With pen in hand, St. Augustine (354-430 AD) meditated on scriptures and the mysteries of living…all, in an attempt to tell the Lord the truth. The result was his landmark autobiography, Confessions. As I am reading a book on different types of prayer, the author mentions Augustine’s approach to writing prayers which is a long…
Category: Faith
THE VIRTUE ETHIC
The following commentary is my initial review of Incarnate Love: Essays in Orthodox Ethics by Vigen Guroian. I first read this book in 2019, but a renewed interest in the Eastern Orthodox mindset has driven me to reread these essays more carefully; recognizing that the ancient Eastern Christianity mindset, in many ways, is foreign to…
RESPONSE TO NAKED BIBLE PODCAST #443
One of my favorite scholars of whom I read and listen is Dr. Michael Heiser who wrote the landmark book, THE UNSEEN REALM. This book has absolutely revolutionized the way that I read the Bible. About the time that I discovered him, I had been desiring of the Lord to really help me connect the…
IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK: SAUL’S CONVERSION
He was from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of all the tribes of Israel. Yet, out of this anonymity he was chosen of God to lead a life of impact upon God’s people and upon the surrounding nations. This [1]chosen one was anointed by Yahweh and [2]sanctioned by the religious authority of his day….
JESUS WAS NOT ONE OF THE PRETTY PEOPLE
“Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. According as many were appalled at thee – So marred was his visage unlike that of a man, And his form unlike that of the sons of men – So shall he startle many nations, Kings shall shut…
WHO DO YOU TRUST?
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will make mention of the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalms 20:7).” The Back Story It is only recently that I have slowed down my reading of the Bible in order to notice such subtleties regarding references to GOD. For example, the creator GOD…
BREATH OF LIFE
“Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7 Have you ever gotten a glimpse of an insight that is hardly more than a passing thought, but yet it seemed to require more intentional thought…
THE LASTING LEGACY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
“Be strong and of good courage, Be not frightened nor dismayed For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 In 1981 my young family of five arrived in Dallas, TX from the Midwest in the aftermath of being enveloped in a cult for eight years. My wife and I…
PHINEHAS FAITH
“Then stood up Phinehas, and wrought judgment, and so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness, Unto all generations forever (Psalms 106:30-31).” The Back Story This brief account in Psalms comes from Numbers 25 where the children of Israel are being confronted with local Canaanite deities that appeal to their sensual…