born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
*image: Rembrandt van Rijn, The Jewish Bride, c. 1665–9. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Marriage is not about one person getting their way. It is not about power or control. It is not about managing emotions to keep the peace. It is about two people learning to walk with Christ by the way they treat each other. The... Continue Reading →
There’s an old line that says the difference between being naked and being nekkid is intent. Naked means you simply have no clothes. Nekkid means you have no clothes, and you are up to something. It’s a line that usually gets a laugh, but it also draws out something true about how Scripture presents shame... Continue Reading →
W. H. P. Hatch and C. B. Welles, A Hitherto Unpublished Fragment of the Epistle to the Ephesians, HTR LI (1958), pp. 33-37. This Ephesians course was developed to strike a balance between close textual analysis and theological synthesis, guiding disciples to grasp both the literary structure of the letter and its real-world implications. The epistle... Continue Reading →
If your whole identity is built on who didn't want you, what's left when someone finally does? That's the tragedy of the incel movement. It feeds off rejection but has no idea what to do with love. The term "involuntary celibate" began as a raw, honest confession. But over time, it hardened into a belief... Continue Reading →
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6, ESV) We say it to ease tension, to soften the weight of our choices.But when relationships are involved, it is personal. Always. And that’s not a bad thing.Personal doesn’t mean harmful. It means meaningful.It means our words and actions carry weight because... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 