The devil has a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and it is called online pornography. Of help is the following article is by Jason DeRouchie of Bethlehem Bible College and Seminary. It is one of the best explorations of the topics of masturbation and sexual fantasy that I have read, and I repost it, knowing I... Continue Reading →
Lady Apostle Lands in Jail!
If I asked you “Who were the martyrs of the early church?” you would, quite properly, begin with Stephen in Acts 7; James in Acts 12; and then go on to Peter and Paul. “Brave, godly men were early martyrs” = a right answer But not a complete answer. Why not? Because we all, simply... Continue Reading →
What has Corinth to do with Patmos?
Devotional given at Wycliffe Associates for the assembled Translation Team, on Oct 7, 2015. I am doing two tasks for Wycliffe at the moment – with my online group we are writing translation notes for 1 Corinthians and we have reached chapter 10. Here this week our group is working on Revelation and we are... Continue Reading →
“Sex and the Christian Life” 1 Thess 4:1-8 [Sermon Notes on 1 Thessalonians, Week 10]
Note: These are sermon outlines, not full messages. As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions... Continue Reading →
Popular Christian Dance Moves: Be the Life of the Congregation!
You know, back in the day, we wondered if Christians should be dancing at all. There was even a school of thought that said we teens should take a note from home for those weeks when they pushed back the big curtains that divided boys’ side of the gym from the girls’, so they could... Continue Reading →
Elisabeth Elliot – to what extent was she defined by her sex?
Elisabeth Elliot was a spokesperson for a definite view of gender. Her book Let Me Be a Woman (1976) was a traditionalist – some would say “complementarian” – blueprint for women in the home: assertive women are missing out on God’s plan and divine joy, and they should not seek to be equal to men, beyond the fact... Continue Reading →
Memories of a Grandmother
My last surviving grandparent, Doris Wills, passed away March 9, at age 94. Her ashes will be taken back to Rhode Island, where we all came from originally. We plan to see her again at the resurrection. She was one of the Swedes in our family, the daughter of emigrants Henry Swanson and Claire Ahlstrom.... Continue Reading →
Those Veiled Women of Corinth
[Note: I spent a number of years writing a commentary on 1 Corinthians for a Latin American audience (you can get it free in English HERE). 20 pages contain the full exegesis of the passage; in this blog I will mainly spell out my conclusions]. Part of Bible study is not just understanding what the... Continue Reading →
“No, but wait…MY pastor doesn’t tell us how to vote!”
"My pastor doesn’t tell us how to vote! What he does is give out a score card that describes what the issues are [remember that phrase!] and then shows what each candidate stands for. But then he tells us to make up our own minds!" Anyway, that's the word on the street. The election is coming... Continue Reading →
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 