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Sorrow Like My Sorrow – Lamentations 1:12
Can we really understand the suffering of another person or they ours?
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What Is Biblical Literacy?
We complain about it, write about it, claim it’s important or even critical, design programs to create it, but what is it? I don’t mean that none of us know what we mean when we say “biblically literate” or “biblically illiterate,” but do we all mean the same thing? I don’t think we do, and…
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Fences: Mending or Rending
The following is a sermon I presented at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Pensacola on September 11,2005 and originally posted here on September 13, 2005. I’m reposting it because when I went to look for it, I found that the original post had somehow been truncated, and also because there is a one word at a…
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Experiencing the (Baptism of the) Holy Spirit
This is a topic where I tend to make just about everyone uncomfortable. Long time readers may recall a previous discussion of speaking in tongues, and my own experience of it. Those who expect me to be intellectually oriented and rational are uncomfortable with mystical experiences, and many who are comfortable with the mystical experiences…
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Who Was Paul? – Interview with Allan R. Bevere
Embedded below is the video of my interview with Dr. Allan R. Bevere in the series asking the same 10 questions of a variety of people. You can find all the interview videos at Resources for Studying Paul. Allan is a United Methodist pastor, and author of several Energion titles.
Who Was Paul? – Interview with Pat Badstibner
Embedded below is the video of my interview with Pat Badstibner in the series asking the same 10 questions of a variety of people. You can find all the interview videos at Resources for Studying Paul. Pat is president of World Prayr.
Perspectives on Paul for 10-07-20
Presentation Video: Power Point: This is an embedded Microsoft Office presentation, powered by Office. PDF: Remember: Resources for Studying Paul
Perspectives on Paul 09.30.2020
Law Through Scripture – I Here is the video (via YouTube) and the PowerPoint slides for my study of September 30, 2020. I am taking a look at the law through scripture and looking at how that impacts Paul and his message. First, the PowerPoint: This is an embedded Microsoft Office presentation, powered by Office….
Resuming Perspectives on Paul
I’m resuming my series, interrupted for three years. Here’s the first video: Each Wednesday night I’ll be live on Facebook with this posted to the Henry & Jody Neufeld page, and crossposted to my home church, Chumuckla Community Church. I’ll get the video to Facebook a couple of days later. This is an open-ended series…
Review: Simple Faith Bible
Subtitle: Following Jesus into a Life of Peace, Compassion & Wholeness I find it hard to fairly review study Bibles. On the one hand, I am a bit hesitant to have so much text combined with the text of scripture, because everything we do to add to the text, even arranging it into chapters and…
God the Creator Interview
I was recently interviewed by fellow Energion author Steve Kindle regarding my newly released book God the Creator: Toward a More Robust Doctrine of Creation. The video is below. Preview / Retailers
Link: The Temptation of Jesus and Intertextuality
Donald C. McIntyre is writing a series about the temptation of Jesus and the texts Jesus used. Do we understand this usage correctly? He titles this What If We Got the Temptation of Jesus Wrong?, and I’m calling attention to part II of the series. I am always interested in intertextuality and the way it…
Following Polls
One of the least accurate elements of the news, in my opinion, is the reporting of opinion polls. If you think this is always someone else, you may be part of the problem. Polls are not precise measurements and results vary. That’s why you have a probability (often 90% or 95%) that the results fall…
Link: Bible Criticism – A Common Sense Approach to the Bible
This article is quite helpful in understanding what biblical criticism is, how it is helpful, and also how it may be threatening to some. Here’s a quote: The basic point, however, is an important one: until we know what kind of material we are dealing with, we don’t know what questions it is sensible to…
Choose Your Shape!
Well, perhaps, “choosing” should be “recognizing.” Weird? Doesn’t make sense? Read on! In the late 1990s I participated in a program here in Escambia County called CommUNITY Dialogues, led by a creative and interesting communications specialist (and I had not, up to that time, used “creative” or “interesting” with regard to such people!) named Dr….
Changing Perspectives
From time to time during my work day I’ll stop and play a (hopefully) quick game of Sudoku. For this purpose I usually choose an easier puzzle, one I can do quickly. The purpose for a break like this is to unlock my brain, so to speak. When I’ve been working on a project too…
Keep Good Friday and Easter Together
Easter services are much better attended than Good Friday services. I suspect this is inherent in human nature. We prefer the solution to the hardship getting there. We prefer the happy ending to the suffering that led up to it. It’s not surprising that we do. Who doesn’t prefer those good times? Who doesn’t want…
A Note to Headline Readers
Don’t! Before you share anything, read the whole article. Check your facts. But even before that … before you believe anything, read carefully, check your facts. Headlines are often misleading. Their purpose is to get you to read, and in social media, they are aimed to get you to share. In an emergency, misinformation can…
Fear, Prayer, Trust, and Action
As I write posts and various notes that speak against fear, I want to make sure some things are clear. There are two quotes that have been going through my mind. The first is: “Prayer is not a substitute for anything, and there is no substitute for prayer.” I know I first heard this from…
Ezekiel and the Bones
The lectionary readings called my attention to Ezekiel 37:1-14. I love the story, not to mention the song. So how about the song? There’s a specific point I want to call attention to. Notice how God provides Ezekiel with very specific instructions as to what to prophecy, first in verses 4-6, and then following up…
On Milk and Milk
A couple of days ago I was reading 1 Peter during my devotional time and was struck by 1 Peter 2:1-3: Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you…
When Experts Make Mistakes
Anyone can make a mistake. That includes the experts we need to depend on in order to make decisions in difficult situations. So what do we do about this possibility of error? This problem becomes particularly acute in our minds in a time of fear. When we are afraid, we often seek something certain to…
The Limitations of Word Studies
It’s a common question, but it’s one I don’t like: What does that Greek word really mean? (You can substitute Hebrew or Aramaic for Greek.) The basic problem is the assumption that a word “really” means anything specific. Underlying this is a tendency to think that one discovers the meaning of a communication by mentally…
Fear Shouldn’t Decide
Since this is a time of posts about COVID-19, I want to make it very clear that I am not providing any information or advice specifically related to the virus. I am not an expert in infectious diseases, epidemiology, or any of a bunch of related fields of study. I choose to get my information…
Link: The Comma Johanneum
Bill Mounce discusses the evidence that the added trinitarian formula in 1 John 5:7-8 is not original. This is a summary of well-known evidence, not breaking new ground, but is one of the clearest presentations I’ve seen.
Link: More Thoughts on Greek and Hebrew Bibles in Church
The original author responded to another post on this topic. (Note: this is not a response to my own comments, though it provides some valuable thoughts to be read after mine.
Link: On Spiritual Disciplines
With a hat tip to UM-Insight, I saw a great cartoon and some excellent commentary on the Wesley Brothers blog. Maybe you think you, too, need a Disciplan. Here’s a quote: We don’t engage in these practices to prove anything. Selfless practices do not make me more worthy of God’s love. Rather, they prepare my…
Why I Stopped Carrying My Greek NT to Church and then Started Again
There’s an article on For the Church, in which Dr. Andrew King tells students: “Don’t Take Your Greek or Hebrew Bible to Corporate Worship.” There are a number of good points in the article, such as the note that if you are not comfortable with the languages, working on them during a sermon may be…