Several years ago there was a popular, yet pessimistic saying: “Life’s a bitch; then you die.” Although that may be shocking or even offensive to some, I think King Solomon was the originator of this depressing thought. It permeates his writing in Ecclesiastes and it exudes from the text. In fact, an apt and concise […]
Reviewed by Peter DeHaan I recently watched the 2003 movie Indigo—and enjoyed it thoroughly. Indigo is a drama about a young girl who has special abilities, which she uses to protect and re-unite her family. In the movie, she encounters others who are likewise gifted. These, we learn, are “indigo children,” who have supernatural awareness […]
Most Christians Have a Worldly Perception of Themselves Instead of a Spiritual One We live in a physical world. As such, we are readily aware that we have a body. If we stop to contemplate it, we may admit to the possibility of having a soul, too—whatever that means. But what about a spirit? In […]
Rebuilt in Only 52 Days Nehemiah was in exile. Though some of his people had been repatriated, he remained in Babylon. Those who returned, had rebuilt the temple, but the city walls (their protection from attack) were still in ruins. Nehemiah sought the king’s permission and blessing to return and rebuild the wall. So Nehemiah […]
In addition to enjoying a dalliance with God, Margery Kempe’s intimate prayer time with the almighty God sometimes resulted in imagining herself participating in Biblical events. I do not know if this was a Holy Spirit inspired meditation or more akin to a vision. As one blessed with a vivid imagination, I can certainly understand […]
While some may have been distracted—or irritated—by my series of posts about adding to or taking away from the Bible, I feel it is an important question to consider. Here is a list of the relevant posts on this subject—in the order presented—in case you want to reread them or catch one that you might […]
Another character in Chris Armstrong’s Patron Saints for Postmoderns is Margery Kempe. What intrigues me most about Margery is her deep connection with God. In describing her intimate prayer time, she often used the word “dalliance.” Now dalliance does not seem like a very Godly or holy word; it means “frivolous spending of time, dawdling, […]
Discover Why We Should Dismiss Non-Biblical Historic Texts In this series of posts on what should rightly be included in the Bible, several examples were given of items that, while not in all Bibles are in some. Given that there has been historical and significant acceptance for these texts, I feel there’s reasonable justification for […]
I sat in a coffee shop with a new friend who had just begun to follow Jesus. As we talked about what that meant and how it intersected with life, he suddenly digressed, blurting out, “I don’t really get this whole deal about Jesus dying for my sins.” I knew the answer, but could I […]
The discussion of the text that is not found in all Bibles concludes by addressing the books of Daniel and Esther. In some versions of the Bible, the book of Daniel contains 12 chapters, while in others there are 14. These two chapters are both interesting and insightful. Daniel 13 is the story of upright […]