The phrase "prayer warrior" has come into wide use in the religious world in past years, and while I've never really been that crazy about the term myself, it clearly resonates with people. It's a phrase that seems to me to describe someone who prays regularly and with purpose, convinced that a petition to God will truly bring results. It … Continue reading Knowing Jesus: Jesus prayed like someone was listening
When we think of Jesus, we think of someone who was meek and mild. Drawings of Jesus almost always show him with a tranquil, calm, almost placid expression. We see him as being infinitely patient, perpetually kind, always speaking graciously. We don't spend much time talking about the angry Jesus. The Jesus who didn't speak … Continue reading Knowing Jesus: Jesus got angry
The more we know, the more jaded we often become. And as society has changed over time, our need for heroes has changed as well. There was a time when we wanted people that we could look up to—who were just better than we were in some way, usually in terms of their character. But as time … Continue reading Knowing Jesus: Jesus did not sin
One of the things that becomes evident when you spend time in a large urban environment is that there are a lot of people. But sometimes there aren't a lot of "people." We walk through crowds on the way from Point A to Point B. We are surrounded by faces and bodies whose paths just … Continue reading Knowing Jesus: Jesus noticed individuals
One of the most significant things that we know about Jesus is seen in the only story we have of his childhood. Jesus' parents discover that he is missing from the family caravan leaving Jerusalem, and eventually he's found in the temple (Luke 2:46-47), "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard … Continue reading Knowing Jesus: Jesus depended on scriptures