I once knew someone who drank poison every day. This was not some sort of True Crime story about a disgruntled spouse trying to get the life insurance payment. It was something the person chose themselves. Now, they might not have called it poison per se, but they knew it wasn’t good for them. Not having … Continue reading A Price to Pay
If God establishes the nations and authorities (which He does – Rom. 13:1-7), then we could conclude that He has used them in various ways. Sometimes, they are blunt instruments and expendable. Though not a nation, think of Samson whom God used to start a war with the Philistines (Judg. 14:4). Other times, they are … Continue reading Before The Fall
The Lady with the Lamp. The Mother of Nursing. The Angel of Crimea. Florence Nightingale: a Victorian-era celebrity who rose to prominence for her work as a British nurse during the Crimean War (1853-56). During this time, being sent to a military hospital for wounds sustained in battle, no matter how minor, was almost a … Continue reading The Best Disinfectant
Warfare comes in many different forms: Total, Unilateral, Asymmetric, Limited, Guerilla, Conventional, Cyber, Psychological, Idealogical... The list goes on and on. Each form describes the particular tools necessary to wage that particular war. Bombs can’t kill an idea. Computers can’t run up a hill. Cities can’t withstand a nuclear blast. In what kind of war, … Continue reading Armed With Love
When thinking of “confessions,” one could go in several directions. I think of criminal confessions, where someone “fesses up” to some wrongdoing. In crime dramas, it’s the turning point; the cathartic “We got ‘im! Bring ‘im in!” moment. Sometimes, confessions are false, and the supposed criminal has been coerced into saying something untrue. It reminds … Continue reading Making a Good Confession
The Way of Christ began as a Jewish movement. Not, of course, in the sense that it was a splinter of Judaism (Act 24:5, 28:22), but that it first and foremost reached to Jewish audiences as the culmination of the Jewish system. On this topic, Paul gives his defense at his trial. “But this I … Continue reading The Gentile Condition
Admiting to someone that you were wrong can be hard to do. Pride is a jealous friend and it doesn’t like you wandering off to see other people. But, like an abusive relationship, it can be liberating to get away and finally be honest. “I was wrong.” It’s hard to say at first, but refreshing, … Continue reading Honest to Goodness
Several disciples and I were having lunch at a local restaurant after worship on a Sunday. A few of us were wearing ties and one could assume that it looked like we had just come from worship (because who wears a tie anymore, right?). We indeed had, which prompted a stranger to come up and … Continue reading Food, Fun, and “Fellowship”
Dublin church of Christ 