When the roll call begins, and the baddies are invited to step forward, no one ever does. The baddie is always the other guy. We are the goodies, or, if we can't - in good conscience - declare ourselves good, we declare ourselves innocent or victim. An old comedy sketch by … [Read more...] about We, the Enemy
Ezra #5-6 – Footing the Bill
The opening verses of Ezra 5 are a conclusion to the events of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 opens with the fact that it was the word of God that stirred them to work, and Chapter 6 ends with the fact that it was the word of God that stirred them to joy at the completion of the … [Read more...] about Ezra #5-6 – Footing the Bill
In the Beginning was the Word, but then Came the Emoji
Okay, so, time to interact with a little bit of our cultures' current affairs. It's hard to resist an emoji. They are a somewhat cute, imminently lazy, and, like flipping the bird, appeal to our little pagan hearts. Our world needs symbols, and God has given us plenty of them. … [Read more...] about In the Beginning was the Word, but then Came the Emoji
Ezra #4 – Opposition
William Carey, the great Baptist missionary and linguist, arrived in India in 1793. The first convert came after seven and a half years. Then the work seemed to accelerate, and Carey began translating the scriptures into the native language. But in 1812, after almost 20 years of … [Read more...] about Ezra #4 – Opposition
Pilgrims
Pilgrimage is a biblical concept that's as old as Adam - when he got booted from the garden, or at least Cain, who became a wanderer on the earth as he wandered East to the land of Nod (Genesis 4:14-16). Abraham was a pilgrim, as was the entire Hebrew nation in the wilderness. … [Read more...] about Pilgrims