It is no coincidence that Jesus’s first miracle was performed at a Galilean (Cana) wedding. The wedding was the most important event taking place in the Galilean villages of Jesus’s day since it was to be celebrated by all. The entire church age as defined by the new covenant established...

One of the most important statements Jesus made at the Sermon on the Mount dealt with the people’s concerns about who He was in relationship to the Old Testament, defined by the Law and the Prophets. In Matthew 5:17, He said that He did not come to abolish (do away...

We scarcely know all that we have been delivered from, fellow believers. James Masterson lists 10 “capacities” of the self life, in his book,”The Personality Disorders.” Among these we find the capacity for: Spontaneity One for entitlement: to appropriate experiences of mastery and pleasure And the entitlement to environmental support...

Mindy Stein, Berlin In the last few months, I found myself lost in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Like almost everyone around the globe, COVID-19 brought in some strange, uncomfortable circumstances. It was difficult to stay grounded. While being plagued by an onslaught of digital chatter and drowned in...

In Ephesus, there developed a model city church in a part of the world then known as Asia Minor, in what’s now part of Turkey. This was a seemingly solid group of Jesus followers, according to Revelation, Chapter 2. The people there reflected patience and strength. They were vibrant; there...

J.B. operated as a spy of the K.G.B. in America during the cold war. A brilliant intellect, J.B. was especially chosen, trained and then sent. In America his skill developed in his ability to merge unsuspected into society; he worked, attended university, married and parented a child. At a time...

If we get trapped into loving life without having a life of love, our love for the Lord, for others, and for what really matters to Him, will wax cold. Therefore, our faith will weaken and will not work, because the faith we've been given works by Love (Gal.5:6). Let...

The church of Ephesus got off to a strong start and functioned as a faithful assembly for some years. Paul’s letter to this group of believers, written around the year AD 60, contains none of the corrective passages that we find his other church epistles. This city in Asia Minor,...

Jesus came to earth and faced life and death at every level. To me, John 11 is the chapter that encapsulates all of these things about the ministry of Christ, the Son of the Living God. This chapter features the Lazarus story. It comes right after an account that reveals...

Our identities can be fragile things. Insecurities color the way we see ourselves. Nervousness and anxiety can settle into our hearts when we are confused about who we are. This is precisely the reason that the first book of the Bible was written. Yes, Genesis includes words from God given...