A little bird told me. You’ve probably heard this familiar saying. It comes from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 10:20 to be exact. The full version is: Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing...

Leonard Sweet (author/futurist/theologian) recently tweeted that when Jesus walked the earth, 6000 Pharisees were employed to support and enforce Judaism’s proper expression. The first Biblical mention of the Pharisees was in the book of Ezra. The original Pharisees consisted of scribes and sages...

Last night I watched the Chris Nolan film Memento. This, I’m sure, leads you to two thoughts. First, what took you so long? The film is eleven years old and is considered to be a masterpiece. Second, did you forget there were college bowl games on? In my defense, eleven-years-ago I was raising...

Upon my waking this was the dream: - We were in a room with a youth group of some sort. High school, college. Maybe 50-75 in numbers. One gal was speaking. It was not someone I recognized. She had an eraser in her hand and she was speaking about the power of prayer. To prove her point about how effective...

I recently started a garden. I’ve been growing tomatoes, peppers, green beans and squash. Well, I’ve been trying to grow those things. I thought I should probably have some idea how to produce my own food just in case the manure continues to hit the fan here in the good ol’ U....

I recently read Deuteronomy and was struck by chapter nine. Moses had to invest a lot of breath warning the children of Israel not to become proud over their conquest of the Promised Land. The land was filled with stout enemies and it would take much military prowess to drive out the inhabitants of...

One of the spiritual disciplines I’ve built into my life is to read a book of the Bible each week with a friend. We meet early Sunday Mornings at Starbucks to discuss what we’ve learned. I’ve been meeting with David for several years, seven at least. This week we read Esther. Esther...

I’ve been through some seasons of doubt and wondering, but at the end of the day I can’t call myself a skeptic. Personality-wise, I’m more of a Don Quixote, a true believer, evidence-be-damned. I know this isn’t fashionable in some circles.  But, if I’m honest with myself,...

I woke up yesterday thinking about Lazarus in the Bible yesterday. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha who died and was greatly mourned. Jesus is moved and resurrects Lazarus, demonstrating that he has power, even over death. The day of his resurrection must have been powerful and dramatic....

I am less concerned about whether there is a Hell or not, than I am about the supposedly agreed upon criteria for going – or not going – there. Most people that I know with – or without – faith presume that there are at least two solid truths about eternity; first, if there is a heaven,  they...