Ragusa and Gozo
The view of Ragusa Ibla, Sicily, from Via Scale. And a peek at the Blue Grotto in Gozo, Malta. Do you see the people in the boat down there? Big place.
A Leap of Faith
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your…
Delivery Test
He opened his mouth and began to teach them, saying, Matthew 5:2 NASB To teach – “The test of a true sermon is that it can be converted into prayer.”[1] Are you a preacher? Do you lead a Bible study? Do you teach your children or grandchildren the texts of Scripture? Are you an elder…
Scenes from Malta
The dome of the Mosta Rotunda church is the fourth largest unsupported dome in the world. During the second world war, a bomb dropped through the roof during a service. Miraculously, it did not explode. In fact, you can see it in the museum of the church. Both the outside and the inside of this church…
Guilty Until Declared Innocent
Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Isaiah 40:27 NASB Due me – Biblical justice is exactly the opposite of the guiding principle of American jurisprudence. The assumption of guilt is the determining factor…
The Bible as Encounter
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 NASB Word – Yesterday we considered the possibility that the Bible is not like books written from a Western point of view. Yesterday we suggested that the Bible is a book about experiences with the holy God of Israel,…
Something Special from Malta
Malta is the island where Paul was shipwrecked. It claims the longest Christian history of any nation bordering the Mediterranean. Rosanne and I had an opportunity to visit two quite amazing locations in Valetta, the capital. The first was a private tour of the Presidential Palace, once the home of the Grand Masters, and ultimately…
The Bible at Large
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 NASB Word – Western paradigms focus on answers. Experience is reduced to principles in order that we may predict and control. In fact, the entire enterprise of science, a principal characteristic of the Western mind, is an effort to…
Closed Loop Exegesis
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB Scripture – By now you realize that even the choice of words in a translation carry paradigm imported meanings. For example, it seems abundantly obvious that Paul was not referring to his own…
