Imagine a scene with me as you read this post. Jesus is in Jerusalem with his disciples for the Jewish Passover Feast. The city is packed with other pilgrims, and many of them head to the temple for worship. Jesus and his disciples join the crowd. They enter the temple complex, as everyone does, firstContinue reading “Why Jesus starts a stampede in church – John 2:12-25, Part 2”
Tag Archives: jerusalem
What Jesus saw at the temple that filled him with emotion – John 2:12-25, Part 1
As we begin our study of Jesus’ surprising behavior in John 2:12-25, it reminded of this video of a protestor who ran onto the field during a Rams/49ers football game. When he first jumped onto the field, carrying a smoke canister which let out pink smoke, referees blew the whistle to stop play, but theContinue reading “What Jesus saw at the temple that filled him with emotion – John 2:12-25, Part 1”
When God says, “You don’t know what you’re missing.” – Ezekiel 40-44, Part 3
Have you experienced the sinking feeling of missing out? In our era, we call it FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out. Most people don’t want to miss out. We like to be in the know, part of a group that is experiencing things together. In fact, we can use the fear of missing out asContinue reading “When God says, “You don’t know what you’re missing.” – Ezekiel 40-44, Part 3″
Hope in the middle of a nightmare – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 3
I am person who dreams almost every night during sleep. How about you? Over the years I’ve had some freakish nightmares. Sometimes they are recurring, going night after night. Others will be one-off dreams that never recur. I also have settings like the home we lived in years ago, or my church’s building, or theContinue reading “Hope in the middle of a nightmare – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 3”
A billionaire pastor’s replica of Solomon’s temple, and God’s unsettling tour of the original – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 2
Brazilian billionaire pastor, Edir Macedo, built a church designed to look like Solomon’s temple. See the picture above. You can read more about it here. It has a sanctuary for worship, a museum, and a helipad for Macedo’s convenience. I wonder what it would be like tour that building? How similar or different is itContinue reading “A billionaire pastor’s replica of Solomon’s temple, and God’s unsettling tour of the original – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 2”
Eeyore, Virtual Reality, the Billionaire Space Race and the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Part 1
Do you have an Eeyore in your family? Maybe you are the Eeyore! You know the person who is sigher, moaner and groaner. Because life is sooooo hard! We say to that person, “Why are you grumpy? Cheer up!” or we try to cheer them up, giving them suggestions for how they can change. WeContinue reading “Eeyore, Virtual Reality, the Billionaire Space Race and the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Part 1”
Yellow cap Coke and Ezekiel’s bizarre prophetic skit – Ezekiel 4 & 5, Part 2
Have you ever seen Coke bottles with yellow caps? Know what that means? The yellow caps indicate that the Coke has been made using a slightly different recipe. All Coke is Kosher, but yellow cap Coke is even more Kosher. Kosher? Jews have special dietary laws, called Kosher laws. Food qualified as Kosher is approvedContinue reading “Yellow cap Coke and Ezekiel’s bizarre prophetic skit – Ezekiel 4 & 5, Part 2”
A prophetic play date? – Ezekiel 4 & 5, Part 1
Have you ever heard of a prophetic play date? Imagine God telling you, “Go into your attic or your kids’ room, get out their Legos, build a mini-model of your town or city, and then build fighter jets from a foreign country dropping bombs all over it. This will be a sign to the peopleContinue reading “A prophetic play date? – Ezekiel 4 & 5, Part 1”
Does the Apostle Paul make a grave mistake when telling his story? – Acts 22-23, Part 3
I wonder if the Apostle Paul made a big mistake. I say that hesitantly, cautiously, only speculating, but as I read what he says to his fellow Jews one day in Jerusalem, I can’t help but think, “Paul, that is a really bad move.” What did he say? As I mentioned in the previous post,Continue reading “Does the Apostle Paul make a grave mistake when telling his story? – Acts 22-23, Part 3”
What kind of life counts as memoir-worthy – Acts 22-23, Part 2
I recently read former Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s memoir covering the years 2000-2020. Since leaving office, Albright has continued to lead a fascinating life, seeking to make an impact around the world. Her memoir got me thinking about my own story, and wondering what kind of life counts as worthy of a memoir. DoContinue reading “What kind of life counts as memoir-worthy – Acts 22-23, Part 2”
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