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Have you seen the 2003 film, “Lost in Translation,” featuring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson?  It’s a romcom that features these two in Tokyo as they navigate age, language and cultural barriers.  It turns out, there is quite a lot lost in translation!  Yet there are tremendous possibilities for understanding and connection even across theseContinue reading “Choosing a Bible Translation”

For some readers, some books of the Bible are both very attractive and difficult to read.  This is the case for the two books I will covering in this week’s blog – Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.  Ecclesiastes has a very modern appeal to it, but it is somewhat difficult to get a handle onContinue reading “Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs”

In October, we’re heading toward “the end of the New Testament.”  This section of our Bible is sometimes overlooked.  Two major themes in all these books are faithfulness to Jesus amid persecution and dealing with false teachings.  For this week’s blog, we’re covering Hebrews and James.  Hebrews is about being faithful to Jesus and theContinue reading “Hebrews and James”

In October, we are moving into another major prophetic book.  This week’s blog covers the book of Jeremiah.  You might recall that what makes a prophetic book “major” is its length, not its importance.  The book of Jeremiah is the second longest book of the Old Testament (just behind the book of Psalms).  Because ofContinue reading “Jeremiah: God’s Passionate Prophet”

As we finish up Isaiah this month and move to Jeremiah next month, I thought it would be good to do a blog on “the big picture” of the Prophetic Books.  These books are often difficult to understand but also very important for understanding God’s purposes for God’s Messiah, God’s people and the world.  IContinue reading “The Prophetic Books”

The role of a mentor in my own development as a pastor is beyond significant.  I know nothing is impossible with God, but without my mentor, it’s difficult for me to imagine how the Lord would have called me into pastoral ministry.  My mentor’s name is Tim Shaw.  At the time I met him heContinue reading “The Pastor Letters: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus”

What do you do during “hard times”?  How can you discern God’s hand during a difficult situation?  For this week’s blog, I’ll be covering what are known as Paul’s “prison letters” – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.  Paul wrote these letters while he was imprisoned for his faithfulness to Christ.  We hear about Paul’s imprisonmentContinue reading “Paul’s Prison Letters”

In September, we are now beginning to make our way through the prophetic books.  On our journey through the Bible, we are arriving at a very significant book.  This large book (the third largest behind Psalms and Jeremiah in the Old Testament) spans the whole period covered by the writing prophets and is the mostContinue reading “Isaiah: God’s Prophet of Judgment and Salvation”

“The early bird gets the worm.”  “A stitch in time saves nine.”  These two proverbs are examples of the kind of “wisdom” our culture values.  In this week’s blog, I’m going to cover the Book of Proverbs.  This book gets its name from the proverbs that fill up most of the book.  However, Proverbs hasContinue reading “Proverbs: God’s Wisdom for Everyday Human Life”

LOSING FACE.  In the 1950’s post-war “Leave It To Beaver” America, considering yourself to be a Christian and participating in a local church was not simply culturally acceptable – it was culturally preferable.  For a large part, Christians were seen as “having it together,” and local churches were beacons of propriety and prosperity.  If someone’sContinue reading “Galatians”