“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”  — Pablo Picasso  “The smartphone is the elevation of the unnecessary.” – Me Our lives could do with more Art. Less Smartphone.  —— So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.         – 2 Cor 4:18

Have you ever reflected on this incredible moment at the foot of the cross: When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” (John 19:26-27a) Can you imagine what John must have felt, being entrusted with such a duty at such a critical hour? (It seems safe to assume the Biblical scholars are correct in understanding “the disciple whom Jesus loved” as John’s way of referring to himself.) There was no hesitation in John’s heart or…

The sign attached to the cross of Christ read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”.  What a fascinating “detail”!  And not only because it was chocked full of the profoundest irony. But also because Pilate’s act rings true to human nature. Some people assume the “King of the Jews” sign was meant to mock Jesus. But John tells us that it was Pilate himself who ordered the sign to be painted and then nailed into place.  And remember – Pilate was convinced Jesus was innocent. He only handed Him over to be crucified because the Chief Priests threatened…

Three times Pilate said to the Chief Priests about Jesus: “I find no basis for a charge against him.” Neither Pilate’s public discussions with the Priests nor his private discussions with Jesus had given him any reason to continue to hold Jesus in custody, much less to execute him. He tried to give Jesus his freedom, but the people demanded Barabbas instead.  Finally the Chief Priests were forced to admit their beef with Jesus: “He claimed to be the Son of God.” (John 19:7) Pilate’s response to this was very curious: When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid.…

The Chief Priests and other officials who brought Jesus to Pilate in the final chapters of John were clearly amateurs in the art of persuasion.  Upon receiving Jesus as a bound prisoner, Pilate asked the priests, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” (John 18:29) They seemed unprepared for the most obvious question they were going to face from the Roman government! Here is their brilliant answer: “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” (18:30) Seriously? This amounts to nothing more than “Trust us – he’s a bad guy. Would we…

Some of my more progressive Christian friends have recently been posting articles written by a well-known progressive pastor. This man seems to consider a majority of conservative Christians to be his enemies. (Especially if they hold a certain former president in esteem to any degree.) He spills a lot of ink denigrating them.  He goes out of his way to stir his liberal audience against these “Pharisees”.  Have you noticed that the accusation of “Pharisee” is deployed in the church in similar ways to how “Nazi” is in the world?  When we Christians search our arsenal for some label to…

A week ago, when my trip to Ghana was postponed unexpectedly, I determined to make the most out of the days – or even weeks – which I had not anticipated being in Columbus, Indiana. I wish I could boast that I had accomplished that goal. It’s been a mixed bag at best. At my best, I was able to make some real progress on my book. I now feel confident that I am on the right track with my current approach. Also, I was able to get a few things done around the house and I made progress on…

Last Monday, after spending several weeks mentally preparing for my trip to Ghana – and a few minutes actually packing for it – I was turned away from the Delta check-in counter. I called my wife to come back to the airport and pick me and the luggage up.  While I waited, I worked on contacting the powers-that-be about postponing my flight so that I would not lose the money paid for the ticket. (Thankfully, I eventually succeeded.) By the time Melissa returned to take me home, I was exhausted. It was about 6:30 pm and I could hardly keep…

I might have mentioned before that recently I have been working on a little book about salvation. I spent a good chunk of this rainy Saturday writing, rearranging, and revising. The document is over 6,000 words now. That’s about 21 pages in Word, single-spaced. If it wasn’t for a class and if I didn’t have a deadline coming at the end of September, I might have chucked the whole thing a couple of different times today. But in the end I was energized by the challenge of organizing the central ideas in the simplest form possible. And I learned some…

On the topic of Christians being hated by the world, missionary Jim Elliot wrote the following: “We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are ‘harmless,’ and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are ‘sideliners’ – coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and…