One of the things I’ve noticed during my years in school both as a student and as a teacher is that most teachers are skilled at breaking a subject into little pieces so that it becomes easier to understand. But I’ve also noticed that there are very few teachers able […] Read more
If you have read Paul’s letters you may know that Paul often concludes with greetings to people in the church and some version of the phrase “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.” But James does no such thing. His last words make his letter feel less like […] Read more
This week’s passage, James’s second-to-last layer of his letter, revisits a topic he initially discussed back in James 1:2-8. A quick read of that passage will remind you that was where James first introduced the subject of suffering and told his readers to remain steadfast in their seeking of God’s […] Read more
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth […] Read more
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, […] Read more
I’m often a little slow to pick up on things. For instance, it was only after I had been teaching a class on the book of Acts for a few years before I realized that the early church actually sprouted in two locations, not one. Jerusalem is the obvious first […] Read more