“Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” (Jeremiah 6:16, ESV) When I first obeyed the gospel, my mother’s first emotion was not... Continue Reading →
When Judgment Blinds Us
Fetti, D. (c.a. 1619). The Parable of the Mote and the Beam [Oil on wood]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Matthew 7.1-5 A man cuts you off in traffic. Instinct says, "He's reckless." But if you cut someone off, you think, "I was late. "Psychologists call this the fundamental attribution error. We explain others' failures by their character... Continue Reading →
Who Is Jesus? in the Gospel of John.
Papyrus P52 (Rylands Library Papyrus P52), containing John 18.31-33 and 37-38. John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester. Public Domain image courtesy of the University of Manchester. Who Is Jesus? in the Gospel of John grows out of my ongoing work, The Messiah in the Margins, a project that traces how the Hebrew Scriptures whisper,... Continue Reading →
Faithful Small Things: On Grace, Boundaries, and Ordinary Holiness
The Angelus by Jean-François Millet, c. 1857-1859. Musée d’Orsay, Paris. “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” (Proverbs 12.11, ESV) On Generational Patterns and Personal Responsibility: Our parents gave us their best, and inevitably, they passed along their struggles. This is the human condition: we inherit... Continue Reading →
1 Corinthians 1.17-25, Wise as Fools
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. … For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1.17,25, ESV) My parents... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 