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Houghing and uh-oh-ing

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The lanky surgeon leaned back on his stool. His feet touched the floor. His head touched the wall. Thus elongated, he grimaced, then pronounced, "it's avulsed." 

"Avulsed," of course, is doctorspeak for "you ripped that sucker clean off the bone."

A frontier tabernacle

A frontier tabernacle

Sunday schoolers and Raiders of the Lost Ark fans know that the presence of God was once associated with the Tabernacle. According to the biblical text, this frame and fabric structure was constructed in a special moment in time. Israel was moving to a new frontier. As the people packed or pitched their tents, so too, their God.

Sheep goats of the sky

Sheep goats of the sky

Given the prominence of the phrase "sheep and goat" in the Bible, the propensity of contemporary herders to run "sheep and goat" together in the biblical heartland, it is striking to find "sheep and goat" together at the top of the Rocky Mountains. However, one must be cautious in carrying the analogy too far. 

Where east kisses west

Where east kisses west

Maps produced at the start of the 16th century reflect the ongoing struggle between ancient, medieval, and modern perspectives. The surge of incoming data challenged traditional thinking. Mariners found themselves blinking at fresh charts under the Atlantic sun even as mapmakers in Europe scrambled to update graphic blends of fact and faith. 

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Personal security

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International travel is riskier than sitting in your pajamas in the living room with the curtains closed. Of course, if you are eating an entire bowl of cheese dip with a spoon while watching Netflix . . . well, never mind. Deep down, you want to go outside and play. Maybe even visit the lands of the Bible. But you are afraid. So let me help. Wipe the dip from your chin and read on.

Christmastide pilgrims

It may seem odd to be thinking about pilgrims at Christmastide. But it is fitting. Pilgrimage is for every season. There is never a wrong time to undertake a journey for the purpose of encountering God. Most pilgrimages are unexpected and topsy-turvy experiences. Sometimes they get messy. Ask Paul the Apostle. Whom did he expect to meet on the road to Damascus? Or ask the Christmas shepherds. After they heard the angelic announcement, they said:

"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened" (Luke 2:15).

Progress Report

Surviving the end of a semester is always a difficult thing. Students say it; teachers can say it too. Papers are due. Tests must be created, administered, graded. Administrative meetings multiply. Then the copy machine jams.

Complicating the end of this semester for me is the challenge of preparing a course for the next round. 

Fam Trip, January 9-19, 2017

Sometimes a too-good-to-be-true deal is exactly that. Not this time.

The Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies has pulled out the stops in designing a unique educational experience for professors, pastors, and their spouses. It has all the earmarks of our regular study-tour, minus the sticker shock (well, you might be shocked, but not that way!).