Posted in Bible thoughts on March 19th, 2008 No Comments »
It wasn’t until I reached adulthood and began formal schooling in the Bible that I realized Jeremiah 29:11, an oft-quoted verse, isn’t all smiles and sunshine.
It’s a verse I had heard many times growing up in church, but I never knew its context. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, […]
Posted in Bible thoughts on March 18th, 2008 No Comments »
The message from God in Jeremiah 7 is a message of warning. Too long, God says, have his supposed followers been lying, stealing, exploiting, and abusing. Not only do they practice such “detestable things” (7:10), but they think that they are safe from all consequences because they are blessed by God and live near the […]
Posted in Questions on March 14th, 2008 3 Comments »
This week the Vatican published a list of new sins. Apparently modern times mean modern sins, and the Vatican doesn’t want to leave anything out. The new sins include environmental harm & pollution, genetic manipulation & cloning, social & economic justice issues, and drug trafficking.
I think it’s a neat idea to send out regular updates […]
Posted in Bible thoughts on March 12th, 2008 No Comments »
“Why…labor on what does not satisfy?” (Isa 55:2). Good question. It seems like most of us labor on things that, in the end, really don’t satisfy us. Sure, we might think they satisfy us, but years from now when we look back on the time we spent, I think we’ll wish that we labored on […]
Posted in Bible thoughts on March 10th, 2008 No Comments »
After spending time in the New Testament, it’s time to jump back into the Old Testament to mine the wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures. I think I’ll do a sweep through the books of the prophets, with one entry for the smaller ones and two entries for the “major” ones. Whatever their size, they all […]
Posted in Questions on March 7th, 2008 3 Comments »
Apparently a lot of pastors are using weddings and funerals as opportunities to preach evangelistic sermons and offer altar calls. Now, maybe I’m a heathen, but I don’t like that idea.
A lot of the reasoning is because, since church attendance is down, weddings and funerals are a great time to preach to a crowd that […]
Posted in Bible thoughts on March 4th, 2008 No Comments »
Revelation was written in order to give hope to God’s followers, and its last chapter really does give me some hope. In verse 7 Jesus announces, “Behold, I am coming soon!” To this I want to respond, “Really? Thank goodness, because we could sure use the help.”
I tend to read a lot of news and […]