Each year, I listen to a daily audio Bible podcast—and complete the Bible in one year. This year marks my sixth year through the Bible.
Why don’t I stop?
Every year, I learn new aspects of the Bible because each year, I am in a different place in my life, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me where I am.
The Bible is always fresh! It is always alive!
It is the only book that has a Living Spirit within it.
Each year, when I get to Judges in the Old Testament, I say, “Oh boy!” because I know what is ahead.
Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith,
This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.
Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.
He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.
Why?
Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!
Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.
As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.
What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?
I didn’t plan on blogging on the Jewish tradition of mourning this week.
But, in one short week, several of the people in my orb have been impacted by the sudden death a loved one—a pastor whose father died, a woman whose son was killed in an accident, and a friend who passed away during surgery. All this week.
So, I did some reading on how Jews of the Old Testament and some today manage grief. What I learned is that the Jews view morning as occurring in stages.
In a recent Science Talent Search, 33 out of 40 finalists were children of immigrants. This is not unusual. The success of children of immigrants is becoming more and more apparent.
Leonard Sax, a family physician, recently authored an article published by the institute for Family Studies. In this article, Sax notes that this same trend can be seen in the recent Scripps Spelling Bee and other high-profile competitions. The children of immigrants are quickly rising to the top.
“This is a big deal,” Sax writes, “because it’s a recent development. Traditionally, children of immigrants were more likely to struggle,.” Sax explains how, during his own doctorate training he was taught that “immigrant status was a predictor of bad outcomes for children.” But, this is no longer true.
Sax believes there are three characteristics of immigrant families…
