Simply ChurchYesterday evening, my mother-in-law, Penelope (often known as Penny) Dale graduated from this life into the presence of Jesus. She has been longing to see him for many years, and so for her, this was a joyous release. Born in New Zealand, in 1924, Penny spent most of the formative years of her life in… Read More
Anita Scott is a good friend of mine–a teacher who makes a profound difference in the lives of the kids she teaches. (You should hear her stories.) Anita is passionate about justice, especially for women, and the problems of gender violence. I’ve blogged about her before–how she brought a meeting I was at to a… Read More
As a young Christian, I was profoundly influenced by the biographies of various women and men of God. Remarkable saints of God like Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, James Fraser and Helen Rosaveare were the ones who mentored and discipled me through their stories and writings. So I’m firmly convinced of the effectiveness of the biographies of heroes and… Read More
I recently came across this fascinating TED talk. For those who are not familiar with this organization, TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit dedicated to spreading ideas in 18 minutes or less. It’s well worth the time investment. In this TED talk, Michael Kimmel shares why gender equality is not just good for women. He… Read More
Gary Shogren and his wife are missionaries in Costa Rica and professors in a Bible College and Seminary. Gary is an expert in the Greek New Testament with a PhD from Aberdeen University. He has written an exegetical commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Recently, Gary sent me a post on the NIV 2011 edition… Read More
In his book, The New Covenant, Bob Emery dramatizes the story of the New Testament through the eyes of the apostle, John. It contains many fascinating insights–ideas I had not seen before in my reading of the New Testament many of which I found myself researching and coming to an “Aha!” moment. Here’s one of Bob’s insights into… Read More
Photo Credit: teakwood via Compfight cc Tony and I used to have a dog called Sugar—a faithful and loyal companion, though of dubious parentage and limited intelligence. Sugar had one major character flaw. She loved to wander. We live in a house with a fenced yard and an electric gate across the driveway. Sugar used… Read More
There is an ancient and almost forgotten road leading from Gibeon (a Canaanite city north of Jerusalem) to the coast. In Old Testament times, this was the principle road from the mountains to the plains. It led through difficult and steep terrain. Two villages sit on this road in the foothills of the mountains. In… Read More
I’ve been reading a fascinating book by Kenneth E. Bailey recently. The title, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels is an accurate description of the contents. Bailey has spent decades in the Middle East and he brings a very different perspective on many stories and ideas—such as the parables of Jesus, the… Read More
This last weekend, we had a round table in Dallas based on our book, The Black Swan Effect. It was an extraordinary time, with a sometimes overwhelming sense of the Lord’s presence. God spoke to us clearly. The climax of the day was a powerful time of ministry led by Brandon Chase, where on behalf of… Read More