i got the idea from another website, but decided to try the idea, and found the results startling. i would love to hear some of the questions raised by the text below, but first an explanation of what i’ve done: a) substituted “Christian” for “Jew” b) substituted “Muslims or Buddhists” for “Gentiles” c) substituted “Baptism” […]
it is a mystery
about one-third of the planet’s current population live in areas that have historical ties to the religion associate with jesus christ — and yet so very few people actually study and follow his teachings. here in indiana, where i live, you’re hard pressed to find someone, anyone, who doesn’t believe in god in some capacity […]
seven views of truth
tonight, whilst doing some “light” reading, i came across these seven things that people tend to mean when they speak of “truth”: 1. Reality – Sometimes, we use truth to mean “what’s out there,†or “what’s really, really, real.†2. A human perception of reality – Sometimes we use the term to mean how an […]
all truth is god’s truth
all truth is god’s truth. i love this part of acts: 17:22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this […]
on hurting a burgler
assume you live alone, and are home alone, in your apartment, asleep in bed, when you realize that your apartment is being broken into, downstairs. what is the proper course of action for a follower of christ? don’t assume you have, or don’t have, a gun, a bat, a tazer, or any other weapon: all […]
Plankeye
A friend of mine recently wrote: This is the very reason I stopped attending my youth group. It was so unwelcoming. And, there’s something else, too. It seems to me, that rejection from the church crowd holds a bigger emotional consequence than rejection from other crowds. These are, after all, the people with whom you […]
the foreskin to feet trick
does anyone have a theory about this strange passage: any at all? exodus 4 Moses Returns to Egypt 18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.†And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.†[…]
your job, should you choose to accept it
remember, it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. i can’t stress enough: love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love it is the holy […]
the law
when i was a baby, and brand new to the universe, i had specific things i could and couldn’t do. i couldn’t walk, or run, or feed myself, or even not pee myself. i didn’t need rules, i wasn’t aware enough to understand them. this is sorta like adam and eve. eventually, i grew up […]
this is the message we heard from christ
finish this sentence: this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you… no, really… read it and try to finish it in yer head, knowing that this is the first half of a verse from john, how do you think he’s going to finish this sentence? how would one of jesus’s […]
noah’s flood
many of you have probably heard that there are other people groups, besides the ancient hebrews that have flood stories. i went looking and found a web page that lists everyone the editor could find some of them are amazing: Inca: Pictorial records of ancient Incan rulers show that a flood rose above the highest […]
dealing with “weaker brothers”
first off: i like the ESV. bad NIV translation has spawned the phrase “weaker brother”, which implies that the person must be somehow “under” you, by the -er suffix. the phrase, though, is simply “one who is weak in faith” — regardless of how they’re faith “stacks up” to yours. anyway, on with the scripture: […]
patriotism
patriotism, as most people understand it (regardless of what the dictionary says it “means”) is, in my opinion, not a stance a follower of jesus can take. it means, at its most basic, that one is aligning himself with an agency on earth, rather than with god’s kingdom, where jesus instructs his followers to make […]
“once saved, always saved” ?
let us supposed we have 2 people: billy and franklin (i just pulled those names out of thin air ) i’ll give away the ending of this story first: franklin goes to heaven, and billy goes to hell. now, let us also suppose that billy and franklin are twin brothers: born within minutes of one […]