born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
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 →
BiblePlaces.com. (n.d.). Stone feeding trough (manger), typical of first-century Judea We prefer our saviors at a distance. Close enough to help, far enough not to expose. Scripture offers no such Messiah. It gives us one who comes near and stays. There is no Golgotha if there is no Bethlehem. The cross does not appear suddenly... 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 →
Noli Me Tangere, by Fra Angelico (c. 1440–1441) I think that most of us know the small ache of being misunderstood. Not seen. Reduced to a role that does not quite fit. We carry it from a workplace where we feel invisible, from a home where words land harder than they should, from rooms where... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 