"Just reached the summit of Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia. My guide wore socks and sandals and smoked the whole way. And he did it in a sweet fedora." - Joel Richardson
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Tim 5:8)
"Reject those who claim that the Lord comes first as an excuse to neglect other matters of stewardship." - Joel Richardson
John Carr is a good friend friend from my Meadow Lake days. He's put together a really good video series on the minstry and activity of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit: His existence, His personhood, His Deity - https://vimeo.com/506001114 Holy Spirit: Symbols and His work during Old Testament times - […]
The dream of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 is widely regarded as the historical template describing 4 Gentile Empires that follow one another and ultimately lead up to the stone (not cut by human hands) that smashes the feet of this final kingdom. This is followed by the establishment of the […]
It's fairly easy to sit in judgment of first century Pharisees and their rigid observance of Old Testament laws. But I believe it's also possible for modern day Christians to fall into that same spirit of legalism in the observance of New Testament "doctrines". ie. Obedience to an […]
John, quoting Jesus said, "the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things". John 14:26 And towards the end of John's life, he reminded his disciples that "the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that […]
"Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!” So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer." Rev 6:1-2 This is the […]
I think most are familiar with the narrative of Jesus being a "gentle" (Isaiah 42:3), "suffering servant" (Isaiah 53), "riding on a donkey" (Matt 21:1-9). While all these aspects of His nature are true, they present only a partial picture of who He is. There is a […]
As I was reading through John Chapter 12, I came across this verse, which is a quote from Zech 9:9. “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” This quote was in response to Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey a few days before the […]
"My Sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 As I was reading John chapter 10, I remembered this quote from Justin Peters from not that long ago: "Want to hear God speak to you? Read your Bible. Want to hear God speak to you audibly? Read it out […]
An interesting side-note. Jesus spent most of His life in the region of the Galilee. He grew up in Nazareth - a town in the lower Galilee region - see image below. And the majority of His roughly 3 year ministry was also spent in the Galilee region - about 85% of His time by some estimates. The […]
In an attempt to undertake a different approach to personal time in the Word, I've allowed myself to be stuck in John chapter 4 to consider all the layers present in these verses - and there are many. From this encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well, we see an opportunity to teach about […]
I woke up very early today, had my coffee and started reading the book of John with no particular purpose or agenda in mind. John, is probably my favourite New Testament book. I think many new believers are drawn to it initially because it is one of the most "spiritually minded" texts. As […]
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." - Eph 6:12 I suspect the notion of "spiritual warfare" is one of the most […]
Joel Chapter 2 is remarkable. https://biblia.com/bible/esv/joel/2 The context is "The Day of the Lord". Peter saw fit to quote from it directly on the Day of Pentecost at the inaugural outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 50 days after the resurrection: ‘In the last days, God says, I will […]
This is an interesting paraphrase of John 16:5-15 that focuses on the elements pertaining to the activity of the Holy Spirit. Compare it with the original reading. "It’s actually better for you if I’m not here because when I go to the Father, I will send the Spirit of God. He’s going to come […]
The Table of Nations: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness"... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them". Then God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." […]
A lot of the imagery, symbols, and motifs present in the Revelation to John are either explained within the book itself or come from other places in the Bible. Take for example the "woman" in Rev 12. This particular "woman" is a central figure in the book. In this chapter, this […]
Jacob was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham. Jacob had 12 sons, who formed the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. In the Bible, there is a unique time of distress that is described as "Jacob's trouble". "How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time […]
It's easy to look back at history and say "those foolish people... how could they be so easily deceived?" In order for the widespread adoption of false narratives, news media needs to be mostly dysfunctional and ineffective in their role as journalists. In spite of all this, "we know […]
"God’s leadership is pervasive... He not only leads nations, He also leads individuals. He orchestrates the details of our lives. Things you think are your biggest "problems" could in fact be God’s leadership of your life. He could have given you these challenges to produce something […]
Note to dysfunctional world... “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets. A bruised reed He will […]
The Book of Job is an odd book. Widely regarded as probably the oldest book in the Bible, this author predates the author of the first 5 books of the Bible - Moses. There is very little in the way of historical context. All we really know about Job is that he was a man of unusually high moral […]
2Tim 3:1-5 Is perhaps one of the clearest barometers in all of scripture that details conditions during the "last days". "But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to […]
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom 8:14 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" Acts 1:8 Peter was led to quote Joel 2:28-32 when describing the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. […]
I've noticed this about the Book of Isaiah. A person needs to get used to the sweeping time shifts that occur. Not just between chapters within the book, but even between statements within the same chapter. I believe this is intentional. God is laying out a story board of what he will ultimately […]
I woke up very early today and couldn't fall back asleep. So I started to read the book of Isaiah. It never really occurred to me before how remarkably similar the first eleven chapters are to the Revelation to John. Much of the content in these beginning chapters project far into the future. It […]
The immediate verses below seem to be the defining characteristic as we approach the "Day of the Lord". Recent court challenges continue to re-define what was once considered to be normal. And dysfunctional leadership seems to be the order of the day. Why do the nations rage and the […]
What makes the Temple Mount so contentious are the competing views as to the location of the Jewish Temple in relation to the Dome of the Rock. Author and engineer Christian Widener is suggesting that evidence for the location of the Jewish Temple can now be pinpointed with greater accuracy using […]
“You may be the Savior of the world, but I’m still Your mom.” As we approach the Passover/Easter season, here are some thoughts from Mary's perspective worth considering in relation to Jesus' first miracle. "I believe this close connection that mothers often have to their children is designed […]
YPJ is a Kurdish acronym for "women's protection units". They are a Kurdish all-female militia of volunteers that rose up in direct response to ISIS militants who routinely raped, enslaved and tortured innocent women and their children. The YPJ see military peace as a means to an end. They […]
Abraham & Sarah and Hagar: "Both of these parties experienced extreme examples of things not going according to their plan nor their desires". "But the very names of their children are prophetic evidence of who God would be to them forever—His word never comes back void"
Salvation is much bigger than just the personal deliverance from the effects of sin. In the book of Romans, it says that the creation is "groaning" - "waiting eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God." There are glimpses into what that looks like, scattered throughout the […]
“Our lack of intimacy with God is often due to our refusal to disconnect from all communications so that we can be alone with Him”. - Francis Chan I love this quote. I think connectivity can be like a drug that refuses to let you go. One of the most demonstrated activities of Jesus was His regularly […]
