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MY BAD. I forgot to write Friday’s blog. It’s Thursday’s fault. Some days a writer doesn’t get to write. I had a double whammy: curveballs from an editor, computer drive failure. Editorial surprises I was going to write my quota on the current book …

DID YOU EVER READ someone else’s mail? When you did – not if – did you take it personal? If the writer called the reader something nasty, let’s say: “Babylon, Mother of Whores,” (Revelation 17:5), would you figure he’s talking about you – even though …

I’M AFRAID I’VE GROWN A GUT. I was always a skinny kid. A skinny young man. A skinny middle-ager. But Mom said I would grow gut one day. One Day has come. I’ve just compared my gut size to profile photos of pregnant women. As best I can tell, if I …

NEWSWEEK magazine two days before Christmas published a cover story about the Bible: The Bible: so misunderstood it’s a sin. That article got a lot of my fellow Christians worked up and freaked out. I understand why. They don’t know any better. They …

SHUT YOUR MOUTH. Just so you know right up front, that’s the secret to a happy family  – if family tension I’ve seen in recent years is any indication of the world’s best advice. Year-end holidays seem the perfect time to mention this. When I look at …

DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU there’s no proof Jesus was real. Jesus shows up in Roman and Jewish history books, including two books written during his own century when people who knew him were still alive. Jewish historian, Josephus (about AD 37-101), …

WHEN EVERYTHING STARTED, Jesus was already there. He was the living Word of God. Jesus was with God. Jesus was God. He was right there with God all along. It was with this very Word that God spoke creation into existence. Nothing was made without …

NOT BEING A PREACHER, this isn’t a sermon I’ve preached. And not being someone who lived with a drug-addicted parent, this isn’t a reality I’ve had to wrestle. But it’s a sermon many pastors preach. It’s a reality many souls endure. And today, it’s …

BY “HERO” I DON’T MEAN JESUS. I’m talking about people with skin. Bones, too. You can see their breath when the cold wind blows. This week I had to help someone do a hard thing. I can’t tell you what it is. Family and close friends know …

I’M WORKING ON GENESIS at the moment. Odd, I know, given the Christmas season. But Jesus shows up in Genesis, too. At least that’s what one writer says: In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God…. …

THERE ARE NOTHING BUT GUESSES about what exactly led the wise men to Bethlehem. Clues in the Bible: It pointed toward Israel. The star led them initially to the capital of the Jewish homeland, not to Bethlehem: “Some wise men from eastern lands …

HELLO CHRISTMAS. There’s just one more Friday between us and the biggest holiday on our plug of the planet. When we’ve lived through enough Christmases, we build ghostly memories of Christmas past. There was the Train Christmas. Mom and Dad …