Jesus Example: Fish for Breakfast

Okay, this one may seem a little silly but there will be a point.  This lesson may be more about friendship than anything else. 
So after Jesus had been crucified and buried, the disciples were in a tough spot.  They had given up the past three years of their lives to spend with Jesus, basically doing [...]

Jesus’ Example (What Did Jesus Do?)

What would Jesus do:  Remember that one?  Just in case you missed the 90’s, that was the Christian youth catch phrase to end all others.  There were backpacks, bracelets, t-shirts, teddy bears, pencils, bumper stickers, and the list goes on.  If it could be printed, it was.
The question wasn’t new.  “What would Jesus do” is asked [...]

Jesus’ Example: Resisting Temptation

The temptation of Jesus is recorded in Matthew 4:1-11.  We will be referring to these verses many times.
Walking the earth as a man subjected Jesus to all things common to humanity.  The Epistle of James teaches that God is not tempted by sin, and does not tempt anyone to sin.  But Jesus is God in [...]

Answering Tough Questions

Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are raising an army of New Atheists who are ready to do battle with the people of faith.  It is no longer enough to simply not believe in God; the “New Atheists” don’t think anyone else should have the right to either. 
The issues of creationism, evolution and Intelligent Design have been [...]

Answering Tough Questions: Abortion

I’ve just read a blog post entitled “How to stump an anti-abortionist with one simple question.”  The question is this: If abortion were illegal, what should be done with mothers who get one?  According to the post, asking anti-abortion protesters this question draws puzzled looks and poorly thought out responses.  If Christians can’t articulate a [...]

A Bit of Historical Perspective

This is not a “Hurray for our side” nor a “He’s not my President” type of rant.  There is not anything here you can’t find somewhere else.  I’m writing this post for three reasons:  1) I watched the inauguration live  2) I’m a history teacher, and 3) I blog, that’s what I do.
The presidential campaign [...]

Commandments and Traditions, Jesus in Mark 7

This lesson is from Mark 7:1-22.  Jesus is being questioned about why his disciples eat without washing their hands.  Jesus’ response says a lot about first century Jews’ attitudes toward the Old Testament Law, and how they lived out their convictions in real life. 
Jesus’ immediate reply to their criticism is to quote from Isaiah “this [...]

Jesus’ Example: Growing Up

While it’s true that the whole Bible is about Jesus, what we know about his life on earth is found in four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.   The story of his birth (Christmas) is only recorded in two of those, Matthew and Luke.  What we know about his childhood is very limited, basically one [...]

Israel, Hamas, and My Friend That Lives There

UPDATE:Israel has announced a unilateral cease fire, Hamas has pledged to keep fighting.  Read the full story here. 
I have somehow avoided blogging on the Israel/Hamas conflict, at least mostly.  I mentioned that there was a conflict in my Welcome 2009 post, and I’ve commented on other blogs about the situation.  I plan to be brief.
Peace in the [...]

Let’s go to the map…

I just kept seeing blogs that had a Cluster Map.  My curiosity was tweeked.  I know how many people each day read my blog, but where are they?  I added my own map on Jan. 11th, at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar.  You can click the map (at the bottom) for a detailed list [...]