The trappings of the holidays try to convince us that all is well when in reality it is not. But Advent reminds us that these are but falsehoods. Truth, instead, is embodied in the baby born to Mary of Nazareth in the town of Bethlehem in Judea.
God
Be Confident in Prayer: Go Ahead and Ask
The apostle John speaks often about confidence, boldness, assurance. He wants believers to know that they know they are in Christ. But he also exhorts us to know that we can come to God with our requests. Because we know that we believe in Jesus and have eternal life, we can approach God confidently.
The What, Why, and How of Agape from the Apostle of Love
The apostle John is the real expert on true love. He writes about it more than any other author in the Bible. He alone records Jesus's new commandment to love one another in a new way—like Jesus loves us (John 13:34–35). In 1 John 4:7–21 alone, love (agape in Greek) is mentioned 27 times.
Love for the World vs. Love for the Father
The Apostle John tells us in his first letter, "Do not love the world" (1 Jn 2:15). One of the biblical definitions for "world" is ornament. In other words, all the shiny stuff that attracts our attention. John calls these things, the lust of the flesh, the longing of the eyes, and the pride of life.
The ‘One Anothers’ in Scripture Characterize Community
There are over fifty "one another" verses in Scripture (the exact number depends on your translation). One anothering describes how those in the kingdom of God function. It characterizes community, friendship, fellowship, koinonia. I decided to do a fresh study of these exhortations in scripture. Here are my observations.
Holy Thinking: My New Spiritual Practice
Holy thinking is the intersection of soul care, discernment, and pondering. How awesome is that? I was especially pleased to discover that Mary of Nazareth exemplified this spiritual practice. How perfect for a way to describe all the things I’m passionate about.
Happy Mother’s Day to My Expectant Daughter-in-Law
I sent my first Mother’s Day card to my daughter-in-law who is pregnant with her first child and our first grand. This is what I told her.
Not Forsaken
Was Jesus forsaken on the cross? Educated and religious Jews used a unique technique to recite memorized psalms. And so did Jesus when passers-by yelled insults at him as he hung dying on a cross. He wanted his people to know he was fulfilling a prophecy that predicted his specific suffering.
