Covenant Meals Genesis 14.18-20 After Abram's victory, Melchizedek the priest-king brings out bread and wine and blesses Abraham. This act of sacrificial hospitality inaugurates a covenant of peace. Melchizedek's bread-and-wine offering foreshadows Christ the eternal priest and "bread of life" (Heb 5.6), pointing forward to the Eucharist. Genesis 26.29-30, Isaac and Abimelech solemnize a peace... Continue Reading →
Texas Chili ~ Mrs. Bessie Timmons (Queen B)
The recipe in my mom’s handwriting. Ingredients 5 lbs medium ground beef 3 cups grated onion Seasoning mix 3 tbsp salt 5 tbsp chili powder 4 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp cumin 1 tsp oregano Other additions 2 qts tomato juice 2 to 4 dried red chiles Instructions Spread the ground beef loosely across the bottom... Continue Reading →
Colossians 4.7-18, Partners in the Mission
Image Credit: Todd Bolen, bibleplaces.com. A series of mineral springs on the southern edge of ancient Hierapolis were popular then and now for bathing. Because Hierapolis is no longer inhabited, these springs are known by the name of the nearby modern town, Pamukkale. Paul closes his letter to the Colossians not with lofty argument but... Continue Reading →
Job 1.20-22, Worship with Ashes on Your Head
Figurine of a kneeling, shaven-headed man from Egypt’s Late Period (664–332 BCE), copper alloy, housed in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities, Musée du Louvre, inventory no. N 1593 The story of Job confronts us with raw grief, deep trust, and worship. In Job 1.20-22, we see a man who has lost all: his children, his possessions,... Continue Reading →
Moyer 1, Martin 0
Arthur Köpcke. Reading Work Piece No. 10: fill with own imagination. 1962 MOMA Yesterday I learned a new word, or rather, I learned how to pronounce one. Not a rare word, not something buried in ancient texts, but a word I may have encountered countless times without ever hearing it spoken aloud: academician. When a... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 