Keepers of the Law?
As our Christian beliefs are rooted in the Judaism, often we can gain some insight for our reading of the Bible by looking at the languages and cultures of the Bible. For example, what did Jesus mean when he stated…
Points To Ponder: A Christian Biker Prospective
A Gray-Beard's Thoughts
Points To Ponder: A Christian Biker Prospective
A Gray-Beard's Thoughts
Witnesstoo
After 50 years, I am going back to a “safety razor”
I learned to shave with a safety razor, a “butterfly” type where spinning the bottom of the handle opened up the top (like butterfly wings) to allow changing the safety razor blade. When I was attending US Navy Boot Camp,…
Marriage Model in Scripture: What about Mary?
Western Christianity often provides us with a mental image of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as an unwed pregnant teenager. This clearly has roots in modern Christians not understanding the Hebrew marriage practices of the time. Such a misunderstanding may…
Let us explore our faith …
What is faith?Where does faith come from?Can I increase “my faith”?Is “my” faith “enough”?Will “my” faith ever be as big as a mustard seed? Luke 17: 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 The Lord said,…
Simon Peter, Déjà Vu, and St. John the Master Story Teller
Have you ever warmed yourself outdoors on a chilly morning by a fire? Ever looked into the burning embers and have a remembrance of a similar time rise to the surface, bringing with it the feelings of that past experience…
More than the story – Jesus and the art of language
Okay, I did a little dressing up of a Bible Study I led back in Oct. 2015. The result is a bit rambling, but that is how my brain works: The pondering sometimes triggers a trip down a rabbit trail…
Story Telling and Tribal Culture
Do you see irony in the stories around you? Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable because you find humor within the tragic things around us? Does a good pun make you smile inside? Does the outrageous get your attention, sometimes no…
Paul & The Letter to the Galatians
Galatians 5:12 I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off. World English Bible That is nice and polite in the English translation. However, the Greek (apokoptó) literally is a phrase in English = I emasculate, castrate, mutilate…
More Nuances of Cultures and Languages – John 11 and Lazarus
OK, a second installment of the nuances of cultures and languages of Biblical times: More pealing back the onion layers. From John 11, the story about Lazarus and his sisters, Martha, and Mary: We blame God for everything, and Jesus…
Pondering Culture and Language in Biblical Studies
Jesus and Nicodemus