When you think of the word “present,” what comes to mind? As you might have guessed, around here we love words. It is our primary medium of communication. We love playing with words and enjoyed comedians of yore like Abbott and Costello and their use of word play with routines like “Who’s on First?” Now we’re dating ourselves… But what of the word “present”? All by itself it could mean many things. It’s a word … Continue reading
Don and Joy Veinot
Thanks for the Memory is a song which actor, comedian and entertainer, the late Bob Hope, performed with actress Shirley Ross. It was written for the film, The Big Broadcast of 1938 which co-starred Hope and Ross. It is a recitation of mostly small but, as it turns out, important moments in their lives: Thanks for the memory Of faults that you forgave, rainbows on a wave And stockings in the basin when a fellow … Continue reading
In Matthew 24:23 Jesus forewarns His followers to be aware of deception and deceivers to come, saying, Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. This warning is also recorded in Mark 13. Why is He warning them? For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24) … Continue reading
In one of our all-time favorite films, Fiddler on the Roof, the Jewish citizens of the fictional Russian shtetl of Anatevka ask the rabbi if there is a prayer for the Czar. With a twinkle in his eye, he assures them there certainly is, and then goes on to cite the prayer for his listeners. “May God bless the Czar and keep him – far from us!” Living in Illinois, we sometimes think that might … Continue reading
In John 19:38 Pilate responds to Jesus when he quips, “What is truth?” It was more of a commentary on the problem of language in that day than on the claims of Jesus. The very definition of “truth” in Greco-Roman culture was elusive and contradictory. For the common people, all truth claims were regarded as equally true. For philosophers, all truth claims were equally false. For politicians, all truth claims were equally useful. When Jesus … Continue reading
In 1 Timothy, after his opening salutation, the Apostle Paul immediately launches into warnings about false teachers, false doctrine, myths and genealogies. What is he referencing in the category of “myths and genealogies”? The Faithlife Study Bible comments: The Greek term used here, mythos, refers to legendary stories about the gods. It also could be used to describe stories generally understood to be false. Such tales distracted believers from the truth (i.e., the gospel message) … Continue reading