I’m not a big fan of Good Friday services. I struggle to dwell in the unhappy and uncomfortable times of Jesus dying on the cross. I don’t like how it feels and I know the end of the story, so why put myself through that? I don’t like being sad…
Israel
There seems to be a lot of evil in our world today. Every time I turn on the news, listen to the radio, or look at the latest feed, there are acts of violence done to the innocent. There are people committing acts of injustice I could never imagine. People…
The Christmas season is upon us, and it is time to get out the Christmas tree, the decorations, the lights, and the Nativity scene for the kids. The Nativity set is one of my favorite Christmas decorations, as it has such a rich meaning to me. When I was a…
“So you will be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 30:22 NIV This was not the first time I had seen this sentence. It was also found in Exodus 6:7 and in Leviticus 26:12. As I was reading this over and over again in Jeremiah (see also…
Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT) The Israelites were losing everything they had ever known. The Babylonians came after Jerusalem and took exiles to…
This is the week of Passover: Holy Week. The Jews have been celebrating Passover ever since they left Egypt so many years ago and made their way to the Promised Land. The idea of Passover was for them to remember where it was they once came from and to celebrate the…
There is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now as the United States launched rockets into Syria last night in response to Syria’s people dying from chemical warfare. Wars. Rumors of Wars. Civil Wars. Murder. Chaos. Injustice. Evil. The picture above was taken when we went to Israel….
I was reading today about King Solomon making an agreement with King Hiram of Tyre for logs to use for the building of the Temple. Israel had an abundance of food and King Hiram had an abundance of wood, known as cedars of Lebanon, so they made a trading agreement that…
The crucifixion happened, three long days ensued, the resurrection happened, Mary saw Him, the other women saw Him, Peter saw Him, the Emmaus Road travelers saw Him, and finally the disciples saw Him. It was a busy few days. Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, there were about 11 appearances…
The walk to Emmaus was a 7 mile journey from Jerusalem. There were 2 followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus the first day of the week after Jesus had been crucified and buried. They were walking back home somewhat defeated because the man they thought would overtake Rome and save…