I love what Tolkien wrote about the sometimes cantankerous hobbit, Bilbo, (quoted above)in his Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring... "So it went on, until his forties were running out, and his fiftieth birthday was drawing near…that adventure had suddenly befallen Bilbo." I suspect for many Christians, if not the majority, their … Continue reading The Gospel according to Middle Earth
Author: Nick Watts
The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
“The bullet tore the air in half. A folding chair rattled. A Bible dropped. A young man slumped sideways beneath a white event tent, eyes wide with the weight of eternity. It was supposed to be a conversation. A 'prove me wrong' segment. But this time, rebuttal came not with words, but with a rifle. … Continue reading The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
The ‘Hate Speech’ of Jesus
Everyone wants a ‘nice Jesus’. We want a Jesus who will pat us on the head and approve of anything we want to do. Why? Because ‘God is love.’ When I hear people excuse biblical sin by crying, “God is love!”, two responses come to mind: First, “Tell me more. What do you mean by … Continue reading The ‘Hate Speech’ of Jesus
“Ichthus” – the meaning behind the Christian fish symbol
Posted by @WesleyLHuff on X… ἸΧΘΥΣ is Greek for fish, and was an ancient Christian acronym: (I) Ἰησοῦς - Jesus; (ch) Χρῑστός - Christ; (th) Θεοῦ- God; (u) Υἱός- Son; (s) Σωτήρ- Savior. So, far more than a mere symbol for Christianity, what we have is an acrostic that reads: "Jesus Christ God Son Savior."
Israel 2025 – Legion
Both Mark and Luke, ch’s 5 and 8 respectively, record the dramatically heartbreaking story of a man tormented by a legion of demons, living among the tombs, cutting himself, and crying out. We don’t know if the name “Legion” is literal or figurative. A Roman Legion comprised some 6000 soldiers. But what we do know … Continue reading Israel 2025 – Legion
Israel 2025 – Torture
“I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.” - Isaiah 50:6 “But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would … Continue reading Israel 2025 – Torture
Why pray? Does it make any difference?
"As soon as you began to pray an answer was given." - Daniel 9:23 "From the first day that you set your heart on understanding and humbled yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers." - Daniel 10:12 Both of these passages reside within the context of Daniel's … Continue reading Why pray? Does it make any difference?
We’re a mess; but in Christ we’re a perfect mess.
We're approaching Week 18 on our verse-by-verse adventure through the book of Genesis. So far, we've seen... Adam & Eve trusting the serpent over God; Cain's premeditated murder of Abel; the worldwide wickedness prompting the flood; the narcissism at Babel; the despicable act of Abraham lying to the Egyptian pharaoh and giving Sarah, his wife, … Continue reading We’re a mess; but in Christ we’re a perfect mess.
Can we break God’s heart?
Can we break God's heart? Apparently, we can. Through the Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, God is warning Israel of unspeakable judgment - not because he enjoys bringing judgment, but because, after warning after warning after warning, the people both refuse to listen to God as well as continue to mock him by boldly continuing their … Continue reading Can we break God’s heart?
“Sanctuary!”
The most famous scene in Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is when Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from execution, rushes her to the cathedral and cries, “Sanctuary!” What does that mean? In ancient history, up through the medieval period, when a person committed a crime, even as heinous as murder, and then ran to the church … Continue reading “Sanctuary!”