Nov 11, 2024
Visitors to a museum in Rome might be struck by four partially finished sculptures. These were figures Michelangelo originally intended to use on the tomb of Pope Julius, but midway through the project he decided not to use them and ceased work on them. There is a hand protruding here, a torso of a man there, a leg,...
Nov 5, 2024
Acts chapter 15 is probably the most pivotal section in a book loaded with monumental moments. Tension builds as the Jewish Christians wrestle with what is essential for salvation, as multitudes of Gentiles pour into the Jesus movement. Is circumcision required? What about the food laws? Does the Sabbath still need to...
Nov 4, 2024
At the height of Jesus' ministry in Galilee there was this
particular scene when the crowds were approaching him (and the
disciples), in what looked like a "sea of wheat". In that moment,
Jesus says these words:
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of the harvest, therefore, to send out...
Oct 27, 2024
The first part of the book of Acts begins with Jesus' final
command to his disciples. Here's a refresher if you've
forgotten.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ~ Acts 1:8
Was Jesus...
Oct 22, 2024
Jesus
tells this story about how God is like a shepherd looking for
his lost sheep.
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of
them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go
after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it,
he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes...