In the temple courts, Jesus is standing alone with a woman who had been caught in adultery. With her accusers now gone, Jesus responds to the woman, in John chapter 8, verses 10-11: “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neitherContinue reading “How Jesus sets us free to live a flourishing life – John 7:53-8:11, Part 4”
Tag Archives: theology
Decoding Jesus’ disgusting “eat my flesh, drink my blood” teaching – John 6:52-71, Part 4
Jesus has just told a crowd of his followers that they need to eat his flesh and drink his blood. How did the crowd feel about this bizarre teaching? I think they felt disappointment, confusion, frustration, and maybe some disillusionment. Just the day before he had miraculously fed a crowd of 5000+ people, and theyContinue reading “Decoding Jesus’ disgusting “eat my flesh, drink my blood” teaching – John 6:52-71, Part 4″
Jesus and Zombies and Vampires – John 6:52-71, Preview
Over the years I’ve read numerous zombie and vampire books, or watched TV shows and movies about them. There’s The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, the Twilight series, and loads more. Some are good. Some not so good. All are gruesome and bloody. The most bizarre had to be Pride & Prejudice…and Zombies. It isContinue reading “Jesus and Zombies and Vampires – John 6:52-71, Preview”
Selfish Christian views about Jesus, worship and church – John 6:22-51, Part 3
Would you be surprised to learn that some people weren’t buying what Jesus was selling? I’m not talking about the religious leaders who often confronted him. I’m talking about the crowds of people who followed him. As we continue studying John 6, the people who just the day before wanted to make him king, nowContinue reading “Selfish Christian views about Jesus, worship and church – John 6:22-51, Part 3”
How you can see and enter God’s Kingdom – John 3:1-21, Part 3
I first saw the Epcot globe in the summer of 1984 when my family visited on a vacation. It was still a new feature in a new theme park at Disney World in Florida, having opened in 1982. That huge globe, pictured above, was for me, an impressionable ten-year old, an amazing sight to see.Continue reading “How you can see and enter God’s Kingdom – John 3:1-21, Part 3”
The identity of The Word in… – John 1:1-18, Part 4
Who was God in the skin? In our study of John 1:1-18, we learned in the previous post that John writes in verse 14 that God, who John calls The Word, took on human skin. But John hasn’t told us yet who The Word is, so let me introduce another word. God in the skinContinue reading “The identity of The Word in… – John 1:1-18, Part 4”
Throwing light on the shadow side of lawn care – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 5
When I refer to the shadow side of the Great American Lawn, I don’t mean the grass that is growing in the shade of a tree. When I say “shadow side,” I’m referring to the possibility that lawns of grass might not always be a good thing. Who gets to decide that freshly clipped grassContinue reading “Throwing light on the shadow side of lawn care – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 5”
Your lawn matters to your community – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 4
A second way that The Great American Lawn is theologically instructive for Christians is related to community. While a property owner does have individual say over the state of their lawn, they are also part of a community. We Christians are right to see ourselves as part of a community. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, PaulContinue reading “Your lawn matters to your community – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 4”
Your lawn as co-creative art – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 3
How does God think about lawns and lawn care? First of all, we start in Genesis. Page 1 of the Bible. In Genesis chapter 1, God creates the cosmos, including the earth, and in verse 11 we read, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, etc. The land produced this, and God saw that itContinue reading “Your lawn as co-creative art – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 3”
A perfect lawn makes you a model citizen? – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 2
In the previous post, we watched a video stating that lawns date back at least to the 1600s, when the aristocracy in Europe developed the first lawns. When they built castles, they removed the forests around the castles, so that the soldiers inside could have a clear line of sight as they watched for invaders. Continue reading “A perfect lawn makes you a model citizen? – Current Events: A Theology of Lawn Care, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 