you choose Q: is the book of Revelation for us today?
Q: Why is it that though Revelation is clearly written to 1st century Christians, for example 13:17-18, people try to put a 21st century meaning to it? —Craig
A: Revelation was written around 95 AD, during the time when Roman emperor Domitian had commenced persecuting the Church. Exiled on the island of Patmos for his faith (Revelation 1:9), the apostle John…
you choose Q: did Mary give birth to other children after Jesus?
Q: In the Scripture versions I read, Mary had several children with Joseph AFTER the virgin birth of Jesus. A friend believes Mary was a virgin throughout her live and had but one child—Jesus. Moreover, the term "brother or sister" was often used when referring to relatives, such as cousin, nephew, etc. Can you enlighten me regarding this issue? —Edward
A: The…
clear conscience
During a 1923 maneuvering exercise, Lieutenant Commander Donald T. Hunter, an experienced navigator and instructor at the Naval Academy, navigated the USS Delphy. The Delphy was the flagship among several naval destroyers. During the exercise, a thick cloak of fog descended on the ships. After several communication attempts, Hunter could not get an accurate read on his location.
echo effect
If you stand near the edge of the Grand Canyon in the United States and bellow out a word or two, chances are, you’ll hear an echo. The noise you make will bounce off the canyon walls and back to your ears—maybe more than once. Experts say this is possible because the best echoes occur in quiet environments where sound travels at least 75 meters and hits multiple flat surfaces. Spanning between 4-18 miles across, abounding with walls, and typically quiet, the Grand Canyon is an ideal place to experiment with noise.
trustworthy
My wife and I were visiting the British Museum last year when we came across a group of people in the Assyrian gallery listening to a man who we thought was a museum tour guide. “This is the Black Obelisk,” he said, pointing to a statue. “It records the triumphs of Shalmaneser III in the ninth century BC. This ruler is mentioned in 2 Kings chapter 8, and if you look closely, just here, you’ll see a carving of the Israelites paying him tribute.”
February 10, 2014
Other than Jesus, who is the person in the Bible you would most like to have a conversation with and why?
established
The room was a disaster. Desks appeared tossed about, popcorn littered the floor, and the whiteboards bore a conglomeration of abstract artwork. My classroom had served as an area for some elementary school-aged actors to rest and stay entertained between their few scenes in the high school musical. Now that the final curtain had closed, I surveyed the damage and went to work sweeping and cleaning. As I folded back the large rug I keep at the front of the room, the words on its underside caught my eye.
waking to our hunger
When our boys come home from school or return to the house from playing, they utter predictable words amidst moans: “I’m starving. I’m going to die if I don’t eat.” They descend on Miska and me like vultures, insisting they’ll keel over at any moment if food doesn’t arrive. Usually, however, as we list the healthy snacks available to them (nuts, fruit, applesauce, yogurt), they brush each possibility aside. “No, I don’t want that. No, that doesn’t sound good.” Of course, I tell them what every parent throughout human existence has told their children in moments like this: “If you were really starving, you’d eat any of these. Obviously, you’re not that hungry.”
true salvation
What must one do to be saved? For the answer, turn to the book of Galatians. The problem that arose in the churches in Galatia remains a question that many Christians battle with today. Are we truly saved by our belief in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for us, or is something more necessary on our part?
crooked house
Wobbly, woozy, unsteady. These words all describe the appearance of the Crooked House—the most photographed house in all of Poland. One observer commented that the structure looks as if it is “melting or sagging from exhaustion.” Designer Szotynscy Zaleski purposely created the exterior to feature few straight lines, and the result is an architectural ode to a funhouse mirror.
January 13, 2014
Besides the Bible, what book that you read in 2013 made the greatest impact on you?
saved by a compass
During World War II, Waldemar Semenov (a retired merchant seaman) was serving as a junior engineer aboard the SS Alcoa Guide when a German submarine surfaced and opened fire on the ship. The US merchant ship was hit, caught fire, and began to sink. Three hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina, Semenov and the other sailors lowered lifeboats into the water. Fortunately, the lifeboats were equipped with a compass. Semenov and his crew used the compass to sail west by northwest toward the shipping lanes. After three days, a patrol plane spotted Semenov’s lifeboat and the USS Broome rescued the men the next day. Thanks to that compass, Semenov and 26 other crewmembers were saved.
front to back
At the start of the movie Walk the Line, young Johnny Cash is talking with his older brother Jack who is hoping to become a preacher. Johnny is sad because he doesn’t know the Bible like his brother, who said, “If I’m going to be a preacher one day, I gotta know the Bible front to back. I mean, you can’t help nobody if you can’t tell them the right story.”
feast or famine
You can walk into a Christian bookstore today and find rows and rows of books on the shelves. And without stepping into a church, you can listen to thousands of podcasts and sermons online. The massive amount of biblical resources available at our fingertips is astounding. So, is it possible during this age to experience a famine of God’s Word? Do we need to heed the warning for the prophet Amos (Amos 8:11) or was that relevant only for ancient Israel?
