I don’t know how familiar you are with the book of Esther, but it’s one of the most exciting accounts in the entire Old Testament. It’s filled with heroes and villains…with intrigue and suspense…and it concludes with an exciting climax.
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In 1936, during the Great Depression, famed photographer Dorothea Lange was given permission to snap a series of photos of 32-year-old Florence Owens Thompson and her children. Little did she know that one of those pictures would become iconic for that devastating era of history.
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Have you ever heard of an omakase restaurant? It’s a unique Japanese tradition where the customer leaves it up to the chef to choose his/her meal. Omakase is a Japanese word that translates, “I’ll leave it up to you.” It comes from the root, “to entrust.”
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This week is very significant to the nation of Israel. 72 years ago - May 15, 1948, to be exact - Israel once again became a nation. And it happened against all odds.
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When I first came across the story, I found it hard to believe. It reported how a pride of African lions had rescued a young girl. Yes, you read it correctly. A group of lions rescued a young girl.
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As a fisherman, I’m drawn to the accounts recorded in the gospels where Jesus is out on the water. Interestingly, when it comes to having a successful catch, He always tips the scales. Not so for me.
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As part of my downtime during these days of “social distancing,” I’ve been bingeing on the old TV series, “24.” Do you remember it? Starring Kiefer Sutherland as anti-terrorism agent, Jack Bauer, each episode is one hour of a 24-hour day.
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From his days as a giant slayer to the season when he commanded Saul’s armies to the time he became ruler of Israel in his own right, David was a warrior. Some Bible commentators, in fact, refer to him as “the warrior king.” But David was more than a military warrior. He was a prayer warrior.
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All four of the gospel accounts record the resurrection of Jesus. Like a multifaceted diamond, each of them highlights different aspects of it. One of my favorite versions is that which is found in Matthew.
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Many of us are familiar with the Palm Sunday account when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. According to Matthew 21:1, Jesus began his ride in Bethphage, a town directly to the east of Jerusalem on the other side of the Mount of Olives.
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With his latest book, Anxious for Nothing – Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, best-selling author Max Lucado (“America’s Pastor”) was ahead of the curve. I’m confident that he had no idea that its 2019 release would be so timely, yet in these worrisome days, it has certainly proved to be that.
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Best-selling author, Max Lucado, describes an occasion when he had a moving encounter with a woman from his church. He writes: She had a tremble to her – a kind of inner tremble you can feel with just a hand on a shoulder.
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In Bath, England there are hot springs that, 2000 years ago, provided not only physical relief but emotional release. Scores of prayers have been excavated from the ruins that visitors paid to have written down and offered at the site.
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My middle child lives with his wife and dog in Chicago. He works for a public relations firm during the week and plays with a “wedding band” on the weekends. Highly gifted yet firmly grounded, Jim is doing quite well.
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One of the subtle, crippling effects of an Internet world is that we are aware of every atrocity, every tragedy within moments of its occurrence in any place in the world.
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Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “You get what you deserve.” It’s not true. You actually get what you expect. Jesus was clear about this and, in one particular instance, He underscored this in a big way.
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One of the most helpful things I have learned about the Christian life is that all behaviors – both good and bad – begin in our thoughts.
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The early days of aviation were filled with both great risk and great reward. Daredevils such as Charles Lindbergh, and those who followed after him, continually pushed the boundaries of their frail planes as they flew them over ever-increasing distances.
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If someone were to ask you what was the greatest day of your life, what would you say? What is the first thing that would come to your mind? You might think, “It was the day I was born – when I sucked in that first lungful of breath and the unending adventure began.”
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There’s been a lot of debate about this passage. Typically, it has to do with personality types – the “Martha” who is harried and worried and the “Mary” who is serene and contemplative. But the meaning of this account goes well beyond that. It has to do with a fundamental decision about discipleship.
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