I AM a Jew (Advent 5, 2023)

Jesus wasn’t a Christian.  There were no Christians then.  Jesus was born Jewish, raised Jewish, taught according to Judaism, and died as a Jew.  Accept it. . Questions for further thought: Why do people want to diminish Jesus’ heritage as a Jew?  Are they ashamed of Him? In many churches, pastors are afraid of sounding […]

December 7, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Don’t Be Like Herod (Advent 4, 2023)

To a paranoid political ruler like Herod, nothing could be worse than this visit from the Magi.  Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? […]

December 6, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Born King (Advent 3, 2023)

You can’t say Jesus’ entrance to this earth wasn’t political.  He was “born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-2). . Aside from the fact that the Jews had a king whom nobody really liked (Herod), Jesus’ being born King of the Jews did not fit the profile of the expected Messiah.  The Messiah would not […]

December 5, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Great Expectations of Trouble (Advent 2, 2023)

John 4:25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Everyone in the Jewish and Samaritan communities had expectations of the Messiah.  No one expected that He would be such trouble.  Except perhaps Simeon who was moved by the Spirit to bless the […]

December 4, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Well, Well, Well (Advent 1, 2023)

Politics of the day have always created division, but the truth is Messiah had to come from somewhere. By simply existing as “The Chosen People” who had been given “The Promised Land” by none other than God, the Jews through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have gathered enemies against themselves like iron to a magnet.  Hint: […]

December 3, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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From the Jews for the World (Advent 2023)

Advent will soon be upon us and in the more than 10 years I’ve been doing this, I never dreamed I would be burdened to address–again–why so many in the Church still have an odd spiritual connection to “the Jews” or why even today, Jesus belongs in a diverse world’s Christmas.  Christians like me feel […]

November 21, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Seating Assignments and a World on Fire

The world is on fire. Christians are wondering if this is the end time to beat all end times, the final fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, ushering in the return of Christ our King. The world is on fire. People are subjected to many voices of war, anger, hate, and violence.  Yes, the world is on […]

October 20, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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By Their Fruit

October 13, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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Manhood Mantra

If there was a mantra of manhood in the conservative Church, it would be “That’s just the way things are.”  The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent vote limiting the title and office of any pastor to men only exemplifies that this is just the way things are.  The Bible has instruction about women not teaching men […]

October 5, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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A Tim Ballard Update

Remember how I described Tim Ballard’s Sound of Freedom as displaying manhood in action as one of 3 societal events in the Prism of Manhood?  I was surprised by how suddenly everything turned on Ballard, he was out of an organization he founded, every search was instantly negative, and I didn’t understand.  Now I know […]

September 28, 2023 in Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals by

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