How should we respond to the politics that invade our daily lives in the news, workplace, school and from so many social media platforms? According to Wikipedia which often conveys modern thought regarding a subject: “Politics (from the Greek word, politiká, meaning 'affairs of the cities') is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources." This is a well-thought-out … [Read more...] about Politics During Jesus’ Time
God's Plan
Why Israel?
If ideas about Israel are discussed within a non-church environment, it could be quite uncomfortable because many of those ideas can point to some concepts contained in British-Israelism which are widely considered to be racist. British Israelism is a belief that asserts the people of Great Britain are the descendants of ancient Israel. When asked if British-Israelism is racist, ChatGPT, an AI language model for generating human language, responded: “Yes, British-Israelism can be … [Read more...] about Why Israel?
The Work of God
Jesus Christ is a great window into understanding the Being we call the Father. These two Beings form the God family and They are so identical that They are referred to as “the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” In John 1 this is reinforced for us: “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). The message revealing God the Father originated with Jesus Christ and He had authority to rehearse or unfold who the Father … [Read more...] about The Work of God
Russia, Crimea, & Ukraine
When we live in peace and safety with time to dwell on our actions and how we live, ironically, this peace can be a source of danger if it decreases our alertness. For this reason, we are admonished to be watchful: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming,” (Matthew 24:42 ESV). In February and March 2014, the world was watching as Russia began to invade the region of Crimea, previously connected to Ukraine. This historic case study enlightens us to how … [Read more...] about Russia, Crimea, & Ukraine
Anger Incubator
In June 2020, Elizabeth Chang's comments were printed in The Washington Post. Sadly, her words still ring true over 4 years later. She wrote: “Americans are angry. The country erupted into the worst civil unrest in decades after the death of George Floyd, and anger about police violence and the country’s legacy of racism is still running high. At the same time, we’re dealing with anger provoked by the coronavirus pandemic: anger at public officials because they’ve shut down parts of society, or … [Read more...] about Anger Incubator
Peace, Peace but There is No Peace
Peace is something that we all desire, seek and want. During the Christmas season, one of the tag lines of the holiday is “let there be peace on earth.” But regardless of how hard the governments of man and individuals work for peace -- it is elusive. Why is that? One of the reasons peace is so elusive is the way power is used and where it is focused. In general, there are two approaches to the use of power. One use of power leads to strife, conflict, and war while the other leads to peace. … [Read more...] about Peace, Peace but There is No Peace
God’s Law Has Consequences
Processing the unfolding events – both worldwide and locally i difficult. By processing, I mean taking the individual components and analyzing them to reach a wise conclusion. It is important that people use a “sound mind” to assess the developments around us which impact us by degrees. We would also do well to keep in mind that God’s law has consequences. Those consequences can be good or bad depending on whether the law is applied or rejected. Sin is the cause of our current crisis and … [Read more...] about God’s Law Has Consequences