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Gender and Bible Translation
My former student Rick Hale compared how different Bible translations rendered the Greek word “anthropos” (from which we get “anthropology,” the study of humans) in passages that (a) could reasonably have both men and women in view and (b) are translated with gender inclusive language in the NET Bible. The table provides interpretation of ‘anthropos’ in the specified Bible translations for each passage listed. Translation of ‘anthropos’ (Strongs 444) Passages below (a) could reasonably have both men and women in view and (b) are translated with gender inclusive language in the NET Bible. The table provides interpretation of ‘anthropos’ in the specified Bible translations for each passage listed. Passage KJV…
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You Can Know Your Father God
Did you know that your God wants you to really know Him? He wants you to know who He is, His character, and how He relates to you as a human. He wants you to know Him as your Father who loves you dearly. When you know Him, it is much easier to trust Him in whatever He chooses to do on your behalf. Isn’t that true for anyone you need to trust? God Wants You to Know Him What is God like? How does anyone get to know the true God, not all the substitute gods out there, but the God of the Bible? The God of the Bible…
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Trusting God on the Other Side of Bizarre
In my last blog post, “Trusting God in the Bizarre,” I shared how a diagnosis of tongue cancer had blown up my world and how I was wrestling with my fear—again—of pain and suffering. It has now been 11 weeks since a surgeon removed a third of my tongue. I am still healing, both my tongue and my neck, from which he removed 20 lymph nodes—which were cancer free. I still thank the Lord for that graciousness. My speech is no longer impaired although it is affected. I sound like I have a cough drop in my mouth when I talk, and the “s” sound is still a challenge. Let…
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Spiderman with a Heart for God
Sunday School Chronicles Me: Any of y’all got older siblings? Kids: *multiple hands fly up* Yes! Me: Do they ever treat you like your voice doesn’t matter? Kids: Ugh!!!! Yeah! Me: I get it! I’m the baby too and it sucks. I’m sorry to tell you this. You will always be the baby. Let me tell y’all about the most powerful baby out there. King David was the baby just like you. But let’s start with his pre-king days. Saul is the current king. He’s trash. “Sin” is his first, middle, and last name. He sins for fun, when he’s hungry, and sins before bed. So God is like, “First…
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Daniel Foreshadows Easter
My regularly scheduled Bible study provided me with a unique and unexpected Lenten and Easter preparation. I probably learned this years ago in seminary but hearing it anew in a sermon from my former pastor1 cemented the truth that Daniel chapter six contains a foreshadowing—a type—of Jesus Christ. A “type” in the Bible is “a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament.”2 How amazing that God intentionally pointed to Jesus from the very beginning and throughout history. Here are some ways that Daniel foreshadows the death and resurrection of Christ. Daniel Jesus Christ Daniel was a royal son of Judah…
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3 Book Recommendations for Ministry Leaders
I am here to commend to you three new ministry resources that belong on your reading (or listening) list. All three are available on Audible and read by the authors themselves: Releasing today: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (IVP Academic), by Nijay Gupta Matthew. Mark. Luke. John. Jesus. Paul. When most of us learn about the early church, we hear stories of prominent men. But ample evidence exists in the New Testament that women were actively involved on the front lines of the gospel mission, too. And not just baking cookies. They were respected leaders. Mary Magdalene supported Jesus and the male disciples…
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What is it like to be “Unseen”?
Do you live your life wanting to be seen or unseen? Whether seated in an office maze of cubicles, standing behind a podium before a grand audience, or mopping up spilled milk and cereal for the third time today, we want to be acknowledged, understood, and liked. Our current world of social media has not helped our helpless and desperate desire to be noticed. These days if we do not post a photo of our dinner out, our vacation, our birthday, our promotion, or our child’s new accomplishment, it’s as though it never happened. Additionally, we want our online friends to see, like, or love our posts. Only if the…
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God is looking and listening
Children are our precious resources to raise to lead and be a light in the darkness of this world. As teachers and parents, we are tasked with raising them to honor God, and it is even more evident now how Satan is busier than ever! He is reaching into the hearts of our children. He is infiltrating our families, our schools, and our media. Whether a parent or a teacher, we are called to be careful how we walk, not as unwise but as wise. [Eph 5:15] As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he commanded them to “be imitators of God.” [Eph 5:1] That is the task before us. How…
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In Celebration of International Women’s Day: Women Excelling in Space and in Service
Today is International Women’s Day. Certainly the world benefits when women invest their talents. Similarly the church benefits when women serve fully in their area of gifting. NASA tested men to find the best candidates for the Mercury space program, but a privately funded program tested women to see how they measured up. Wally Funk was a member of this group of women later nicknamed the “Mercury 13.” The women excelled. Some of them lobbied to have women included in the space program in the sixties, but it wasn’t until 1983 that Sally Ride had the distinction of being the first U.S. female astronaut. Being a NASA astronaut wasn’t an…
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Forgiving as God has Forgiven You
Forgiveness is something we all need, something we all are happy to receive, yet it is at times something that seems impossible to do. God has a lot to say in His word about His great gift of forgiveness and about our need to forgive others.
