In my post “Translation Confusion,” I pointed out that the Bible has word-for-word translations, thought-for-thought translations, and paraphrases (more technically known as “functional equivalence”). These all exist on a continuum, so the lines of distinction between them are blurry. Here is how Ministry Today magazine recently broke them down: Word-for-word Translations Popular word-for-word translations are […]
Many people love reading the psalms in the Bible. They connect with the beauty and the flow of the words; they resonate with the pains, passions, and praises of the writers; it is their “go-to” place to find, express, and reveal their emotion of the moment as it emotes from daily living. I am not […]
In earlier posts, I noted that after the Israelites left Egypt, they spent 40 years in the desert before entering the land God promised for them. I also observed that Moses waited 40 years before leading them out of Egypt. This makes for an unnecessary delay of 80 years. However, why were they in Egypt […]
This week, as I wrote out a prayer in my journal, I invited God into a time of fellowship with me, for us to commune with each other. Then I intended to ask him, “May I be refreshed by our time together.” Instead, I felt a spiritual compulsion and at the last moment I wrote, […]
The Israelites left Egypt for what should have been an eleven-day trek across the desert to the “promised land.” However, because of their disobedience, God gave them a 40-year timeout in the desert. This, however, may not have been the first delay. Prior to that, Moses sensed that his place was to rescue his people, […]
After the Israelites left Egypt, God gave them a 40-year timeout in the desert. This was because of their lack of trust in his pledge to provide for them as they entered into the land he promised. This meant that what should have been an eleven-day journey, ended up being a 40-year desert experience—which for […]
Much of my life I have struggled with going to church. It’s not that I’ve been in a crisis of faith, but more a crisis of religion—or, as some would call it, religiosity. Church attendance has not been faith confirming for me as much as faith confounding. My spiritual journey and growth happen largely in […]
When God told Moses to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses objected. He said, “I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and tongue.” Moses’ self-perception was that he was not able to do the job God asked of him, that he lacked the essential qualifications needed for success. […]
The Rich Man and the Beggar In the parable about the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, Jesus shares an intriguing story. In it, both men die: Lazarus goes to heaven, but the rich man ends up in hell. Desperate to spare his family from the torment he is suffering, the rich man makes a […]
I just returned from a writers conference. It was a rewarding and informative time in learning about the art—and business—of writing well. In the closing presentation, our speaker astutely noted that some of us write fiction and some non-fiction; some write for the Christian market and some for the general market—and that’s okay. As writers, […]