If you could, would you turn back time to seize the opportunities you missed? Correct the mistakes you made? (oblique reference to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) Let’s turn back time to a seemingly insignificant but pivotal detail in Lazarus’s story….
Faith
When the Wise Men Said, “What Next?”
Despite the Bible’s scanty details about the Wise Men, their story is extraordinary. They found some Hebrew holy writings and interpreted them to mean exactly what God said. They believed something completely counter to their culture and religion. They risked their reputations and more to find Jesus. God’s glory in the form of a star started their journey—and reappeared during the last few miles of the trek to guide the Wise Men to Jesus and His family. They worshipped the child-king, God Incarnate. Then dodged powerful enemies they’d made along the way. Details about the Wise Men end when an angel warns them in a dream to return home by a different route….
How did the Shepherds and Wise Men Hear God through All the Noise?
We live in a noisy world. People shout loud and long to push their views on others. It wasn’t much different in Jesus’ day….
How to Go the Distance like Bartimaeus
Eighty percent of Jesus’ recorded miracles are healings, so you’d think the Gospels would include at least a few of those people’s names—like Peter’s mother-in-law. But, resurrections aside, the Gospels record the name of only one person Jesus healed….
Manna and Quail in your Wilderness
The Exodus was the seminal event of Israel’s history. Not only was it an astonishing deliverance, but God also made sure it defined His relationship with His chosen people….
God’s Best Came in a Plain Package
If you have kids, you’ll remember when they first grasped the concept of presents. My son was 1.5 years old when he started to understand what presents were. But he was so thrilled with the box that he didn’t realize something even better could be inside it….
The Wise Men: Effort, Faith, and God’s Provision
How much faith did it take the Wise Men to act on what they had seen and read about the star and Christ’s prophesied birth?…
Singing in the Rain
Humanly speaking, it doesn’t make sense. Singing in the midst of trials? Despite overwhelming loss?…
As the World Watches Us, who are We Watching?
“The world is watching America.” How often did you hear that in the past month?…
How to Guard your Faith with the Names of God
Tessa Afshar, one of my favorite Biblical fiction authors, was recently featured in the pilot of Morning Star Bright Lights, a podcast sponsored by an independent Christian bookstore on the East Coast. The host closed by asking Afshar what word she would give to their listeners. Without hesitation, she replied, “We have to guard our faith.”…
