerusalem (Matthew 20:29–34; Mark 10:46–52; Luke 18:35–43). At least one additional problem presents itself in these three passages. Luke 18:35 says that Jesus was approaching (or, entering) Jericho. But Mark 10:46 says, “as He was leaving Jericho,” and …
The Synoptic Gospels’ Inerrancy: Entering or Leaving Jericho? Read More »
In ancient Israel people often used the Persian reed (Arundo donax—a tall reed growing up to eighteen feet or more high; also known as giant cane) for a walking stick. Other uses for this reed included fishing rods, measuring rods, and musical pipes.[1] Some individuals may have chosen a wooden stick (a staff) for greater stability …
The Synoptic Gospels’ Inerrancy: How Many Walking Sticks? Read More »
Matthew 8:5–13 reports the miracle of Jesus healing a Roman centurion’s servant. Matthew seems to say the centurion himself approached Jesus with the request. Luke 7:1–10, however, speaks only of some Jewish leaders coming to Jesus with the centurion’s request. Is there a mistake in one of these two Gospel accounts? A possible answer to …
The Synoptic Gospels’ Inerrancy: Misrepresentation of Persons Read More »
