Ephesians intro, Part 2 Paul says he is writing to Christians “in Ephesus.” Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman Empire, behind Rome. Ephesus was in a part of the Roman Empire known as Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. Want to take a tour of the city of Ephesus? You can do soContinue reading “Is “Ephesians” possibly an incorrect title for the New Testament epistle traditionally titled “Ephesians”?”
Tag Archives: Jesus
The church is a model
Ephesians intro, Part 1 In my previous post, I talked about the joy of Legos. The imagination, the seeking, the finding, the designing, the building. Using persistent creativity to make models. I’m starting a blog series through the New Testament epistle titled “Ephesians,” which scholar N. T. Wright says is about the church as aContinue reading “The church is a model”
Models that actually work
Ephesians Intro, Preview That picture above is from the lobby at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, where my granddaughter was treated for her heart condition. It is a Lego model of the hospital. Perfect idea for a children’s hospital, right? Yet, how many adults build Lego models? Many! I enjoyed building with Legos as aContinue reading “Models that actually work”
Why Jesus said the heart matters
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 5 In Matthew 15, Jesus is being bold, confronting the religious elite, basically not only telling them off, but also telling the people in the crowd how wrong the religious leaders were. That makes the disciples nervous, and rightly so, because those religious leadersContinue reading “Why Jesus said the heart matters”
Sinus infections, hand-washing, bamboo, and what really matters to Jesus
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 4 As I type this, I have a sinus infection. I get one just about every year. This past June, I even had a rare summer sinus infection. Outside in direct sunlight, I was shaking with fever chills. Yesterday at a doctor appointment, IContinue reading “Sinus infections, hand-washing, bamboo, and what really matters to Jesus”
How some churches are actually two companies that Jesus never asked us to form
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 3 My church expresses vertical and horizontal faith in a public statement we post on every email we send to our church family: “We are a congregation developing a deeper relationship with God and extending his love to our community.” Notice the twoContinue reading “How some churches are actually two companies that Jesus never asked us to form”
Vertical morality: how some Christians justify horrific behavior
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 2 Do we further the will of God by killing people? That’s extreme, and we could perhaps say, “No, we should obviously never further the will of God by killing people.” When would we even have the opportunity to further the will of GodContinue reading “Vertical morality: how some Christians justify horrific behavior”
Are my students defending our Christian university against the devil?
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 1 In my role as adjunct professor for a local Christian University, I teach a course called Interpreting the Bible. The textbook we use is The Bible: An Introduction by Jerry Sumney. Some students have strong feelings about this book. Over the pastContinue reading “Are my students defending our Christian university against the devil?”
What Napster’s recent business model change got me thinking about
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Preview Take a look at this word: LoFi. Do you know what LoFi is? It’s a kind of calm instrumental music that emphasizes bass beats. LoFi is great background music. Check it out, if you’ve never heard it before. When I am in the office,Continue reading “What Napster’s recent business model change got me thinking about”
The future light of Jesus is available now
Advent 2025, Week 4: John’s Light of Christmas Past/Present/Future, Part 5 In the previous posts this week, I’ve point out how Jesus is the light of Christmas past and present. Now we travel to the future, when Jesus, the light of the world, returns. In Revelation 21:23–24, we read a vision of that future light,Continue reading “The future light of Jesus is available now”
Engaging Scripture 