i recently received a letter in the mail from a return address that included the name “Julie.” this envelope and message were hand-written in cursive with beautiful penmanship. it is rare to see handwriting on an envelope among advertisements and credit card applications these days. i was intrigued. i made my way up the driveway…
Read morepeter, peter, peter
interestingly, Peter seems to be a man of threes. Jesus accepted him into his inner circle of three disciples. on the mount of transfiguration, he witnessed Moses, Elijah, and Jesus speaking. when they came to take Jesus to his crucifixion, Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed and ran off, hanging his head….
Read moredarkness comprehended
total darkness is defined simply as the complete absence of light. when exposed to such sensory deficiencies, like in a cavern, the other senses become more aware. achieving the absolute lack of light is difficult above ground due to celestial luminescence and the glow of a city skyline. Wwe had visited The Lost Sea in…
Read moreto be reconciled
a quick google search for the definition of the word reconcile brings the meaning as “to restore friendly relations between” and “make (one account) consistent with another, especially by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed.” the Latin root translated for this word is “to bring back together.” the fall of man introduced sin,…
Read morethe eighth day of creation – part 2
just as God had rested on the seventh day after He completed this tangible, easily corrupted world, Jesus endured the cross unto death and now rested in a borrowed tomb. John chapter 20 begins with, “The first day of the week.” J. A. Macdonald states, “Since in the week there are seven days, the “eighth”…
Read morethe necessary burial
baptism has been a highly debatable topic among Christian groups and denominations for a long time. the water medium and method of declaration over a baptism varies if even believed to be necessary. i hope to persuade some to take a deeper look at this subject and identify the necessity, method, and declaration that is…
Read morea shhh and a stone (part 2)
we can now see preparations and things going on that the disciples were unaware of, but through revelation, Simon speaks and declares Jesus’ Christ-hood. this is the part of the story that is usually preached to show that Simon, now renamed Peter (meaning a rock), has been blessed to receive insight to the identity of…
Read morea shhh and a stone (part 1)
Matthew 16:13-20 has been an essential passage in the lives of all Christians. many denominations use these verses to teach of the revelation of Simon and the critical role that he played during his discipleship and the upstart of the church. we have heard it preached using the entire passage and using quotes from one…
Read morepersonally impacting parables
two of my favorite parables that Jesus taught are “The Prodigal Son” and the “Hidden Treasure.” there is no doubt that i gravitate toward these two passages due to personal experience. i want to define a parable and explain its purpose. i will also share relevant testimonies and take some time to go through the…
Read morea foreshadow of Christ
there are many examples and metaphors throughout the Old Testament of a typological foreshadowing of Christ. the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, the arrangement of the temple, and the brazen serpent. the Old Testament is our schoolmaster and leads us to the truths of the New Testament in a way that is…
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