Jesus Christ the Righteous One

1 John 2:1 begins by saying that the reason for John’s letter is so that we don’t sin. However if (and this will be the case) we do sin, we have an advocate. Our advocate isn’t just anyone–we need a special advocate since we have sinned against a special being. Our advocate is Jesus Christ, the righteous one. Every part of this title is important. Jesus, which comes from the Hebrew name, Joshua, means salvation; our advocate is our savior. Christ refers to the fulfillment of one who was promised to bless all the nations. Our advocate was chosen from the beginning specifically for this purpose. The righteous one–for only a righteous man may stand in the presence of God in order to be an advocate. Our advocate is adequate for His role. So if you sin (and you will) go to God in faith. The one who speaks in your behalf is the one who is chosen and capable of saving you from your sin.

No Darkness Whatsoever

1 John 1:5b can be translated “God is light and darkness doesn’t exist in Him even slightly.”

WYRW XXXIV

Episode thirty-four of Would You Rather Wednesdays. For more WYRW click on over here.

Bedtime Stories: Teacup

Once upon a time, there was a princess who loved drinking tea. When she woke up in the morning she drank a cup of tea while she took a bubble bath. Breakfast time? Breakfast tea! Time for gardening means time for green tea. Hosting parties was just an excuse for her to invite friends over so she could have tea with them. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for her to have tea even SIX times a day!

Seeking First the Kingdom

I am sharing this extended quote from David Allen Black’s book Running My Race: Reflections on Life, Loss, Aging, and Forty Years of Teaching. It comes in the middle of the section on Aging (pages 94-95 if you’re reading along). The words below will speak for themselves. If you’re looking for a book to challenge how authentically you are living your life (and who isn’t, right?), I highly recommend this book.

WYRW XXXIII

Episode thirty-three of Would You Rather Wednesdays. For more WYRW click on over here.

Translating the Twelve: Hosea 2:24-25

This week’s “Translating the Twelve” is Hosea 2:24-25 (2:22-23 in English)

24 וְהָאָ֣רֶץ תַּעֲנֶ֔ה אֶת־הַדָּגָ֖ן וְאֶת־הַתִּיר֣וֹשׁ וְאֶת־הַיִּצְהָ֑ר וְהֵ֖ם יַעֲנ֥וּ אֶֽת־יִזְרְעֶֽאל׃
25 וּזְרַעְתִּ֤יהָ לִּי֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וְרִֽחַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־לֹ֣א רֻחָ֑מָה וְאָמַרְתִּ֤י לְלֹֽא־עַמִּי֙ עַמִּי־אַ֔תָּה וְה֖וּא יֹאמַ֥ר אֱלֹהָֽי

Why is Grandma Digging a Hole: 8 Reasons

My grandmother emailed me the other day that she was digging in her backyard and called the utility marking people beforehand. The man asked her a series of questions including “why are you digging?” She found this to be a personal matter and convinced the man that he didn’t need to know why she was digging. “But” she wrote, “you could practically hear the wheels turning.” We both got a kick out of that and decided it would be a good idea to come up with the eight most plausible reasons a grandmother might be digging a hole in her backyard. Without further ado, 8 Reasons Grandma is Digging a Hole (in no particular order):

Which Thomas Child Are You?

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is finally here. You can click this link to find out which Thomas Child you most resemble.

One Day Old: A Parody

A parody of One Day More commemorating our 2nd daughter’s birth (music video to come shortly–j/k)