The phoenix is a mythical sacred fire bird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Turks, Indians, Phoenicians, and Canaanites. It is described as a bird with colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end…
A Lesson from the Phoenix Read More »
So, you are in St. Paul working under your car and checking out the hole in your tailpipe when the jack slips and the car comes down, pinning your leg under the wheel. Hearing the noise from his yard next door, your neighbor shuffles over and assesses the situation. How he responds will tell you
Reflections: Was Jesus ‘Minnesota Nice’? Read More »
Should a church provide one-stop shopping? Wal-Mart turned 50 in July. This one-stop giant has been swallowing up mom-and-pop grocery, hardware, sporting good, pharmacy, and clothing stores since the Beatles belted out, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Love is about the only thing you can’t buy at WalMart. There are 400,000 churches in America, the majority
Years ago a seminary professor wove a gripping modern version of Jesus’ parable of the treasure found hidden in a field. In his version, a metal-detecting hobbyist from the big city stops at what appears to be an old ball field in the foothills. When his metal detector screeches over a large object in the
Reflections: Does God Leave It On The Table? Read More »
The parable of the soils is repeated by Matthew, Mark, and Luke – one of seven recorded parables picked up by all three writers. It is also unique in that, while most parables are simple stories with one central point and few details, Jesus makes this parable an allegory, giving significance to each detail. In
Reflections: Precious Dirt: How Many Soils are ‘Saved?’ Read More »
When we become a follower of Jesus, is it more like getting an upgrade on life or is it more switching operating systems completely? That’s an important question to answer. If we were really honest, most of us talk as if is a whole new operating system and live as if it is simply a
Reflections: Jesus 3.1 (upgrade or whole new operating system?) Read More »