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God Talked  Well, the new year is here and it's time to begin reading through the Bible again. It seems like I just finished Revelation, and it's time to start again. Are you going to read through the Bible this year? I hope so. Actually, I started a tad early and am already ten days into a reading plan. Which brought me to Genesis 25 this morning. While reading through this chapter, the following text caught my attention:  "And Isaac entreated Yahweh on behalf of his wife because she was barren; and Yahweh was moved by his entreaty. So Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If it is so, why then am I this way?' So she went to inquire of Yahweh. And Yahweh said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger'." (Genesis 25:21-23 LSB) This is a crucial passage that explains th...

Isaiah 2:22 says Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? The Prophet is saying that we shouldn't put our trust in humankind because they are so finite. They are not like God, who is infinite. People are fickle. They change their minds. They love you and then hate you in moments.  God invites us to trust him completely with everything that we have. He doesn't show himself to us physically or as a spirit. He demands that we have faith. However, he also gives us the faith to trust him.  The universe shouts "Creator!" and yet we often ignore the proclamation. This ignorance does not make God's creation any less a physical demonstration of his grandeur. God's boundless being becomes more amazing in his presence within us. How can the infinite God dwell in the mortals he commands us not to trust?  Jesus said, "with man it is impossible but with God, all things are possible." 

Residing in Michigan for over half my life, I had heard about Paradise. Because Paradise is a small town in the Upper Peninsula, you may have never visited there in your life, but you knew it existed. It was WAY up there next to Tahquamenon Falls and nothing else. Where's Tahquamenon Falls? Next to Paradise and nothing else. It's a long way from home.  Why all of the talk about Paradise? Because Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12. There was this guy who had been caught up to Paradise. Not in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but into the REAL Paradise. While there, he'd heard things that he was unable to repeat. What on earth was this? Who was this guy? Here's what was going on. Paul defended his position of Apostleship in chapter eleven and gave the Corinthians an idea of what Apostleship looked like in chapter twelve. It came with great wonders, like seeing or instead hearing unimaginable things. But, too, that position came with a terrible cost. God gave Paul a ...

Solomon had everything and was in constant despair. Paul had nothing and had learned "in whatever state he was" to be content. Who was the winner here? Paul lists the trials he had been through in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. His was an extraordinary ordeal. Paul suffered for the gospel. His goal was to preach and teach Christ. Solomon's was an inward focus. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us a sad tale. All that Solomon did was to satisfy his slightest whim. He built, destroyed, invested, and sold his investments, yet he didn't find satisfaction. All was vanity. Who was the winner? Who accomplished God's will for his life? Whose life was worth living? I would say that each man left his mark on Bible history. Both men had successes, and both had their challenges. The wisest man in history made tremendous blunders. Paul considered himself less than ordinary, yet he wrote a third of the New Testament Scriptures. Solomon, like Mick Jagger, couldn't find satisfaction. P...

We've all heard or read the story of Zacchaeus. It's a cute story about a little man who has lunch with Jesus. He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. Right? So, that was a part of my Bible reading yesterday. I wondered about that story. It seems like Zacchaeus earns his Salvation by giving half of his stuff to the poor. However, this can't be the case because salvation can't be earned. So, what is going on then? How would I be able to share this story with someone? God knew. I got a nail in my tire and needed to take it to the tire guy down the street. We were chatting when I whispered a prayer, asking God for an opening to share spiritual thoughts. There was a slight lull in the conversation, and I said, "Where do you go to church?" That was pretty subtle. He said, "I'm Catholic. My dad was born Catholic, and I'm Catholic." A little later, I asked, "What does it mean to be Catholic?" The tire guy looked a...

Luke 17:32 is Jesus' shortest admonition. But what does it mean?  We must remember that context is key to any Bible study. The context of this short warning is talking about the coming of the kingdom. In a few short years, Jerusalem would suffer destruction. Jesus hearers would need to be ready to flee the city with no remorse or lingering yearnings. Lot had taken his family to live in the lush plain. They had become accustomed to the wicked city's lifestyle. Angels had warned that destruction was imminent and had to yank Lot and family from the house. They gave specific instructions not to look back at the firestorm from heaven. Lot's wife didn't heed the warning. She was too involved in the convenient life. Looking back at the horrible scene she suffered, the consequences and became a lasting reminder for us. How attached am I to this world? As judgment comes, will I look to Jesus' arrival or back at what I have to leave behind? My goal and gaze must be constantly...

  The other night we heard much shouting coming from the neighbor's house. In a way, we've become calloused to the noise because it happens occasionally. This time, however, we discovered that someone had attempted to break into the neighbor's house. We got that impression when three cop cars showed up. Oops. Something good may come of this. I mention this because we've lived here for over two years and have never had any contact with the neighbors. They come home from work, open and close their front gate, and pronto. They're in, and we're out. It's funny how a crook jumping a fence can shake a person's perspective. I remember how it was for me a few years ago when four thugs entered my home at night. It took a year for me to get over the trauma. We just had a short conversation and exchanged phone numbers with Cristiane. She wants to help us (and us to help her) if this uninvited guest ever comes back. She's suddenly become interested in friendship...