Acts 17-18:1 Paul was an excellent debater!  He did not just use bold words when speaking to the Athenians — he educated himself about their culture.  He noticed all their idols and took the time to read the names of them.  He even read some of their poetry — and he used his knowledge of them to show them the truth about the Lord.  The crystalline nature of his debate takes my breath away….probably because I am a wordsmith myself.  Too bad debates can’t be handled in writing, my preferred mode of communication. Speaking of words…I am having a difficult … Continue reading Words

Galatians 4-6 Happy Thanksgiving! Freedom from the law is the theme of these chapters that I read tonight. I think that I am a pharisee.  I think I subject myself to many laws that are not necessary and that only serve to cause me anxiety about following them and depression when I don’t. 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the … Continue reading Wanting more Spirit

Acts 15-16 Some of the Jews wanted the Gentile believers to follow the law of Moses and be circumcised.  Others believed that because God had given them the Holy Spirit, they were already accepted by the Lord and didn’t need to follow that requirement. So a big meeting was held with the apostles — it was decided that circumcision was not required for these Gentile believers. But. The very next chapter tells the brief story of Timothy, whose mother was a Jew but whose father was a Greek.  Timothy was a believer, and Paul wanted to take him with him … Continue reading I’m missing something…