born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
For years, people have repeated the claim that caffeine dehydrates you. The reasoning seems straightforward: caffeine is a diuretic, so coffee or tea must leave you drier than before. This myth has become common knowledge, even though research tells a different story. Caffeine does have a mild diuretic effect, particularly in those unaccustomed to it.... Continue Reading →
Peter Paul Rubens, The Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee, c. 1618-1620, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Jesus’ words in Matthew 6.14-15 are stark. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”... Continue Reading →
Caravaggio. Basket of Fruit. c. 1599. Oil on canvas. Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan. You bear God’s image and share His Spirit. You were made alive for His work, not just working to protect an image. That is the order the Bible gives us. “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed... Continue Reading →
Blake, W. (c. 1805). The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun [Graphite and watercolor over graphite on paper]. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Rosenwald Collection. Accession no. 1943.3.8999. https://www.nga.gov/artworks/11502-great-red-dragon-and-woman-clothed-sunBlake’s Great Red Dragon captures in visual form what Lewis described in words: every soul is destined to become either radiant with glory or terrifying in... Continue Reading →
Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Ishtar gate Imagine being threatened with death in a blazing furnace unless you betray your God. That’s exactly what three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah), faced in Daniel 3. They responded with one of Scripture’s most remarkable statements of faith: “Our God is able to deliver us from the fire…... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 