Antoni Ciseri’s 1871 “Ecce Homo — Behold the Man”I thought of this famous painting this morning when I read Matthew 27. Matthew’s Gospel alone mentions Pilate’s wife telling him to have nothing to do with Jesus. She told her husband of a troubling dream and said, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man,ContinueContinue reading “A strange & troubling dream”
Category Archives: God’s Sovereignty
There is power in the cross … So very much power!
A dear friend recently wrote me: “The cross is the only place safe enough and strong enough for all the questions, regrets, sadness, loss, and pain. But there I know love, which appears to be the pathway forward.”* That made me think of the great book by John Stott The Cross of Christ. It isContinueContinue reading “There is power in the cross … So very much power!”
On the 11th day of Christmas (January 5), my true love gave me … This??
1. Here is the reading for the 11th day of Christmas, January 5th:Matthew 2:16-18 (New International Version, ©2010) 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance withContinueContinue reading “On the 11th day of Christmas (January 5), my true love gave me … This??”
The Christ child is on fire!
Robert Southwell (1561-1595) was a Jesuit priest from England who was martyred in 1595. During Advent I like to ponder his poem “The Burning Babe.” It is a strange, extended metaphor in which the baby Jesus is likened to a smelting furnace.Here’s how it starts…”As I in hoary Winter’s night stood shivering in the snow,ContinueContinue reading “The Christ child is on fire!”
It is sheer grace or it is nothing at all!
I took this on the Sea of Galilee (July 2010)The most incredible story is found in Luke 5:1-11. Jesus chose Peter to be his disciple, and Peter left his fishing business and followed him.But here’s what precipitated that, at least in part, in my opinion. First, a bit of context. Jesus spoke to a crowdContinueContinue reading “It is sheer grace or it is nothing at all!”
Resolutions for good mental health in 2010
Here are 10 resolutions for good mental health in 2010 … from a lecture given way back in 1976 by a Wheaton College English Literature professor named Clyde Kilby.1. Once a day I will look at the sky and remember that I am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and aboutContinueContinue reading “Resolutions for good mental health in 2010”
The wonder, the mystery of Christmas
Augustine wrote in the 5th century…Oh food and bread of Angels, the Angels are filled by you, but where are you for my sake? In a mean lodging, in a manger. He who rules the stars, sucks at the breast; he who speaks in the bosom of the Father, is silent in the Mother’s lap.ContinueContinue reading “The wonder, the mystery of Christmas”
Two visits, One prayer
Two visits, one prayer…Visit one: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2VisitContinueContinue reading “Two visits, One prayer”
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