Insights and Warnings

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – “Theotropism, man’s turning toward God, is a structure of experience that may be attained through the performance of ritual acts, prayer,…

Gaps

but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to have himself healed of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said to the other men, “If this is your intent, then let no one escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.” 2 Kings 9:15 NASB Hazael – The religious world…

Paradigm Exegesis

Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:  “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, . . .    Matthew 2:17-18a  NASB Jeremiah – Anyone who bothers to check the reference provided by Matthew will quickly conclude that Jeremiah’s statement has nothing to do with the death of children in Bethlehem. …

Knowing Why

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”  John 18:37b  ESV This purpose – “When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” – Victor E. Frankl. With Frankl’s citation…

One More Look

Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”  Mark 9:24  NASB Unbelief – “To live without prayer is to live without God, to live without a soul.”[1]  We’ve examined several insights about prayer.  We’ve struggled with the idea—and the practice.  We’ve confronted our own despondency, frailty, and unworthiness.  We…

The God Drug

The Lord is my strength and my shield;  in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults,  and with my song I give thanks to him.  Psalm 28:7 ESV Exults – You have probably heard rumors about “the God particle,” the scientists’ dream of finding that “something” that creates life.  “Elusive” would be a modest assessment of…

365.2422

God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.Genesis 1:5 NASB One day – The Hebrew syntax isn’t quite the same as the English translation.  In Hebrew the final words of this verse are yôm ʾeḥad (literally, “day one”).  Since the English versions treat…

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – Heschel provides an amazing collection of thoughts about prayer.  Here’s the one we will deal with today: “Prayer cannot live in…

Liturgy

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – If prayer is primarily kavvanah, then why memorize the words?  Wouldn’t it be more spiritual to simply pour out our deepest…