Pastor, Author, Teacher
Last year I was blessed to visit the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from the temple mount in Jerusalem. As you will see, I took off my shoe and sock so the flesh of my foot could touch the ground where Jesus walked and prayed. Below you … Continue reading A Combined Reading of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in all 4 Gospels
OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 22:22"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6"During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do … Continue reading 200+ Scriptures from the Bible about Loving, Serving and Seeking Justice for the Poor
Below you will find my interview with NPR's Sarah McCammon on "All Things Considered," along with fellow SBC pastor Malachi O'Brien. Our discussion was about attitudes among evangelicals after opposing op-eds in Christianity Today and Christian Post about our current political mess. Despite what the title says, Malachi and I did NOT debate but rather simply answered questions honestly and respectfully towards each other and hopefully … Continue reading NPR “All Things Considered” discussion regarding attitudes among evangelicals amid current political division.
If the U.S. fails to act, ancient Christian communities dating back to the Book of Acts might soon be deserted. Since the first mission movements of the Early Church, Assyrian (Syriac) churches have never failed to maintain a confessional Christian presence in or near their original lands. If the current crisis facing northeastern Syria worsens, … Continue reading In Syria, this may be the last Christmas for Christian communities who’ve been there since the first century.
One of the things often overlooked in many people’s understanding of Scripture is the difference between Christ and Jesus. Christ is not Jesus’ last name, as if His name could’ve just as easily been Jesus Smith, or Jesus Johnson. (If we're actually looking for His last name, it was likely ben Yosef.) The word Christ … Continue reading How is Jesus, God with us?
"Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." These words from the Gospel of Luke are being played out before our eyes daily. Though there are many situations all over the world that we could rightly call crises, there is one in our own culture that seeps down to the deepest level of our … Continue reading A Sickness of the Soul
“If you believe you are a child of God in Jesus Christ, who can really harm you with a word?” -Cesar Q Cesar and I recorded this podcast with Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum after our article/interview ran in Christianity today. Some snippets of Ali's interview with Senator James Lankford when we were … Continue reading Podcast episode: “Finding Home in Oklahoma” feat. Senator James Lankford and Cesar Q
