born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
We all know the feeling of something being out of joint. A love that will not settle. A desire that promises life and delivers restlessness. Most people carry this quietly into the week. We learn to manage it, rename it, or baptize it with softer language. Scripture does not rush past that ache. It pauses... Continue Reading →
My friend Cecelia recently posed a thought-provoking question about the Hebrew words for 'breath' in the creation account. It's worth exploring. Most of us move through our days without noticing our breathing: until anxiety tightens the chest, grief catches the throat, or exhaustion shortens what once felt free. We carry the quiet fear that our... Continue Reading →
This photograph shows the ruins of the Roman theater at Sebaste, rebuilt by Herod the Great on the site of ancient Samaria in the late first century BCE and renamed for Augustus. Archaeological evidence suggests it dates to the early Roman Imperial period and hosted dramatic performances, civic gatherings, and public ceremonies. These theaters shaped... Continue Reading →
Papyrus 87 (𝔓87), Philemon 13–15. P. Col. theol. 12, Köln, Institut für Altertumskunde. CSNTM. Paul writes from prison with an impossible request. He is sending back a runaway slave named Onesimus to his master Philemon, asking him to receive Onesimus not as property but as a brother. Under Roman law, Philemon had absolute authority over... Continue Reading →
Lunch in Samaria, 2022 @Phillip W. Martin As Thanksgiving approaches, I have been thinking some about two moments from my early years. In 1994 I lived in Palestine, Texas, and received an invitation from Mom Brown. She was the mother of my mom’s high school friend, but after her daughter passed she became a bonus... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 