History, Real Life, and Faith
I knew it was a dream as I stood on the balcony overlooking the sweeping view of the Los Angeles harbor. My parents loved that view. I turned and recognized the french doors leading into their condominium. The door stuck slight on the thick carpeting, as always, when I pushed it open. I cocked my head in surprise when the…
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Do you, like the Apostle Paul, have an encourager in your life? Someone who can lift you up when the chips are down and help you start all over again? Who whispers in your ear: “You can do it, you can do it, I know you can!” In this post, I provided a biography of Paul’s companion Barnabas, but the more I thought about Barnabas,…
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Who was Barnabas in the book of Acts? An important member of the early Church, he was one of the Apostle Paul’s closest friends. His name is generally understood to mean “son of encouragement,” and he certainly played that role for the Apostle Paul and others. But who was he and where did he come from? His Levite parents from…
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I got a story idea this morning on the way to church. It hit me and came in only three blocks (my husband was driving). Writers always get asked where story ideas come from. This is an example of how my brain worked this very morning. Driving along and letting my brain roam. Seeing something odd–in this case a man…
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Who was more shocked, Saul or Ananias after that fateful trip to Damascus? Both of them displayed shock, faith and courage in following what God had just dumped into their lives. For his part, Saul/Paul of Tarsus was on a zealous mission to defend the God whom he believed members of The Way–Christians–were blaspheming. He had received warrants to arrest those infidels,…
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Just who was the Apostle Paul of the New Testament? I’m leading a Bible study this spring on Paul’s character and after examining the New Testament itself, I’ve been poking around the Internet. I’ve been surprised. His parents named him Saul, which means “prayed for.” It translates to Paul in Latin. Since Saul was a Roman citizen, he used the names…
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