It appears that Lydia was an immigrant and former slave. To begin with, she shared her name with a region of Asia Minor known for her occupation: the production of purple...

We jump into the Acts narrative shortly after the Council of Jerusalem where, guided by the Holy Spirit, the early church agrees to include Gentiles in its community of Jewish Christians...

While John 14 graces us with a blessing of peace, it also holds us accountable. Before Jesus speaks of peace, before he promises the Spirit, he reminds his followers that truly...

As someone intimately familiar with anxiety, I always feel a bit defensive when it comes to Bible passages like John 14. They remind me of how scripture has been weaponized to...

One of my earliest memories from the church is the pastor standing in front of the congregation in his black preaching robe, billowing sleeves swaying beneath his extended arms, reciting the...

Right before Jesus’ farewell discourse to prepare the disciples for his death and departure from the community (John 14:1–17:26), Jesus gives them a deceptively simple commandment: “Love one another.” He doesn’t...

Have you ever read a Choose Your Own Adventure book? As the name suggests, you make decisions along the way that determine how the story ends. Sometimes it is clear what...

The Bible is not a novel or a mystery story that is ruined by reading the ending first. Nearly everyone now knows the story of Jesus before they read the Bible,...

The period between Easter and Pentecost is referred to by some Christians as the Great Fifty Days. It is often a time for followers of Jesus to contemplate and practice how...

“Are you kidding us, Peter?” The circumcised early Christians criticized Peter and demanded he explain why he dared to eat with “those Gentiles,” who might have accepted the word of God...