Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller. for Saturday, 24 February 2018
Q Why do you think Paul was so bitterly opposed to fellow Jewish Christians who sincerely believed that Jesus wanted people to continue to honor and obey the Jewish laws that God gave them through Moses (Galatians 2)? After all, Jesus himself had probably observed them throughout his life.
A Paul taught that Jesus changed everything, and that the agreement God had with the Jewish people had expired and was replaced with a new agreement with all people. Bible experts refer to those agreements as the old covenant (based on obedience to Jewish laws in the Old Testament) and the new covenant (based on faith in Jesus and guidance from the Holy Spirit who writes God’s laws on each person’s heart).
Paul seemed to know that if his opponents won the argument, Christianity would simply have become one more group in the Jewish religion. There would be Pharisees, Sadducees, and Christians. And they would all be Jews who felt obligated to observe all the ancient Jewish laws. But Jesus told Paul that it was time to bring the non-Jews into God’s family. The Lord said about Paul, “I’m giving him the job of taking my teachings to non-Jews, kings, and Jews alike” (Acts 9:15).
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Galatians
Preview of atlas maps for Galatians
Download Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Galatians
Casual English Bible
The post What’s wrong with Christians observing Jewish laws? appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
Recent Articles:
- Time to shut up, time to speak up
- “You wanted to hurt me…God wanted to help me”
- Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday?
- Love’s not snooty
"Time to shut up, time to speak up" by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
WHAT A WRENCHING YEAR for Christians who follow the news and who believe that we should help make the world a better place.
Yesterday was a tough day, too.
We lost the Rev. Billy Graham.
In addition, many of us listened to teenagers talk about what they experienced in the recent mass murder at their high school in Florida.
- How can those kids escape PSTD, posttraumatic stress disorder, shot out of the barrel of a semi-automatic weapon of war?
- And if they survive that, how can they escape PSTD shot out of the mouth of politicians?
As I listened to them, it actually crossed my mind that we grownups might do well to just turn the reins over to the kids now. Because we’ve blown it. And continue to blow it.
The kids look like their hearts are in the right place, while it looks as though our generation of political leaders has no heart at all.
Good, bad, or ugly, we’ve learned to do what it takes to get what we want.
We’ve sold justice to the rich, who can afford the best lawyers.
We’ve cut the safety net for those at greatest risk.
We know nothing of orphans.
As for widows, they can take care of themselves.
That’s exactly the opposite of what we’re supposed to do.
“Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah 1:17 NLT
A modern equivalent of orphans and widows in Bible times would be anyone who’s powerless to help themselves, and who needs someone to defend them. High school kids facing down an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle come to mind.So do DACA folks, kids who grew up here after their parents brought them in illegally. We’re going to kick them out? Really?
One thing I’ve learned as I’ve worked my way through paraphrasing more than half the New Testament for the Casual English Bible is this: faith isn’t silent.
“You empty-headed person, how about I teach you something? I’ll prove to you that the faith of a person is useless if the person doesn’t do anything to help others…A body that doesn’t breathe is a corpse. Faith that doesn’t get up and go and do good things is just as dead” (James 2:20, 26 Casual English Bible).
I think Billy Graham would say “Amen.” He would not add, “…and pass the ammunition.”The post Time to shut up, time to speak up appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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“You wanted to hurt me…God wanted to help me” by Stephen M. Miller Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
Q When Joseph’s brothers apologized again for selling him into slavery, Joseph said: “You wanted to hurt me. I know that. But you need to know something, too. God wanted to help me and many others as well. He turned the bad thing you did into something good. He used it to save many people” (Genesis 50:20). Really? Did God somehow coerce Joseph’s 10 older brothers to sell him into slavery? Or did God take that terrible situation and somehow turn it around into something helpful?
A Most Christians would rather not think of God causing a bad situation. They would rather think of him as being able to take a bad situation and turn it into something helpful and healing. Yet, as the Bible teaches it, God sometimes nudges people toward behavior they might not necessarily follow otherwise: “The Lord told Moses, ‘When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go’” (Exodus 4:21 NLT). The king’s refusal to let the Jews go is what prompted the famous 10 plagues of Egypt, which displayed the power of God.
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Genesis
Preview of atlas maps for Genesis
Download Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Genesis
Casual English Bible
The post “You wanted to hurt me…God wanted to help me” appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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“You wanted to hurt me…God wanted to help me” by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.Q When Joseph’s brothers apologized again for selling him into slavery, Joseph said: “You wanted to hurt me. I know that. But you need to know something, too. God wanted to help me and many others as well. He turned the bad thing you did into something good. He used it to save many people” (Genesis 50:20). Really? Did God somehow coerce Joseph’s 10 older brothers to sell him into slavery? Or did God take that terrible situation and somehow turn it around into something helpful?
A Most Christians would rather not think of God causing a bad situation. They would rather think of him as being able to take a bad situation and turn it into something helpful and healing. Yet, as the Bible teaches it, God sometimes nudges people toward behavior they might not necessarily follow otherwise: “The Lord told Moses, ‘When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go’” (Exodus 4:21 NLT). The king’s refusal to let the Jews go is what prompted the famous 10 plagues of Egypt, which displayed the power of God.
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Genesis
Preview of atlas maps for Genesis
Download Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Genesis
Casual English Bible
The post “You wanted to hurt me…God wanted to help me” appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
Recent Articles:
- Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday?
- Love’s not snooty
- Suffering of Jesus begins again
- James is live & lively
"Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday?" by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
I’VE BEEN WAITING nervously to release tomorrow’s newsletter/blog.
For today, I simply wanted to let you know the newsletter is coming tomorrow. And it’s coming with a new video, which is why I’m uneasy.
This video is the most personal and heartfelt video I’ve ever done. I’m releasing it tomorrow on purpose, at the start of Lent, our 40-day countdown to the crucifixion. You’ll understand why before you get very far into the video.
Just one warning: Don’t watch the video at work, on the bus, or in a waiting room.
There’s other stuff in the newsletter. Some funny, such as the perplexing quote from my two-year-old grandson who asked to see “Papaw’s tummy on TV.”
You can read about it in tomorrow’s newsletter. But I imagine you’re smart enough to know that a line like that isn’t going to end well for me.
The post Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday? appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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"New video & newsletter: from Christian author Stephen M. Miller 😊 Stephen M. Miller, Christian author - Newsletter of Christian author Stephen M. Miller. Steve writes easy-reading books about the Bible.
It doesn't feel right...Valentine's Day on Ash Wednesday.
One day is about singing love songs, eating chocolate, and smooching.The other is about remembering a dead man walking. Today starts Lent, a 40-day countdown to the Crucifixion.
I'm sure my pastor can find a sermon in here somewhere.
But all I can do is grab some chocolate and follow Jesus to Jerusalem.
Happy Valentine's Day. I think Jesus would be okay with that. He loves us.
What do you know. There's the sermon.
Don't watch this video at work, on the bus, or in a waiting room somewhere. It's heavy and it's real.
Many Christians give up something for Lent. Candy, pop, or movies at the theater. It's an attempt to connect with the suffering of Jesus, as if giving up Coke for 40 days could do that.
I don't give up anything.
The Two Deaths video tells the story of why.
It is with incredible hesitation that I put this out there. The story is sacred to me and intensely personal. Yet it's a story I have felt compelled to tell.
On YouTube, I've turned off the comments option, which, I'm told will limit it's reach. But I've done it anyhow because there are too many damaged souls out there saying vicious things. I can take it with other videos, books, and articles I release.
But not with this video.
Every season of Lent—from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday and on to Easter—I relive the story I've called Two Deaths. It's how I connect with the suffering of Jesus.
News briefs
Book resurrection
One day is about singing love songs, eating chocolate, and smooching.The other is about remembering a dead man walking. Today starts Lent, a 40-day countdown to the Crucifixion.
I'm sure my pastor can find a sermon in here somewhere.
But all I can do is grab some chocolate and follow Jesus to Jerusalem.
Happy Valentine's Day. I think Jesus would be okay with that. He loves us.
What do you know. There's the sermon.
Many Christians give up something for Lent. Candy, pop, or movies at the theater. It's an attempt to connect with the suffering of Jesus, as if giving up Coke for 40 days could do that.
I don't give up anything.
The Two Deaths video tells the story of why.
It is with incredible hesitation that I put this out there. The story is sacred to me and intensely personal. Yet it's a story I have felt compelled to tell.
On YouTube, I've turned off the comments option, which, I'm told will limit it's reach. But I've done it anyhow because there are too many damaged souls out there saying vicious things. I can take it with other videos, books, and articles I release.
But not with this video.
Every season of Lent—from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday and on to Easter—I relive the story I've called Two Deaths. It's how I connect with the suffering of Jesus.
News briefs
Book resurrection
The publisher has retired Who's Who and Where's Where in the Bible for Kids, after selling more than 150,000 copies. Rights have reverted back to me. I'm in the process of resurrecting the book, possibly in time for Christmas.
Casual English Bible
Casual English Bible
More than half the Casual English Bible New Testament is paraphrased, with accompanying maps and Q&A leader's guides. Done: Luke, Acts, all the writings of Paul, Book of James. Genesis is finished, too. This is a beta project that I've been working on for more than a year. People ask why another Bible paraphrase. It's because I want to do it and life is too short not to do something we feel compelled to do.
2 more grandkids this summer
2 more grandkids this summer
This will make four grandkids age 2 or under, within a 15-minute drive. Marvel needs a new character: Super Grandpa. He wears a fedora, suspenders, and New Balance walking shoes. Diapers don't stand a chance. Not with Super Mammy backup.
Gone viral: What Romans said about crucifixionThis short video I did went viral. Over 940,000 views. Comments by atheists were wrenching. They insist there's no Jesus and refuse to accept Roman documents that mention him. Some critics were crazy-nasty about it. I had to report one gent to the FBI.
James is live & lively
Gone viral: What Romans said about crucifixionThis short video I did went viral. Over 940,000 views. Comments by atheists were wrenching. They insist there's no Jesus and refuse to accept Roman documents that mention him. Some critics were crazy-nasty about it. I had to report one gent to the FBI.
I just finished paraphrasing James for the Casual English Bible. it's the most fun I've had so far, in this project. And I've already finished all the letters of Paul along with Genesis, Luke, and Acts.
James is a fun book to read, teach, and paraphrase. Not so much fun to live.
"When hard times come, I want you to look on the bright side" (James 1:2).I'd really rather not right away. Let me wallow in pity first. Thank you.
"I can tell you what God sees as the purest religion. Here it is: Take care of the orphans and widows when they face hard times" (1:27).We have Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Bible study. We aren't really set up for orphans and widows.
"Righteous anger? Come on. Our anger has nothing to do with God’s righteousness. It doesn’t come from righteousness and it doesn’t go there" (1:20).Now that comes as a surprise. What am I supposed to do? Not get angry? Clearly, James has never watched a KU basketball game, eaten cold pancakes at IHOP, or met the relative who shoplifts when she visits.
Grandpa Steve's picture album
I SURVIVED MY FIRST TWO YEARS as a grandpa with a grandson and a granddaughter born 2½ months apart.
"You need to hit the reset button."
That's what my son told me a few weeks ago when he announced that his wife was pregnant and due in July. That announcement came a few weeks after my daughter announced that she was pregnant and due in June.
That will make four grandkids living within a 15-minute drive.
I told my daughter-in-law that I have only two knees for kids to sit on.
My wife was standing nearby. No hesitation. She said, "I have two knees."
Grandson Owen is going to have a brother this June, good Lord willing.
Granddaughter Elise looks stylish in her floppy hat. This is my favorite photo of her, so far. She should have a brother or sister by July.
Go ahead, try to take his picture. Last week he started saying, "Papaw's tummy on TV." I asked his dad to interpret. He said that last week the boy saw the video of his brother inside his mommy's tummy. Now he wants to see the video of the baby inside mine. His mother later corrected her husband. She said their boy calls all family-related videos "Papaw's." So he was actually asking to see the video of his little brother again. That was a load off my gut.
The church I grew up in would not have approved of my granddaughter's dancing. The sanctuary is now a parking lot for a used car dealership. And the education wing is "A Friendly Neighborhood Bar." Dosey-doe, granddaughter.
3D Maps and Bible study guides
I'VE BEEN ADDING FREE MAPS to every Bible book I've been paraphrasing for the Casual English Bible.
With each book there's also a PDF leader's guide with high-definition maps in an atlas. You can download them for $1.
Below is a sampling of the free online maps. And here's a link that will let you see all of the maps for all of the books: Maps in the Casual English Bible.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE BIBLE
FOR OVER 3 YEARS Amazon has listed the Complete Guide to the Bible as one of the best-selling Bible handbooks.
COMPLETE GUIDE GOES TO PRISON
James is a fun book to read, teach, and paraphrase. Not so much fun to live.
"When hard times come, I want you to look on the bright side" (James 1:2).I'd really rather not right away. Let me wallow in pity first. Thank you.
"I can tell you what God sees as the purest religion. Here it is: Take care of the orphans and widows when they face hard times" (1:27).We have Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Bible study. We aren't really set up for orphans and widows.
"Righteous anger? Come on. Our anger has nothing to do with God’s righteousness. It doesn’t come from righteousness and it doesn’t go there" (1:20).Now that comes as a surprise. What am I supposed to do? Not get angry? Clearly, James has never watched a KU basketball game, eaten cold pancakes at IHOP, or met the relative who shoplifts when she visits.
Grandpa Steve's picture album
I SURVIVED MY FIRST TWO YEARS as a grandpa with a grandson and a granddaughter born 2½ months apart.
"You need to hit the reset button."
That's what my son told me a few weeks ago when he announced that his wife was pregnant and due in July. That announcement came a few weeks after my daughter announced that she was pregnant and due in June.
That will make four grandkids living within a 15-minute drive.
I told my daughter-in-law that I have only two knees for kids to sit on.
My wife was standing nearby. No hesitation. She said, "I have two knees."
3D Maps and Bible study guides
I'VE BEEN ADDING FREE MAPS to every Bible book I've been paraphrasing for the Casual English Bible.
With each book there's also a PDF leader's guide with high-definition maps in an atlas. You can download them for $1.
Below is a sampling of the free online maps. And here's a link that will let you see all of the maps for all of the books: Maps in the Casual English Bible.
Still Amazon's bestselling Bible handbook
FOR OVER 3 YEARS Amazon has listed the Complete Guide to the Bible as one of the best-selling Bible handbooks.
COMPLETE GUIDE GOES TO PRISON
WORKING ON THIS NEWSLETTER I got another email about this book. I'll let you read just part of it.Good Afternoon,
I recently bought the Complete Guide to the Bible for a loved one who at the time was incarcerated in our county jail. During the course of a couple of months, almost a hundred inmates asked to borrow the book from him, and he obliged. When he was released he showed me the book, it's pages worn, dogeared, and almost falling apart.
I learned that these people had spread the word over the entire jail about this amazing book! Some were fortunate enough to read it and others weren't.
I feel God has blessed me with a mission of sorts, to buy as many copies as I can and give them to the jail here. My area is in a drug crisis, and these people are in desperate need of our Lord. I believe providing them with your book will unveil to them the simple path to salvation.
I'm looking for used copies, damaged copies, any available books that don't meet appropriate standards for sale in a book store. I am not asking for any donations. I will pay for the copies. This is an extremely important soul-saving venture I've embarked on for our Lord. Thank you for your time. Any information you can give me is so greatly appreciated! May God continue to bless you and your family. NNSteve talking now: I'm out of giveaway copies of this book, but I've directed the lady to someone I know who works for the publisher and who connect people like this lady to the books they need.
Deluxe leather-bound edition with new maps
Two fav blog articles
HERE ARE TWO POPULAR blog articles I posted during the past few months.
I write new articles every Tuesday and Thursday. The subscription is free. To get them, all you need is a name and an email address. Here's a bonus: I give away free, signed copies of my books every week. Sign me up.
God isn't always invisible
One of the big questions we humans have about God is whether or not he’s anything more than someone’s imagination from thousands of years ago.
As in a piece of fiction that got told over and over so many times that somewhere along the line one well-meaning soul actually believed it.
We church people talk about our personal relationship with God, who we’ve never met in person.
I don’t know what color his eyes are, Read more.
God isn’t always invisible by Stephen M. Miller
ALMOST CHURCH. Walking to the trout stream over dew-drenched grass, my son and son-in-law are on their way to experience a little of God's creation in an Ozark valley nestled among the hills. This valley is a hint of God in a universe of hints. Photo by Stephen M. Miller.
I COMPLAIN TO GOD SOMETIMES.
One of the big questions we humans have about God is whether or not he’s anything more than someone’s imagination from thousands of years ago.
As in a piece of fiction that got told over and over so many times that somewhere along the line one well-meaning soul actually believed it.
We church people talk about our personal relationship with God, who we’ve never met in person.
I don’t know what color his eyes are, or if he has a piercing stare. I don’t know if his hands are rough from shaping mountains, or if he wears sandals with arch support.
I know those things about people with whom I have a personal relationship. But I don’t know those things about God.
I have my moments when I say, right out loud, “Are you there?”
If God is there, why doesn’t he do the right thing and say hello to the world? How is that not the right thing, when so many people don’t believe he exists?
I wish he would do it.
But I don’t know what difference it would make.
Even people who say they believe in him don’t act like it, all too often.
I know the Bible teaches that he came, in a way, when he sent Jesus. That was great, for the generation of people who got to meet Jesus…or who at least got to know someone who knew someone who had known Jesus.
But that’s not our generation.
We don’t know what color eyes Jesus had, or if he had a piercing stare. We don’t know if his hands were rough from shaping wood as a carpenter, or if he wore sandals instead of going barefooted.
Sometimes it’s frustrating as a Christian, living in flesh and blood trying to maintain a personal relationship with a spirit being. The very idea sounds like the pitch for a B-movie in the sci-fi genre.
When God gets physical
Yet there are moments when God gets physical, even today.
I experienced that on Monday. I think I may experience it again this weekend.
On Monday, I sat in the driveway in front of my house. My wife along with my son and his family sat with me. We watched the solar eclipse.
I know that a lot of people can watch something like that and stop short of believing that there is a God behind creation.
On Friday, my son and I will leave for a weekend of fly-fishing with a group of men from my church.
I know that a lot of fishermen can cast their line in the most beautiful trout stream and stop short of believing there is a God behind the design.
As for me, I can see God up high, in a solar eclipse. And I can see God down low, in a valley stream that meanders through the Ozark hills.
I feel the connection then.
You know how you can read a book and feel a connection with the writer, or listen to a song and feel the heart of the musician, or study the photos of a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer and know that you are a kindred spirit?
I would love to look God in the eyes, shake his hand, or tell him there’s no need to take off his sandals when he walks on our carpet, since we have an indoor dog.
For now, I’m grateful I get to see him in the lights of the sky and in the colors and textures of the water below.
Snippets of an eclipseI watched the entire eclipse on Monday.
Here’s the link to a compilation of some photos and video clips I took: Solar Eclipse and How Great Thou Art.
I didn’t cheat. Every image you see is from the two hours I spent under the sun.
We were supposed to see 99.4% of the total eclipse, but about two or three minutes before totality, a bank of clouds rolled in.
They added a drama all their own.
I wish the images were better because what I saw with my eyes and with the zoom lens on my camera was deeply moving.
Blog subscribers who win books this week
Winners now get to choose from a stack of titles, including my most recent: A Visual Walk Through Genesis .
Note to the two winners: send me an email and I’ll give you the full list of books from which you can choose.
The deal’s good for a month, or for as long as I have giveaway books available.
Part one: politics
As I got ready for church on Sunday morning I watched the CNN interview between broadcast journalist Jake Tapper and Stephen Miller, who works for the president. It was a lively, nasty, pretty much repulsive conversation. I think it fairly well represents the past year we’ve experienced. A lot of nasty talking, bullying, and lying.
I went on to church, sat in on a Bible study, enjoyed a worship service, and came home to emails intended for the Stephen Miller who works in Washington DC. There were just three. One in favor of Mr. Miller. Two opposed. Read more.
How would Jesus vote? by Stephen M. Miller
NOT ON THE BALLOT. Some Christians wonder how Jesus would vote in a presidential election like this. Would he vote for the lesser evil or maybe slip off to the wilderness for 40 days?GOD KNOWS how Jesus would handle this presidential election cycle.
Jesus might take the opportunity to spend 40 days in the wilderness. It’s tempting, I know.
Or he might call the candidates by animal names that would describe them. He called King Herod Antipas a “fox” (Luke 13:32 Casual English Bible).
Maybe Jesus would not-so-peacefully protest what’s going on. He flipped the tables of business folks who had set up booths in Jerusalem’s temple courtyard. Then “He drove them out” (Luke 19:45 Casual English Bible).
I’ll tell you what I haven’t been doing.
I haven’t been watching political ads. It doesn’t matter where they come from, they tell only part of the truth, if any. And they program the brain to believe what isn’t true. So far this year, I haven’t listened to any of those ads. (You have to keep the TV remote control handy to pull this off.)
I educate myself by watching the debates, wrenchingly painful as they are this year. As a Christian, I’m embarrassed by what I heard. As an American, I’m ashamed.
Some political pundits say we got to this point because so many of us are stupid.
Perhaps “ignorant” would be a kinder word. But I suspect that “misinformed” would be most accurate. “Brainwashed” would work, too. That’s what a barrage of misinformation does to us.
In an effort to bypass misinformation, I highly recommend the objective news reporting that we can find with the Associated Press app, Reuters, and the BBC.
I’ve read some articles in Christian journals about how we Christians should vote.
The articles ask questions such as “Should we vote for the lesser of two evils?” The closest I’ve come to finding an answer is that we can’t vote for evil at all.
What in the world does that mean?
There are only sinners on the ballot. Is there a point at which a sinner becomes evil?
In previous articles I’ve compared the quotes of Candidate Trump to Jesus Christ, and made the observation that in his quotes, at least, Mr. Trump is often anti-Christ. Though not the AntiChrist.
Donald Trump & the King of Kings
Mr. Trump is not the Antichrist
I’ve also heard him called a sociopath.
I didn’t know what that was, so I looked it up.
MDhealth.com calls it
“a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others.”
This online medical resource, like several others I cross-checked, lists the following traits of a sociopath.
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
Disregard for social norms
Very low tolerance to frustration, a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence.
Incapacity to experience guilt
Markedly prone to blame others or to offer plausible rationalization for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society
The idea of giving this planet’s ultimate power to a person who may have this mental health disorder seems terrifying to me.
Then there’s the other candidate. Mrs. Clinton.
To which many of us would say, “Can’t we come up with something in this country that isn’t another Bush or Clinton? Been there, done that.”
Mrs. Clinton doesn’t come across as the most transparent, authentic, honest person we’d ever want to meet. She might seem more like the rich aunt who moved to Florida because nobody in the family liked her.
Here’s my sad conclusion, based only on the Christians I know. Christianity doesn’t seem to matter much in the voting booth.
Christians afraid of refugees, illegal immigrants, and Muslims will vote for one candidate.
Christians who prefer something closer to life as we know it and the right for women to abort a fetus will vote for the other candidate.
Should Christians vote for the lesser of two evils?
I’m pretty sure God prefers Good to Bad. And when it comes to flawed humans, he might generally prefer Mild to Wild, Defensive to Offensive, and Reserved to Groping.
But I’ve been wrong before.
There’s a song in the Bible that I think might work as a wonderful prayer during these upcoming weeks. It’s a promise from God:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).
God does that all the time.
This time, may we keep our eyes on him and cast our informed votes for the people in cities, counties, states, and the federal government who live the traits we Christians hold dear:
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:23-24).
Casual English Bible
Bible Gateway
Last word
"Rich folks can wallow in their glory—until they glory in their humiliation. They’ll share the fate of a flowering weed...wilt to ugly and drop dead in the dirt."
James 1:10-11 Casual English Bible
Until then, peace to you.
I recently bought the Complete Guide to the Bible for a loved one who at the time was incarcerated in our county jail. During the course of a couple of months, almost a hundred inmates asked to borrow the book from him, and he obliged. When he was released he showed me the book, it's pages worn, dogeared, and almost falling apart.
I learned that these people had spread the word over the entire jail about this amazing book! Some were fortunate enough to read it and others weren't.
I feel God has blessed me with a mission of sorts, to buy as many copies as I can and give them to the jail here. My area is in a drug crisis, and these people are in desperate need of our Lord. I believe providing them with your book will unveil to them the simple path to salvation.
I'm looking for used copies, damaged copies, any available books that don't meet appropriate standards for sale in a book store. I am not asking for any donations. I will pay for the copies. This is an extremely important soul-saving venture I've embarked on for our Lord. Thank you for your time. Any information you can give me is so greatly appreciated! May God continue to bless you and your family. NNSteve talking now: I'm out of giveaway copies of this book, but I've directed the lady to someone I know who works for the publisher and who connect people like this lady to the books they need.
Two fav blog articles
HERE ARE TWO POPULAR blog articles I posted during the past few months.
I write new articles every Tuesday and Thursday. The subscription is free. To get them, all you need is a name and an email address. Here's a bonus: I give away free, signed copies of my books every week. Sign me up.
God isn't always invisible
ALMOST CHURCH. Walking to the trout stream over dew-drenched grass, my son and son-in-law are on their way to experience a little of God's creation in an Ozark valley nestled among the hills. This valley is a hint of God in a universe of hints. Photo by Stephen M. Miller.
I COMPLAIN TO GOD SOMETIMES.One of the big questions we humans have about God is whether or not he’s anything more than someone’s imagination from thousands of years ago.
As in a piece of fiction that got told over and over so many times that somewhere along the line one well-meaning soul actually believed it.
We church people talk about our personal relationship with God, who we’ve never met in person.
I don’t know what color his eyes are, Read more.
God isn’t always invisible by Stephen M. Miller
I COMPLAIN TO GOD SOMETIMES.
One of the big questions we humans have about God is whether or not he’s anything more than someone’s imagination from thousands of years ago.
As in a piece of fiction that got told over and over so many times that somewhere along the line one well-meaning soul actually believed it.
We church people talk about our personal relationship with God, who we’ve never met in person.
I don’t know what color his eyes are, or if he has a piercing stare. I don’t know if his hands are rough from shaping mountains, or if he wears sandals with arch support.
I know those things about people with whom I have a personal relationship. But I don’t know those things about God.
I have my moments when I say, right out loud, “Are you there?”
If God is there, why doesn’t he do the right thing and say hello to the world? How is that not the right thing, when so many people don’t believe he exists?
I wish he would do it.
But I don’t know what difference it would make.
Even people who say they believe in him don’t act like it, all too often.
I know the Bible teaches that he came, in a way, when he sent Jesus. That was great, for the generation of people who got to meet Jesus…or who at least got to know someone who knew someone who had known Jesus.
But that’s not our generation.
We don’t know what color eyes Jesus had, or if he had a piercing stare. We don’t know if his hands were rough from shaping wood as a carpenter, or if he wore sandals instead of going barefooted.
Sometimes it’s frustrating as a Christian, living in flesh and blood trying to maintain a personal relationship with a spirit being. The very idea sounds like the pitch for a B-movie in the sci-fi genre.
When God gets physical
Yet there are moments when God gets physical, even today.
I experienced that on Monday. I think I may experience it again this weekend.
On Monday, I sat in the driveway in front of my house. My wife along with my son and his family sat with me. We watched the solar eclipse.
I know that a lot of people can watch something like that and stop short of believing that there is a God behind creation.
On Friday, my son and I will leave for a weekend of fly-fishing with a group of men from my church.
I know that a lot of fishermen can cast their line in the most beautiful trout stream and stop short of believing there is a God behind the design.
As for me, I can see God up high, in a solar eclipse. And I can see God down low, in a valley stream that meanders through the Ozark hills.
I feel the connection then.
You know how you can read a book and feel a connection with the writer, or listen to a song and feel the heart of the musician, or study the photos of a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer and know that you are a kindred spirit?
I would love to look God in the eyes, shake his hand, or tell him there’s no need to take off his sandals when he walks on our carpet, since we have an indoor dog.
For now, I’m grateful I get to see him in the lights of the sky and in the colors and textures of the water below.
Snippets of an eclipseI watched the entire eclipse on Monday.
Here’s the link to a compilation of some photos and video clips I took: Solar Eclipse and How Great Thou Art.
I didn’t cheat. Every image you see is from the two hours I spent under the sun.
We were supposed to see 99.4% of the total eclipse, but about two or three minutes before totality, a bank of clouds rolled in.
They added a drama all their own.
I wish the images were better because what I saw with my eyes and with the zoom lens on my camera was deeply moving.
Blog subscribers who win books this week
- Hershel Franklin
- Denise Seltzer
Winners now get to choose from a stack of titles, including my most recent: A Visual Walk Through Genesis .
Note to the two winners: send me an email and I’ll give you the full list of books from which you can choose.
The deal’s good for a month, or for as long as I have giveaway books available.
I’m not Trump’s Stephen Miller
THE OTHER STEPHEN MILLER.Does this look like the face of a politician, or a guy trying to paraphrase Romans? Screenshot of Stephen M. Miller.
THIS IS A TWO-PART article. Part religion. Part politics.Part one: politics
As I got ready for church on Sunday morning I watched the CNN interview between broadcast journalist Jake Tapper and Stephen Miller, who works for the president. It was a lively, nasty, pretty much repulsive conversation. I think it fairly well represents the past year we’ve experienced. A lot of nasty talking, bullying, and lying.
I went on to church, sat in on a Bible study, enjoyed a worship service, and came home to emails intended for the Stephen Miller who works in Washington DC. There were just three. One in favor of Mr. Miller. Two opposed. Read more.
How would Jesus vote? by Stephen M. Miller
Jesus might take the opportunity to spend 40 days in the wilderness. It’s tempting, I know.
Or he might call the candidates by animal names that would describe them. He called King Herod Antipas a “fox” (Luke 13:32 Casual English Bible).
Maybe Jesus would not-so-peacefully protest what’s going on. He flipped the tables of business folks who had set up booths in Jerusalem’s temple courtyard. Then “He drove them out” (Luke 19:45 Casual English Bible).
I’ll tell you what I haven’t been doing.
I haven’t been watching political ads. It doesn’t matter where they come from, they tell only part of the truth, if any. And they program the brain to believe what isn’t true. So far this year, I haven’t listened to any of those ads. (You have to keep the TV remote control handy to pull this off.)
I educate myself by watching the debates, wrenchingly painful as they are this year. As a Christian, I’m embarrassed by what I heard. As an American, I’m ashamed.
Some political pundits say we got to this point because so many of us are stupid.
Perhaps “ignorant” would be a kinder word. But I suspect that “misinformed” would be most accurate. “Brainwashed” would work, too. That’s what a barrage of misinformation does to us.
In an effort to bypass misinformation, I highly recommend the objective news reporting that we can find with the Associated Press app, Reuters, and the BBC.
I’ve read some articles in Christian journals about how we Christians should vote.
The articles ask questions such as “Should we vote for the lesser of two evils?” The closest I’ve come to finding an answer is that we can’t vote for evil at all.
What in the world does that mean?
There are only sinners on the ballot. Is there a point at which a sinner becomes evil?
In previous articles I’ve compared the quotes of Candidate Trump to Jesus Christ, and made the observation that in his quotes, at least, Mr. Trump is often anti-Christ. Though not the AntiChrist.
Donald Trump & the King of Kings
Mr. Trump is not the Antichrist
I’ve also heard him called a sociopath.
I didn’t know what that was, so I looked it up.
MDhealth.com calls it
“a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others.”
This online medical resource, like several others I cross-checked, lists the following traits of a sociopath.
Callous unconcern for the feelings of others
Disregard for social norms
Very low tolerance to frustration, a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence.
Incapacity to experience guilt
Markedly prone to blame others or to offer plausible rationalization for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society
The idea of giving this planet’s ultimate power to a person who may have this mental health disorder seems terrifying to me.
Then there’s the other candidate. Mrs. Clinton.
To which many of us would say, “Can’t we come up with something in this country that isn’t another Bush or Clinton? Been there, done that.”
Mrs. Clinton doesn’t come across as the most transparent, authentic, honest person we’d ever want to meet. She might seem more like the rich aunt who moved to Florida because nobody in the family liked her.
Here’s my sad conclusion, based only on the Christians I know. Christianity doesn’t seem to matter much in the voting booth.
Christians afraid of refugees, illegal immigrants, and Muslims will vote for one candidate.
Christians who prefer something closer to life as we know it and the right for women to abort a fetus will vote for the other candidate.
Should Christians vote for the lesser of two evils?
I’m pretty sure God prefers Good to Bad. And when it comes to flawed humans, he might generally prefer Mild to Wild, Defensive to Offensive, and Reserved to Groping.
But I’ve been wrong before.
There’s a song in the Bible that I think might work as a wonderful prayer during these upcoming weeks. It’s a promise from God:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).
God does that all the time.
This time, may we keep our eyes on him and cast our informed votes for the people in cities, counties, states, and the federal government who live the traits we Christians hold dear:
“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:23-24).
Casual English Bible
Bible Gateway
Last word
"Rich folks can wallow in their glory—until they glory in their humiliation. They’ll share the fate of a flowering weed...wilt to ugly and drop dead in the dirt."
James 1:10-11 Casual English Bible
Until then, peace to you.
***
"Love’s not snooty" by Stephen M. Miller Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
Q Paul tells the Corinthian Christians what love looks like. He does it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, in the Bible’s famous Love Chapter, which is often read at weddings. Which one-liner do you think would resonate best with most people?
A It depends a lot on what people are going through at the moment.
If someone is out of a job and running out of options, one contender might be that love “Never runs out of hope. Never gives up.” (13:7).
If someone is a parent with small kids, this might work: love “looks like patience and kindness” (13:4).
If someone is having trouble forgiving another person, this might give them something to think about: love “doesn’t keep a file on everything you’ve ever done wrong” (13:5).
Here’s the full set of verses to draw from:
“In case you don’t know what love looks like, it looks like patience and kindness. It doesn’t look a thing like jealousy. Or bragging. It’s not snooty with pride.
It’s not rude, either. It’s certainly not a control freak. It doesn’t rub you raw with constant irritation. And it doesn’t keep a file on everything you’ve ever done wrong.
Love doesn’t yell Hallelujah when the bad guys win. But it’ll sing Hallelujah when it hears the truth.
Love has a heart big enough to put up with everything.
Love never runs out of faith.
Never runs out of hope.
Never gives up.
Love never ends.
Prophecies come and go.
Words fade to silence.
Knowledge is forgotten.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Casual English Bible
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1,2 Corinthians
Preview of atlas maps for 1,2 Corinthians
Download Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1,2 Corinthians
Casual English Bible
The post Love’s not snooty appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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"Love’s not snooty" by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.A It depends a lot on what people are going through at the moment.
If someone is out of a job and running out of options, one contender might be that love “Never runs out of hope. Never gives up.” (13:7).
If someone is a parent with small kids, this might work: love “looks like patience and kindness” (13:4).
If someone is having trouble forgiving another person, this might give them something to think about: love “doesn’t keep a file on everything you’ve ever done wrong” (13:5).
Here’s the full set of verses to draw from:
“In case you don’t know what love looks like, it looks like patience and kindness. It doesn’t look a thing like jealousy. Or bragging. It’s not snooty with pride.
It’s not rude, either. It’s certainly not a control freak. It doesn’t rub you raw with constant irritation. And it doesn’t keep a file on everything you’ve ever done wrong.
Love doesn’t yell Hallelujah when the bad guys win. But it’ll sing Hallelujah when it hears the truth.
Love has a heart big enough to put up with everything.
Love never runs out of faith.
Never runs out of hope.
Never gives up.
Love never ends.
Prophecies come and go.
Words fade to silence.
Knowledge is forgotten.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Casual English Bible
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1,2 Corinthians
Preview of atlas maps for 1,2 Corinthians
Download Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1,2 Corinthians
Casual English Bible
The post Love’s not snooty appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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"James is live & lively" by Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller in Olathe, Kansas, United States Bible blog of award-winning bestselling Christian author, Stephen M. Miller.
TWO BIBLE BOOKS would make wonderful fortune cookies.
Proverbs, in the Old Testament
James, in the New Testament
I don’t mean to be disrespectful. But these two books are packed with pithy, wise, and wonderful tips for living a good and godly life.
I haven’t gotten around to paraphrasing Proverbs yet, for the Casual English Bible.But I just finished James and posted it live.
Here are some of my favorite tips from James.
Fortune cookie advice from James
Wisdom boost
“If you feel like you’re a little low in the wisdom category, and you make too many bad decisions, ask God for a wisdom boost” (James 1:5).
Doubters make a splash
“A doubter is like a wave lost at sea. It goes wherever the wind blows. When the storms come, it splashes itself crazy” (James 1:6).
Don’t call it righteous anger
“Righteous anger? Come on. Our anger has nothing to do with God’s righteousness. It doesn’t come from righteousness and it doesn’t go there” (James 1:20).
Don’t count on mercy
“Mercy beats judgment. But I’m telling you if you don’t show mercy, judgment is going to be merciless” (James 2:13).
When faith is a corpse
“A body that doesn’t breathe is a corpse. Faith that doesn’t get up and go and do good things is just as dead” (James 2:26).
Tongue from hell
“The tongue is a flame, set on fire by hell itself. The tongue is a wicked world all its own grafted into the world of our body. It corrupts every part of our body and sets our life on fire” (James 3:6).
Praise God and cuss to high heaven
“No one has tamed the tongue. It’s a wild and bucking evil, spitting killer poison. With this tongue of ours, we praise our Lord and Father. Then we cuss to high heaven those humans made in God’s image” (James 3:9).
Peace plants
“Peacemakers plant seeds of peace. At harvest time they haul in a crop of goodness” (James 3:18).
Arguing over uh-oh urges
“Why do you disagree with each other and get into arguments? I’ll tell you why. Isn’t it because you’re fighting with those uh-oh urges inside you?” (James 4:1).
James
Casual English BibleBible Gateway
The post James is live & lively appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
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