Let’s think about the motion picture Nacho Libre. The film is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta (“Friar Storm”, a.k.a. Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez), a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed. There are a few things […]
We had been through some tough stuff leading up to the Keilah incident. In fact, we’d been navigating formidable stuff our whole lives. We were the like people who came from Nazareth! We were the public school kids! We were a society of distressed, indebted, bitter souls. There were approx. 600 of us. And at […]
Here’s what Paul said to the church community in Corinth, “I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made […]
I briskly traversed through the Gospel of Mark this morning. I normally progress ploddingly through the Γέγραπται, but sometimes it’s helpful to conduct a sprightly trot through a gospel in order to obtain a better sense of the surplus and sundry instances of Jesus offending people. It is absolutely vital that we come to grips […]
Imagine the movie trailer for 1 Samuel 18. It would be epic! Here’s what it would entail: Stout friendship (like Frodo & Sam)! Selflessness and sacrifice (like Spock in Star Trek 2, “The Wrath Of Kahn”)! Intense battle scenes (like “The Last of the Mohicans” and “The Battle Of Thermopylae #300”)! Dancing women brandishing tambourines […]
Eliashib is the first guy mentioned in the wall rebuild, in the days of Nehemiah. He and his priestly brothers risked their lives to build the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem at an extremely perilous moment in Israel’s history. And the crazy thing is, most people would be hasty (and probably pretty sloppy) if they had […]
I was recently asked to create something (anything) ex nihilo (out of nothing). I couldn’t do it. In order to create anything, I require pre-existing matter and materials (even I myself require Someone else to create me!). There is only one person in the world who can create ex nihilo …the Holy Spirit. He is […]
Let’s talk about Mary. Mary the earthly mother of Jesus? No doubt she’s a fascinating lady, and I would love to chat about her at some point in the future (e.g. What did she especially remember about her encounter with Gabriel? What was the biggest fight she and Joseph ever got in? What are 3 […]
Imagine you receive a letter. You are upset by this letter. There are numerous things in this letter that concern and offend you. The composer of this letter is someone you’ve had your share of squabbles with, and you’re reluctant to yield to their authority. The letter says stuff like, “On the first day of […]
Today I was wondering, “Why do the people in Nineveh involve the beasts, herds, and flocks in their fasting and donning sackcloth?” I discovered that it is because non-human creation is the exemplar of worship. Humanity stubbornly resists glorifying God, but all non-human creation intuitive and insatiably renders all glory to God (e.g. sun, moon, […]