by Encounters in Archaeology | Nov 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
Last time we talked about how Jacob’s character changed as he wrestled with men and then wrestled with God. We have another story of a character change in Simon who becomes Peter. Simon’s hometown is Bethsaida, “house of the fishermen,” which...
by Encounters in Archaeology | Sep 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
There is a condition to answered prayer, although at first it appears to be open ended. In John 14:14 Jesus says, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” But in the next verse he says, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” ...
by Encounters in Archaeology | Aug 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Last time we talked about learning to wait. Besides learning to wait, we also must be pruned. The vinedresser prunes the vine. Prayers that do not allow pruning to be part of the process of getting good fruit, are prayers that cannot be answered. In John 15, some...
by Encounters in Archaeology | Jul 28, 2021 | Uncategorized
In Jesus’ day the people understood the ways that vines grow and they understood waiting for the fruit. Just as the vine waits for the fruit, we must learn to wait for our prayers to be answered. we cannot say, “I want this according to my time schedule,...
by Encounters in Archaeology | Jul 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
The analogy of the vinedresser and the vineyard, found in John 15, is the second most common analogy used by biblical writers to speak of God’s relationship to persons. The most common, of course, is that of the shepherd and the sheep. Both these analogies are...
by Encounters in Archaeology | Jul 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
If we look at Jesus’ life, we see that whenever he had a choice of taking the road that was more predictable, noisy, busy, or easy, or of taking the road that was less secure, he chose the one that was less secure. In Christ we find not only the ideal of what...
