Several years back we were in Mexico building houses, and the very first thing we did was to create a solid foundation.  In fact, we spent a really long time on the foundation because we knew how pivotal it was to the house as a whole.  Jesus used that concept to describe how our lives should be built on a solid foundation of applying His teaching.  Like ... [Continue Reading]

When I read the story of Jesus meeting the paralyzed man by the pool in John 5, Jesus comes across as being incredibly insensitive.  His question, "Do you want to be healed," is the equivalent of asking a blind person if he wants to see, a mute person if she wants to hear, or any other insensitive question to somebody who can't change his or her life situation.  And yet, ... [Continue Reading]

I grew up with pictures like this of Jesus.  Our old sanctuary had stained glass images of him with sheep or on the cross.  Pictures in the hallway had children sitting on his lap.  I don't remember dogs in the pictures as depicted above, but they probably existed, too.  There's not anything wrong, per se, with such images except that they ... [Continue Reading]

Jesus started his public ministry at the age of 30.  By records, we know he was about 33 years old when he was crucified.  He had approximately 3-4 years to train his disciples and to establish the Church.  That's not much time.  And even in the midst of doing what was arguably one of the most important tasks on the planet, he made time for ... [Continue Reading]

Typically when I get to long lists of names in the Bible I skim over them, but it's not wise to do so with the list of Jesus' lineage in Matthew 1.  In fact, there are a few important things to notice about the lineage that have a fairly major impact on what it means to be a follower of Christ.  And if you find yourself questioning whether or not this ... [Continue Reading]