Our Rabbi Jesus

Love your Neighbor…It Can Save Your Life

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many neighbors who hardly knew each other are making friends, huddling together and bailing each other out, quite literally. Many are learning how essential it is to love your neighbor. I read a study a while ago that showed that loving your neighbors (or at least knowing them) can […]

Stop Book Evaporation Syndrome!

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If you’re reading this blog, chances are that you’re a little bookish, like me, and that you appreciate a good church library. So you’ll resonate with my feelings about the conversation I had this past weekend. A few years ago my church had a budget to buy a bookcase full of resources for an in-depth […]

Abortion: What the Early Church Said

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The woman in this picture is explaining how she ended her newborn daughter’s life. Believe it or not, she’s actually done this to eight of her children, all girls. In her village in India, it is common practice. You can read more of her tragic story on this blog, “The Three Deadliest Words in the […]

A Christian’s Favorite Jewish Books on the Bible

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Last week the yearly Torah study began again. The scrolls have been rewound from Deuteronomy back to Genesis, and once again, Jews will ruminate over Adam and Eden and Abel. Week by week over thousands of years, they’ve engaged in the study of the Pentateuch together. Often I’m asked what my favorite resources are for […]

Great Books for Learning to Walk Like Rabbi Jesus

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A few weeks ago I wrote a blog called “Good First Reads About Jesus’ Jewish Context” which shared what I’d give to people who are just beginning to learn about Hebraic studies. Many of you wonder what else I recommend. You’d think that the next books I’d suggest would be more history. But discipleship is […]

Dear Abby’s Secret Advice Formula

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Ever since I was a kid, a newspaper has plopped onto my doorstep each day with a Dear Abby (or Ann Landers) column waiting to be read. Day after day people pour out their frustrations, and Abby and Ann share their pithy answers. The letters typically have a similar format. First the writer complains about […]

Kindle Readers: Thanks for your Thoughts

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Lots of folks have told me that they are reading my books on an e-reader like a Nook or Kindle. I thought you might be interested in a recent Wall Street Journal article called “Your E-Book is Reading You.” It points out that electronic book devices send more data back to booksellers than people realize. […]

Worshiping Alone Together?

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In Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus I talked about Christian individualism. Our tradition greatly emphasizes the idea of isolating ourselves in order to experience God’s presence, whereas Judaism emphasizes community. Many Jewish prayers speak to God as “we” rather than “I.” Their daily morning prayers actually require a minyan, the presence of at […]