Some months ago, pastor-blogger Trevin Wax posted an article called “Urban Legends: The Preacher’s Edition.” There he lists several “urban legends” that he’s heard floating around lately in sermons. Like Internet rumors that people forward on ad infinitum, these preaching illustrations don’t have much grounding in fact. One potential fallacy on his list caught my [...]
On a bus in Jerusalem, I encountered the passionate Middle Eastern attitude that colored Jesus’ parables and his attitude toward prayer.
An updated version of the New International Version (NIV) has come out this year, and of course, controversy abounds. Few issues stir up evangelical Christian passions more than Bible translation. Knowing the reverence that Jews have for the Text, I was curious what opinion they’d have. What translation do they consider authoritative? What kind of [...]
If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. Matthew 18:9 Some of the sayings of Jesus are so strong that we wonder if Jesus really [...]
Dessert and a presentation to introduce my new book, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. Part of the weekly women’s series,Thursdays With Jesus. Thursday, March 8, 2012, 6:30 PM. The Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River, E. Lansing, MI 48823, www.thepeopleschurch.com. For more information contact the church at (517) 332-5073.
Kesher Forum Cafe Chapel, Willow Creek Community Church – North Shore 315 Waukegan Road, Northfield, IL, 60093 Monday, March 12, 6:30-8:30 PM The Kesher Forum is a venue for followers of Jesus (and those interested in investigating Christian spirituality from a Jewish perspective) from various denominational backgrounds and para-church ministries who have a desire to learn more [...]
Catholic Information Center Cathedral Square Building, 360 Division Avenue S, Suite 2A Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503 Tuesdays, March 20 & 27, 2012 7:00 – 8:45 PM Ann Spangler and I will be doing a two part mini-course. She and I will both speak on Tuesday, March 20th, and I’ll speak on Tuesday, March 27th. For more [...]
Asia-Pacific Consultation on Discipleship 2012: Roots and First Fruits Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – May 23-26, 2012 The Asia Pacific Consultation on Discipleship (APCOD) is a triennial gathering of Christian leaders that seeks to train disciple-makers and teach them about the biblical roots of their faith. I’ll be a plenary speaker and leading several workshops as [...]
Once again this next summer, I’ll be leading another week-long series at Mount Carmel Conference Center, near Alexandria, Minnesota. I’ll be speaking from 9:30-11 AM each day, Monday-Friday, June 24-29, 2012. If you’re interested in coming, see the website for more information (still TBA as I post this on 12/16/11). Here’s the description of my [...]
(Excerpt from Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, Zondervan, 2012) In 1945, Rabbi Eliezer Silver headed up the search for thousands of displaced Jewish children across Europe. They had been hidden from the clutches of the Nazis on farms, convents, and monasteries, and now he sought to return them to their families if at [...]