My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)—Colossians 4:10 (NIV)
In Acts 13, we meet John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, Paul’s friend and partner in spreading the gospel. But our first impression of Mark isn’t a good one.
From Paphos, Paul and (more…)
Over the past four years, I have lost many loved ones. Those losses—along with a recent 40-year high school reunion that reminds me of my advancing age—often lead me to think about the reality of death. Lord willing, I have another 30 years or so on this earth. But that means most of my life is behind me. That is sobering, (more…)
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.—1 Corinthians 4:16
I never looked like anyone in my birth family. My mother had medium brown hair, dark skin and blue eyes; my sister was blond, blue-eyed and big-boned; then there was tiny little black-haired, green-eyed me. “You must be adopted,” I heard more than once—from extended family members, no less.
In fact, everything about (more…)
When Christians suffer, one of the first things you may hear them say is, “When I go to be with Jesus, I’ll ask Him why this had to happen.” I’ll avoid such weighty philosophical musings so I don’t find myself being chastised the midst of a whirlwind, but I do have a questions of my own.
So, Jesus, I was wondering: