C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, reflects on Jesus’s incarnation with this: “Did you ever think, when you were a child, what fun it would be if your toys could come to life? Well suppose you could really have brought them to life. Imagine turning a...
God is more interested in your holiness than your happiness. This goes against the grain of common culture. Common culture tells us to pursue happiness. Pursue your dreams. Aim high. Shoot for the stars. Do what makes you happy. Only pursue a career...
Not long ago I visited the State Tretyakov art Gallery in Moscow. On display were hundreds of works of art ranging from Ivan Aivazovsky’s (1817–1900) masterful seascapes, to Orest Kipreksy’s (1782–1836) famous portrait of Alexander Pushkin...
There are two kings in the story of Jesus’s birth: (1) Caesar Augustus, and (2) Jesus. These are two very different kinds of kings, but they have a bit in common. Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man in the civilized world at the time of...
The solution to the world’s problems is a person, not a thing. I’m grateful for this. I’ve been serving as the President of Emmaus Biblical Seminary in Haiti since 2012. Since that time, the institution has faced its share of...
Serious Christians take the Bible seriously. Taking the Bible seriously is a dangerous thing. It’s dangerous because there are things in the Bible that are hard to understand. There are also commands to Christians in the Bible that are hard to carry...
The name “Christmas” has its origins in the Roman Catholic tradition of having a special mass to commemorate the birth of the Christ. This mass was know as the “Christ Mass” and over time became broadly applied to the...
Things were a political mess when Jesus was born. The Romans, who controlled Palestine at the time of Jesus birth, were constantly pushing back against the subtle current of Jewish subversion and insubordination to Roman rule. There was nothing that...
Christmas is anything but restful. In fact, Christmas is the busiest time of year for many of us. There is shopping to do, family to visit, cookies to bake, turkeys to roast, gifts to wrap, church services to attend, trees to put up, lights to hang...
Mary gets a lot of attention during the Christmas season. Interestingly enough, Mary is hardly a main character in the life and ministry of Jesus. Of all the times she’s mentioned in the Bible (which aren’t that many), she’s mentioned most during...