We like formulas, don’t we? Recipes for cooking; and assembly directions for building model airplanes; and an operator’s manual for making something work properly, right? So what’s the formula for a fulfilling, abundant life with our sins forgiven? I don’t mean financial success nor fame nor popularity. I mean the type of life Jesus spoke about when He […]
Law and order / security and safety are two of the biggest issues facing our human race in every city, every village and hamlet in the world, do you agree? Why is that? Simple… our human natural tendency is to want our own way. From the time we are kids we want to be in […]
We live in a world where TITLES are important. In politics, business, government, and almost every segment of every society, TITLES get people’s attention, isn’t that true? As you reflect back over your life I wonder how many different titles have been associated with your name. Have you ever found yourself having a title but not having […]
Names and Titles are interesting things, aren’t they? Do you have both a name and some official ‘title’? Your NAME was probably given to you by your parents near the time of your birth. Do you know WHY your parents chose the name they gave you? Are there some expectations others have of you because of your NAME? And […]
Do you live in a city where you often hear many different languages spoken? Languages have always fascinated me, perhaps because I grew up in an English-speaking home but we lived in a foreign country and as a boy soon I became fluent in that language too. Did you know that Jerusalem is one of […]
No matter where you live in the world, I’m sure you have very special holidays which involve great celebrations, time off work, and perhaps family gatherings. I left you yesterday in Jerusalem during one of those great, Jewish annual festivals called Shavuot or Pentecost. Thousands of Jews had come to Jerusalem from all over […]
Have you ever found yourself looking out into your future with both a strong sense of excitement but also fear? That is exactly what I think was happening in Jerusalem with the disciples and close friends of Jesus, as I left you yesterday. They had come to Jerusalem in anticipation of the Shavuot festival which often lasted a […]
When saying goodbye to someone very special to you, I’m sure you long to hear some assurance of approximately when you’ll see them again, right? Yesterday we watched Jesus’ farewell with His disciples and closest friends. (Acts 1:6-11) Amazingly Jesus did not say anything about when they might see Him again. Instead, it was the two angels […]
When do you realize a ‘goodbye’ is really definitive? It’s really the last time you’ll see that person for a while, maybe a long while? Is it the words spoken, the hugs given or watching the person actually leave, boarding the airplane or driving down the road? For the past several days we’ve been looking […]
Goodbyes are difficult, aren’t they? Especially when it’s goodbye with someone you love and have had very significant experiences with, right? In recent days we’ve been with the disciples of Jesus as they’ve had several unexpected and very significant encounters with the resurrected Jesus in the days following His resurrection. Each time their miraculous encounter with Jesus […]
