My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were …

John 7:8:

“…You go to the festival. I am not[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”

The all important footnote:

[a] John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet

It seems strange that many manuscripts omit…

Much of the world is preparing to celebrate. The question is, what’s being celebrated? Children anticipate Santa Claus leaving gifts under a tree, while adults decorate homes with lights, tinsel, and ornaments. We give gifts to people we care about, at…

We all know the famous, dark side of Christmas:

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in acco…

Christmas comes mercifully at a perfect time. It comes at the end of the year and that is especially helpful …