Exploring the Kingdom

The Fourth Word I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m talking. It’s probable that this discussion will annoy a lot of people; I know this because it annoys me. But it needs to be considered. Not everyone will come to the same conclusions, but all of us need to think about this. It […]

Time for a Break I’m taking a couple of weeks off, with the next post scheduled for January 12. I hope for God’s blessings on all who are reading this blog and look forward to a continuing correspondence with you. Bless the name of the Lord!

It’s that time of year again; anticipated since Halloween, inaugurated at Thanksgiving; and now it’s upon us: Christmas time! It’s a great time to celebrate, to entertain, to relax, sort of; to engage in the great American pastime: to shop!

That’s a line from a movie; a Western to be specific. And the remark was made by an older man in response to his younger partner. They’d both been involved in the killing of a man who had disfigured a prostitute.

These are strange times. Weather events, earthquakes, war, political strife; everything, and I mean everything seems to be in flux. There’s nothing that’s sure, nothing we can count on these days; at least that’s how it appears—if you’re paying attention.

Years ago, a friend of mine was so burdened over the predicament of the lost—meaning those who didn’t know the Lord—that he fabricated a life-sized cross and dragged it along a road to demonstrate what Jesus had done for us all when He was crucified.

Years ago this expression indicated the vehicle people used to get around; kind of a cool way to refer to your ride.

You’ve heard that expression and you know it speaks to the cost of obtaining something of value. Athletes have to develop and train their bodies and minds to achieve victory. Soldiers have to learn how to work as team, taking and following orders.

What’s a Galatian? Someone from Galatia, which was an area in the highlands of Anatolia, and Anatolia, is now the territory of modern Turkey. It’s also important to note that the ancient Galatians were a Gentile community; that is when the people of Galatia embraced the Gospel, they didn’t bring the experience of practicing Jews with them.

This is a line from a nursery rhyme entitled, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” that was first published in the 18th century. The poem’s meaning and its subject are debated but the question regarding the garden’s growth sticks in my mind and lends itself to the focus of this website.