What Community Do You Rely On?
Lots of people don't read past The End in a book. That's fine for them, but I like to read it all—the acknowledgements, the…
7 Sacred Images of Holy Week
The next few days are the holiest of the liturgical year. Please join me in contemplating seven beautiful works by a few of my…
What Did Jesus Really Look Like?
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.” Isaiah 53:2b Jesus has been…
Yays, Nays, and LOL tweets from The Bible episode 2
As I mentioned in last week’s post, I give The Bible miniseries on the History Channel an enthusiastic thumbs up. It’s not perfect, but…
5 ways The Bible wins and 5 . . . well, not so much
In which I interrupt my previously scheduled blog post to say a few words about The Bible. How many of you watched the premier…
Wine in Ancient Israel
The word wine is mentioned over 200 times in the Bible, either in a real or symbolic sense. Take, for example, Isaiah 5:11 Woe…
Engagements and Weddings in Biblical Israel
With Valentines Day approaching, romance is in the air. Romance leads to love and —sometimes—love leads to weddings. Who doesn’t love a wedding? What…
What did the people of ancient Israel call their homeland?
It lies between the Arabian Desert and the blue waters of the Mediterranean. A small chunk of land, not much bigger than Belgium, but…
How your family dinner can be like first century Jerusalem
Not long ago, as my family of six sat down to dinner, I had a bright idea. “Tonight is ‘no English’ night.” I said.…
How the Biblical Diet Was Anything But Dull
Barley, goats' milk, pomegranates, almonds . . . it sounds like the newest health food craze—and with good reason. The diet of most people…