The size of the pool in John 5.2, according to some archeologists, “was trapezoidal in shape, 165 feet (49.5 m) wide at one end, 220 ft. (66 m) wide at the other, and 315 ft. (94.5 m) long, divided by a central partition.” (http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1312) We just had our church picnic Sunday night. It was at Burdette park. So here I am imagining my whole church around the pool, and someone shouting out, “Ok, when I blow this whistle, the first person in the pool gets healed of all of their illness!” What absolute chaos. I told Cindy about that and she said, “I wonder how many people drowned?!” Tags: archeology,...

Jesus said what he meant and didn’t have any tricks-what I mean by this is when Jesus said “your son will live,” He did not mean it in some ethereal/spiritual way that he would be risen from the dead at the resurrection. He meant, “your son will live through this illness.” I know sometimes people pray for healing but then tack on a little “of course we know you may heal by taking them to be with you” statement. When this publican came to Jesus, he was not looking for his son to be healed by dying peacefully-he wanted his son to be HEALED! Sometimes we offer God easier alternatives, such as letting a person die peacefully instead of healing them. God accepts people that are desperate and hopeless, and have no other hope but His healing power. Jesus didn’t give the blind man a seeing eye dog or the paralyzed man a flying carpet. May we also go to God with that desperation...

I just saw a guy at Arby’s fumbling with the ketchup dispenser. He was refilling it and having a hard time getting the nozzle on. The manager walked up, didn’t say a word, put his hands on the nozzle as the guy stepped back, popped it on, and walked off. Never speaking a word. Without saying anything, he talked down to that guy and belittled him a bit. I wonder if people think that God is the same way, doing things but not speaking. Fixing difficulties and walking off with a smirk. Not caring about the person, but satisfied about what He did and how incompetent the little guy is. Praise God He Still Speaks РBut who is teaching us how to listen!? Tags: bible, discipleship,...