born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
Most of us do not think of ourselves as the bad guys in the story. The tenants in this parable certainly did not. They ran the temple. They knew the Scriptures. They had the right credentials, the right vestments, the right seats at the right tables. When the servants showed up asking for the Owner's... Continue Reading →
Off and on I post pictures from my youth. Throwback Thursday is a gift. What surprises me is how many people want to hide the “uncool” stuff. I was not cool then. I am not cool now. I have made peace with this. I am not ashamed of the dorky, geeky parts of my past,... Continue Reading →
Dead Sea Scrolls fragment (parchment and ink), likely from Wadi Qumran, Cave IV in Palestine, dating to the 1st century AD, acquired in 1956 and now housed in the ISAC Museum. The Logic Problem There is a kind of confidence that has nothing behind it. All hat, no cattle. Someone makes a bold assertion. You... Continue Reading →
Most of us have a moment when the floor goes soft. It is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is three in the morning and you cannot stop running the numbers. Sometimes it is a phone call that rewires your whole week. Sometimes it is just the news, which has a way of feeling like rising... Continue Reading →
I have spent most of my life being almost chosen. As a kid I felt it before I had language for it. Someone else came first. I was the fallback, the one people arrived at after the person they actually wanted wasn't available. I told myself it didn't matter. It did. The pattern followed me... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 