High Calling Blogger "New Breed of Advertisers" asked a hard question in a recent posting. Who is at fault for the rank materialism and consumer greed in our culture? Are we selfish and...
Jewish men in the time of Jesus wore teffilin when they prayed: boxes that were attached to one’s left hand and forehead during daily prayers (see Deut. 6:4-9). They also attached tassels (zizith)...
I know of a lady who takes great delight in watching her hummingbird feeder. So many birds flock to the station that she refills it almost daily. A few weeks ago, she noticed...
When asked by some Pharisees which commandment was the most important (or greatest, literally), Jesus cited two passages from the Torah. The first, from Deuteronomy 6:5, was a call to love God with...
In this story, the Pharisees, along with some supporters of Herod, put Jesus between a rock and a hard place. They knew that paying taxes to Rome was extremely unpopular among the people...
Writer and professor J. Schaap keeps intriguing me with his love of New Mexico and his respect and love for native American people. Now he's telling small stories that never get told. Small stories...
In the context of Jesus' ministry, this parable indicts many of the Jews in the time of Jesus for failing to enter the kingdom of God, even though they had been invited. They...
The video to the right is a slideshow of images from the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Sadly, China seems to be censoring the video images of the opening ceremony itself, which...
Many of the religious leaders in Jesus' day were snared by their own self-righteousness. They looked down upon ones they considered to be hopeless "sinners," people like tax collectors and...
Marcus here. Over at New Breed of Advertisers, Sam Van Eman has confessed "I think I can't, I think I can't." ...
I am in charge of 32 English teachers in the second largest high school in New Jersey, and it is my honor...
Matthew 21:22 is one of those verses that gets some Christians into trouble. They take it out of biblical context and turn it into something Jesus never intended. Faith becomes a magic formula for...
The video I've posted on the homepage today is a funny one. A group of "performance artists" froze in place in Grand Central Station for 5 minutes. The people walking around were stunned. One...
This passage epitomizes the contrasting responses to Jesus. On the one hand, those in need of healing came freely and eagerly to him. On the other hand, the religious leaders were indignant. They...
As Jesus entered Jerusalem to cries of "Hosanna," the crowd had high hopes for him. Surely, if he were the Messiah, Jesus would gather together an army and soon lead a successful attack...
This familiar story of "Palm Sunday" dramatizes the irony of Jesus' ministry. He was indeed the Messiah, the one who was inaugurating the kingdom of God. He was the royal Son of God...
Stories that never get told - it makes you think of a forlorn and lonely little book, left on a dusty bookshelf. But I'm not talking about stories that don't get read or...
When the two blind men kept crying out to Jesus, those in the crowd around them tried to shut them up. Their...
Perhaps you've noticed that churches all around our nation are splitting over the issue of music in worship. This is a simple explanation, but it's basically the classic hymn lovers vs. those who...
When the blind men heard that Jesus was coming their way, they began shouting for mercy. No doubt they had heard that Jesus had healed people. Maybe, just maybe, he might heal them...
