Some call him Sinterklaas. Others Pere Noel or Papa Noel. He’s been known as Hoteiosho, Sonnerklaas, Father Christmas, Jelly Belly, and to most English speakers, Santa Claus. His original name was Nicholas, which means victorious. He was born in AD 280 in what is now Turkey. He was orphaned at age nine when his parents died of a plague. Though many…
Training in the Wilderness: Lessons from Jesus
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. — Proverbs 9:9 Most professional voice coaches recommend not to start vocal training until age thirteen or fourteen. The voice is a product of working the right muscles that develop and mature right along with the rest of the body. For most…
Are You an Outsider?
Located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, Tabgha is the supposed location where Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared a third time to the disciples as a stranger on the shore. For Peter, this was the beach where everything changed. Here, an exhausted, confused fisherman embraced a to-the-death martyr’s calling. On this beach, his shame was washed away,…
Jesus — Completely Human, Completely Divine
She will bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Jesus In the four gospels of the New Testament, it’s His most common name — used almost six hundred times. And a common name it was. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, Jeshua, and Jehoshua —…
Jesus and the Gift of Touch
So, today I’ve been thinking about the gift of touch. It is probably because it’s a cold morning, and I’m sitting here by the fireplace, wishing someone else were sitting here with me rubbing my freezing feet. My heart warms up at the mere thought of physical touch. It makes me happy to hold the…