His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence -- 2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

The machine of marketing is constantly running in our culture. Do you need more or something that’s bigger, faster, cooler, better, or cleaner? Then get, get, get. What we need and what we want becomes conflated. And after a while an expectation is built into us that drives us. Contentment is almost impossible to find. This kind of marketing is not exclusive to things. Go to a Christian

Most of the time we are silent and imprisoned in a maze of self-consciousness. But when we do muster up the courage to speak about our faith, often we are unsure about what to say. We are afraid of an argument or idea that we have never heard of. We think we need every answer. And we fear that they may really look at us. One peek behind the curtain of our life will reveal the mess. Is that you?

Read more

For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” -- Acts 24:5-8 (ESV)

Revolutionary! Cult Leader! Blasphemer! These were charges leveled at Paul by the Jewish establishment lawyers. These weren’t new allegations. The crowd at Thessalonica had called Paul and his companions, ‘men who had turned the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6). Riots and revolution did seem to follow them everywhere.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”  -- Acts 23:11(ESV)

And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. -- Acts 28:15-16 (ESV)

I’ve heard people say that they were looking for God’s will. When they say it, I think of Indiana Jones. If they look hard enough, decipher the clues, and avoid the booby traps then, just maybe, they will find it. Just make sure you use the right amount of sand to offset the weight of that idol. This kind of quest comes with the assumption that if we could discover God's specific and exact hidden plan, then life would be easy peasy. But I have a feeling that if God laid it all out in vivid detail to us, our response would not be joyful embrace, but screaming and running in terror.

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. -- Acts 24:14-15 (ESV)

The Old Testament. Do we really need it? Is it that important? It has some great stories and it contains some beautiful poetry. But after all, it is Old.

That’s the attitude that I think many of us take to 2/3 of our Bible, if we aren’t quite sure what to do with it. We sort through it for examples both positive and negative. We shake our head at the rebellion and disbelief of the nation of Israel. And we stumble and fumble through the Law. But do we believe it? Paul considered himself a good Jew. And in his testimony before Festus and the Jewish council, declares his belief and trust in the Older Testament.