May 24, 2025

“Herod was borne upon a golden bier studded with precious stones of various kinds and with a cover of purple over it… And they went [200 furlongs] toward Herodium, for it was there that the burial took place by his own order” (Josephus, Antiquities, 17.197-199).

The Herodium makes this list due to its intriguing nature. It is the kind of place that you would never think to exist unless you have learned about it before (much like Masada).

Herod the Great out of paranoia built many fortresses and palaces to which he could escape if need arose, yet still live in luxury,. Three miles southeast of Bethlehem was one such location, the Herodium. It was the place Herod was ultimately buried.

A jaunt up a steep incline will bring you into a fortress that Herod built into the very hilltop. At the base of the hill at ground level sat yet another grand palace—because the king shall always lack for nothing!

The Herodium featured many assets, including a bathhouse, a meeting hall, a theater, and a triclinium dining room that Jewish rebels later converted into a synagogue when they took over in AD 70.

Most notably, Herod was buried here. His mausoleum was desecrated and ransacked not long after he was laid to rest, but it was recently discovered by Ehud Netzer in 2007. You can explore an extensive cave network that was used for storage and living, but also served as an escape route. You will typically enter the tunnels from the fortress atop the hill and exit on the hillside by the theater and Herod’s tomb.

A similar structure, the Alexandrium, lies to the northeast along the Jordan rift. It was named after the Hasmonean king, Alexander Jannaeus, in the first century BC. Herod imprisoned his second wife and mother-in-law there, and he buried two of his sons that he had executed, Alexander and Aristobulus.

A visit to Israel will reveal many wonders from every era, and they shed light on how major historical events of the world surrounded the land of the Bible!

–Adam Keim

Week Twenty-One, 2025

But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. Job 23:10

We boarded the elevator and as it descended, everything was dark. We passed the one mile mark and then stopped at the second. We were then two miles below the surface of the earth. It was over a hundred degrees, with friction heat caused by the shifting of the earth’s platelets. We then boarded a mining train and stopped at the source and there it was…… sparkling gold. We watched as they loaded the ore trains to begin the process of removing the ore to the surface.

Gold refining is a process that transforms crude gold, containing impurities, into a highly pure form. We walked through each process. Each ounce of gold recovered requires the processing of about 100,000 ounces of ore…… that’s 3.125 tons. Finally, we got to the pots of melted pure gold and saw it poured into forms where it cooled and could be removed as a gold brick weighing seventy-five pounds. At today’s price, each brick was worth several million dollars. I saw mounds of discarded trash that grew as the refinement gets closer to pure gold.

There is a spiritual parallel here. The gold ore represents our salvation. When we confess that Christ is Lord and are saved, we attain the “gold” of life. It is forever until we stand before Christ at life’s end. It represents a new life we gain to live on earth and pass into eternity.

But then, there is sanctification, a growing process. It is one where we refine our relationship by off-loading the sin and yuck in our life. It piles up as we cast off the impurities in our life…… thoughts, actions, language, habits and all the things that don’t belong in the life of a saved person.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 1 Cor 3:1-3

The Bible uses the refining of gold as a metaphor for spiritual purification and testing. It suggests that trials and hardships can refine and purify individuals, much like how gold is refined by fire to remove impurities. This process of refinement leads to greater spiritual maturity and value, both in this life and in eternity.

Where are you in your refinement process and what do you need to throw out in your life?

Sometimes True Stories

We know that salvation is found only through faith in Christ (cf. John 3:18; 14:6; Acts 4:12). But here’s what many evangelicals get wrong: We lead people to trust in Christ as their Savior but take them no further.

This is like parents who bring a child into the world and then leave it at the hospital. The “new birth” is only the beginning of the Christian life. Jesus wants us not only to be saved from hell, but to experience the transformation only He can make in our lives.

He did not call people to be “believers”, but “disciples,” consistently inviting them to “follow me” (Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21). The Greek means to “walk with me, going where I go.” It describes not just a “decision for Christ” but a lifetime of experiencing Him in an intimate, transforming way. Jim Denison

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No matter what letter may follow their name, those elected into governmental positions and those appointed have embraced only part of what it means to be a public servant. Many are more than willing to adapt to the public part by gravitating to the cameras when on, but nearly all have neglected or completely rejected the servant part.

We have the perfect model of a public servant in Jesus Christ. His ministry was certainly very public, yet His demeanor and actions were that of a servant. And He could have asserted His divine sovereignty at any time.

If Jesus is our model, are you husbands a servant leader to your wife and family? Are you wives a servant leader to your husbands and family? Are you employers’ servant leaders to the needs of your employees? And so on.

Jesus didn’t give up His position of authority to display servanthood. Neither must we. But He was a servant first. And so should we be. Be like Jesus. Rich Jensen

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During your years in school did anyone ever hold up wisdom, discipline and insight as important goals for your life? If you are like me, it never happened. We learn a lot of so-called facts, but there is little attention given to wisdom, discipline and insight. The truth is these three attributes will do more to help our lives than all of the facts we could ever learn. Wisdom will give you the right answers to the questions of our lives. Discipline will form and protect our lives, and insight will give us a great understanding. Remember, God doesn’t expect us to understand everything. He asks us to trust Him! That’s wisdom. Tony Ferguson

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The number of Americans who believe our country is on the right track is now the highest it has been in 21 years.

Quotes You Can Use

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it. Lou Holtz

Our walk with God should always be progressing. Dan Shock

The only thing we should covet is a closer relationship with God. Dan Shock

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. William Penn

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. C. S. Lewis

Some people put religious activity before obedience to the Lord. They are wrong! The Lord wants us to do what is right and just as a first priority! It is really a matter of the heart. If we truly love the Lord, we will do what He says and not try and impress Him and others with our religiosity. We will never regret doing the right thing. Tony Ferguson

If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins. Benjamin Franklin

How different things look when our spiritual eyes are opened. Dan Shock

God has never over-promised or under-delivered. Edgar Aponte

Speech is great; but silence is greater. Thomas Carlyle

Jesus told us that what the world believes to be highly esteemed, is often detestable in God’s eyes. Dwight Short

Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil…. It has no point. Billy Graham

In this time… Choose worship over worry. Choose faith over fear. Choose peace over panic. Pray that God will protect our nation, our families and us as individuals. Marty Stubblefield

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

May 17, 2025

—For a word that only appears once in Scripture, it packs quite an historical punch, for it’s at Gabbatha where Jewish and Gentile leaders sealed Jesus’ fate. “Pilate … brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha” (John 19:13).

—Do you remember what Pilate says next after taking his seat? Not “What is truth?” Not even what for many is his most memorable line, “Behold the Man!” But rather “Behold your King!” (v. 14). Those three words enraged the gathered crowd which then responded with two horrifying words, “Crucify Him!” From there they delivered Jesus to the cross and the rest is His-story.

—King Herod built a first-century palace in Jerusalem that adjoined the western wall of the Old City near its southwest corner. Then he added an outside gate to expedite easy entrance into and out of his palace and to facilitate a quick escape in the event of a local political uprising or any approaching danger. According to the first-century historian Josephus, Herod’s palace complex baffled all description, for “in extravagance and equipment no building surpassed it.” It even contained beds for one hundred quests. Thus, it follows that dignitaries like Pontius Pilate would have chosen the opulence of Herod’s palace during their stays in Jerusalem, and Philo, a contemporaneous Jewish philosopher, notes that Pilate had even dedicated some shields to Herod for his palace. It is evidently here where Pilate stayed during the Passover festivities that preceded Jesus’ crucifixion and just outside this gate where he addressed the chief priests and officers who brought Jesus before him for authorization to move forward with his execution.

—Outside the palace gate archaeologists have made the remarkable discovery of two first-century sections of stone pavement, connected by a staircase. The upper pavement shows evidence of a bema seat, a place of judgment where Pilate or other dignitaries could speak to the crowds gathered outside the palace complex, for Jews in particular would not have dared enter the palace complex of a Gentile ruler, especially one filled with statues of Roman gods (cf. John 18:28). Although tour guides will show you an underground section of stone pavement along the Via Dolorosa inside the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, a consensus of opinion exists among modern scholars that Jesus was condemned to die just outside Herod’s palace gate found in the exterior wall of today’s Armenian quarter.

Life in the Land: The Palestine Viper

—If you don’t like snakes, then might I suggest a move to Hawaii or Ireland (the land of my surname) where you won’t find nearly as many snakes as here in the mainland of the U.S., for example, the 4-foot, gray, rat snake I found not long ago in my laundry room curled around the vent hose of the dryer. You can also find plenty of snakes in the pages of your Bible, including venomous cobras and vipers.

Jesus once referred to the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), which they clearly didn’t take too kindly, and the Bible both starts with a snake (Genesis 3:1) and end with one (Revelation 20:2). The word “serpent” and its plural form appear in roughly five dozen verses with even Solomon fascinated by “the way of a serpent on a rock” (Proverbs 30:19).

—The Palestine Viper, as you might imagine from its name, lives only in the region of Palestine, which has historically included parts of Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. On average they measure between 2½ and 3 feet with a triangular head and large dark blotches along the body. They live in burrows dug by rodents, feeding on the rodents and on fish from ponds. Although highly venomous there is a safe and effective antivenom available, so deaths from their bites are rare. Voted as Israel’s national snake in 2018, they are thought to be the viper mentioned in Isaiah 14:29.

–Daniel McCabe

Life in the Land: My Shofar

—I received it last year as a gift. I always wanted one from Israel, but for some reason I just couldn’t spend the 125 shekels for even an inexpensive one. But now that I have it, I’m quite happy. My first attempt at blowing it, however, confirmed to me that my trombone playing days have passed me by.

—The shofar is a musical instrument, typically made from a ram’s horn, which has been bored out to permit the free flow of air, producing a bugle sound when blown. The shofar first appears in Exodus 19:16 at Mount Sinai where the Lord instructs Moses to make a long, loud blast on a ram’s horn to signal the people to approach the foot of the mountain in order to witness the power of God. Shofars were used to assemble the people for worship or war in ancient times, and today the shofar is blown inside the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

Week Twenty, 2025

But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! (Rev 3:16).

Perhaps you missed it. After all, it is so frequent these days that sometimes the press doesn’t pick it up, like days of old. I remember the banner headlines in every paper in the country when October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, marking the beginning of the Space Age and the space race. Now a satellite launch is commonplace.

Launches are always West to East so that the earth’s rotation helps produce thrust. But last month was different. Rather than launching a space capsule around the earth, SpaceX launched four people to orbit pole to pole, over the top and then to the bottom over and over.

There is a spiritual parallel here. The earth rotates and space routes vary, but the center remains in place. Several years ago, my bride and I went to the equator in Ecuador. We straddled the yellow line, one that remains constant, she in the southern and me in the northern hemisphere.

Jesus calls on us to make a decision. He draws a solid line in our spiritual following. Many Christians have one foot in the world and another in Christ. That’s not what we are called to do. The saying “one foot in the world, one foot in Christ” can be interpreted in a few ways, often referring to a state of being divided between worldly desires and spiritual commitment. It implies a lack of full dedication to either realm, potentially leading to a struggle for balance and stability. Some interpret it as a warning against compromise, while others see it as a reflection of the human experience of living in the world while also seeking spiritual growth.

Which side of the line is your life on or do you one foot in one and another in the other?

Sometimes True Stories

In the New Testament – Jesus made…

132 public appearances – 122 were in the marketplace

52 parables that Jesus told – 45 had a workplace context

Of 40 miracles in the Book of Acts – 39 were in the marketplace

Work, in its different forms, is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible – more than all the words used to express worship, music, praise and singing combined.

Don’t minimize your daily work – it is nothing less than a Holy Calling

God has you right where He wants you… Right now!

Remember – Jesus was a Carpenter most of His adult life. Marty Stubblefield

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The U.S. hit an all-time low ranking in the annual World Happiness Report, tumbling eight spots to 23rd.

Why it matters: Some countries, like Finland and Denmark, consistently rank among the world’s happiest. The U.S. isn’t one of them.

The big picture: A steady supply of studies has found that Americans feel glum about issues ranging from loneliness to the economy and the country’s political leadership.

It’s the first time since the report launched 12 years ago that the U.S. did not rank among the world’s 20 happiest countries.

Between the lines: Gallup, whose data powers the World Happiness Report, pointed to “Americans under 30 feeling worse about their lives” for the steep drop.

Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices, more stressed and less satisfied with their living conditions, Lara Aknin, an editor of the report, told Axios.

People under 30 today also feel less confident in government and have increased perceptions of corruption, she added.

The report also found that older people are now happier than young people in North America — the opposite of many other regions.

Zoom out: Many Americans have expressed low levels of trust in the political system and fears of political violence.

The pandemic also shed light on the high rates of loneliness hitting America’s younger generations.

The U.S. has also been combatting inflation rates that have affected everything from dining out to the real estate market.

By contrast, we know that the “abundant” life we were created to experience is found only in Christ (John 10:10). Asking for material prosperity to make us happy is like asking your car to fly you to Hawaii. That’s not what it was made to do.

Quotes You Can Use

Passion is what drives men and women to desire more than what is expected. It’s a fire in the belly that drives one to go deeper… to try harder… to give that extra push. Marty Stubblefield

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Prayer is about getting God’s will done, not ours. Dan Shock

The person and work of Jesus demands a response from every person. Edgar Aponte

Despite what secularists say, you are not here by chance. You are alive today by the creative act of your Creator. It is by his providence that you were not alive a hundred years ago or a hundred years from now. And God makes no mistakes. Jim Denison

Many professing Christians today seem to have the same curious fascination with evil. Florida Marketplace Ministries

Do you understand that without Jesus you have no hope? Edgar Aponte

When you come to Jesus, your search is over, for you have then discovered God. Dan Shock

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV)

Let’s be honest. You and I have sinned against a Holy God. And a penalty (sacrifice) must be paid to atone for those sins. That sacrifice must be pure, or it would have to pay for its own sin. Jesus Christ, because He led a sinless life was the only one who could pay that price. Rich Jensen

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. Marie Curie

Find Jesus. Find Joy.

Just as God was ready to forgive the Israelites, He is ready to forgive you —no matter what you’ve done. Dan Shock

I was in psychology class yesterday… and we couldn’t stop laughing about how stupid Pavlov’s dogs were. Then the bell rang, and we all ran off to lunch. John Grant

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

May 10, 2025

Scripture Study Series

Deuteronomy 8, part 8

—On any given day outside our home you might spot cardinals, bluebirds and house finches enjoying sunflower seeds from our bird feeder; snapping turtles and deer crossing the yard after a refreshing drink from the creek; rabbits, skunks and moles retreating to their burrows; and squirrels scampering among the oak, pine and pecan trees. Another two hundred yards down our gravel drive my in-laws garden onions, watermelons, carrots, blueberries, tomatoes and more. It is a good land. It is home.

—In the unfolding story of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are not yet home, but they can see its undulating hills climbing into the setting sun just beyond the Jordan. Camped on the eastern shore an elderly Moses stands before his people, perhaps with raised staff in hand, pointing out to them the “good land … which the Lord is giving you” (8:7; 11:17) and charging them “to keep the commandments of the LORD” in order to avoid any future discipline (8:5-6).

—Perhaps you know it best by its description as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (11:9), for the Promised Land would prove to be ideal for animal husbandry and agriculture—milk and cheese from flocks and herds of goats, sheep and cattle that roam its expansive pasturelands as well as honey produced from the ubiquitous date palms and beehives throughout the land. But it’s also called a land of “wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and [again] honey” (8:8)—the harvest of the grains in spring, followed by summer fruits, and the olives and date palms in the fall.

—The prophet Isaiah would later describe this land of brooks, fountains, valleys and hills as a beautiful bride on her wedding day and as God’s delight (Deut. 8:7; Is. 62:4). The Israelites would soon embrace their new home from God’s good hand, and Moses too would soon know a new forever home in the embrace of his Savior.

–Daniel McCabe

On Location: David’s Cenotaph

—Ask anyone, even Google, and they’ll tell you that the holiest site for Jews in the city of Jerusalem is the Western Wall which Israel recovered during the Six-Day War of 1967. For the previous nineteen years from 1948-1967 the Jordanians controlled the Old City and the Temple Mount, and the Jews who had been expelled in 1948 had no access to the Wailing Wall as it was called during those years. So where did the Jews worship for nineteen years? At David’s cenotaph, of course.

—A cenotaph is a tomb or monument erected in memory of someone whose body is buried elsewhere. For example, John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, but you can visit his cenotaph in Dallas, Texas, the place of his assassination. Likewise, King David is buried in the City of David (1 Kings 2:10), just south of the Temple Mount, but since the Middle Ages, worshippers have gathered at his cenotaph on Mount Zion to the west of the City of David. David’s Tomb, as it is called today, is located on the ground floor of a two-story building whose upper floor is venerated as the site of the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated a Passover meal with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. The ground floor of the building serves as a yeshiva, a Jewish school dedicated to the study of the Torah and the Talmud.

—Upon entering the building men are ushered to the right and women to the left, but both hallways lead separately to a small corner room that houses David’s cenotaph, draped with a beautiful parochet or covering. A niche behind the cenotaph, the walls of the building itself, and the findings of the site’s first Israeli archaeologist, Jacob Pinkerfeld, suggest an unbroken line of history that dates back to the first century. Christian graffiti, historical sources outside the Bible, and the orientation of the niche, which lines up directly with the site of Golgotha, suggest to many, including myself, that the site served initially as a place of worship for early Christians. How fitting then that this site would be chosen for the cenotaph of King David, given the opening verse of the New Testament, which reads, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David’ (Matthew 1:1).

—Daniel McCabe

Week Nineteen, 2025

Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers‘ (Matthew 7:21-23).

It’s the same all over the world. Few countries let you just walk across the border. The ticket of entry is the “passport.” I have traveled to many countries and many of them multiple times. Everywhere I approach a border, I have to show my passport and sometimes a visa as well. When I return home, the requirement to get in the country is my passport.

There’s a passport to heaven and it’s not issued by any country’s government. The only valid passport to Heaven is to stop trusting in self and put all trust in the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. If you plan to go to Heaven, your only hope is to turn from your sin and trust Jesus. He will forgive and give you eternal life.

You will receive your passport to Heaven when you place your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Your Passport to Heaven

A. AGREE with God that you are a lost sinner unable to save yourself. “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

B. BELIEVE the gospel “good news” that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. …

C. CONFESS Jesus Christ as Lord.

The journey to heaven will not be dark, fearful, or lonesome. God will dispatch His angels at just the right time, and they’ll meet us just within the veil and carry us to the heights of His glory.

D. DO you have your passport to heaven? You cannot get in without it!

Sometimes True Stories

Admittedly, humility and the humbling of oneself is out of fashion in today’s world and seems unappealing to most of us. However, as Jonathan Edwards said, “We must view humility as one of the most essential things that characterizes true Christianity.”

Our perspective on humility can be radically changed if we will ponder and meditate on the greatest example of humility in history: Jesus Christ. By the very act of leaving heaven, coming to earth, and taking the form of man, he demonstrated an unfathomable humbling of himself. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus demonstrated a spirit of profound humility, saying that he came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). On his last night with the disciples, he took a towel and basin and washed their dirty feet (John 13:1–11), instructing them to follow his example of servanthood with one another (John 13:12–17).

Andrew Murray captures it well, “Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.” Ed W. Thomas

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Reminders are all around us…

We have Calendar Pop-up Reminders on our phones and computers.

We have alarms that serve as reminders.

We have Post-It Notes and pocket notecards that can serve as reminders.

We can even get phone calls from friends or a service to remind us of a special day or appointment.

Facebook, Instagram and others can remind us of special dates, days, anniversaries and birthdays.

Some of us have Spouses and Office Assistants who remind us all the time of places we need to be, people we need to see and when.

Sometimes… we need a reminder of who Jesus is, what He has done (and continues to do), and the glory, majesty, power and authority that He has… that He deserves.

Sometimes… we need to be reminded of the cross… and all that it represents.

Sometimes… we need to be reminded of His Faith, Hope and Love. Marty Stubblefield

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In the 2025 World Happiness Report, the US fell to its lowest-ever ranking, coming in twenty-fourth among nations. (Israel, despite its ongoing war with Hamas and internal divisions, ranked far higher than we did.) We should not be surprised: anxiety, loneliness, and overdose deaths are all at all-time highs in the US. So, seeking happiness from happenings doesn’t seem to be a winning strategy. The good news is that there’s a far better way.

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Homeownership is a symbol of financial stability for most Americans—but for those living in states where the cost of living is higher, it might seem like they’re working solely to keep a roof over their heads.

The median home price nationally is $412,000, according to the Realtor.com February 2025 Monthly Housing Trends Report. Homeowners who purchase a home at that price point will need to work approximately 10 days each month to afford the mortgage payment—and that’s without factoring in any other expenses.

Quotes You Can Use

Don’t be discouraged when God delays the answers to your prayers. Dan Shock

Some people never grow up, they just grow old, become obstinate, arrogant, and think they are better and smarter than everyone else. As adults we are not grown up until we learn how to communicate with kindness, apologize when we are wrong, speak in truth, and accept responsibility without blaming others for our own shortcomings. Tony Ferguson

A vacant house invites intruders. Edgar Aponte

It is pride that causes the worldly to project their endeavors into the future, laying claim to the future with their lips. Remember the rich man who planned to build bigger barns? His sight was limited to his possessions, and Jesus called him a fool. Tony Ferguson

The gate of forgiveness is open to all who will call upon Him. Dan Shock

If I knew what God knows, I would agree with what God does.

Submit to the authority of Scripture. Edgar Aponte

Worry can be debilitating and no one is immune, the advice is simple, “if it is important enough to worry about, it is important enough to pray about.” Tony Ferguson

“Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.” Proverbs 4:7

I find it amazing how many people claim to be wise, isn’t it true that no fool ever confesses to being a fool? Most people think they possess intelligence when in reality it is not intelligence we should seek, but wisdom. The best perspective on wisdom and who is wise is found in James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Some people talk to you in their free time, and some people free their time to talk to you. The difference is those who care and those who don’t. Wisdom is what you learn after you think you know it all.

“He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.” (Proverbs 2:7 NLT)

One of the definitions of “common sense” is sound judgment and good sense in practical matters. Someone who is levelheaded, prudent, and has the ability to display wisdom and insight in most situations.

Common sense is usually independent of specialized training or intellect. Unfortunately common sense is not very common in large parts of our society today even though it is one of the greatest gifts we can ever obtain. If you desire common sense, ask God to guide you in your daily decisions. He will be your shield for your life’s journey. Tony Ferguson

The uncommitted stand by and watch as the forces of darkness take over. Dan Shock

With great power comes great responsibility.

Following after emptiness only makes you empty. Dan Shock

Wisdom begins with understanding you are a student learning. Socrates

We must first understand that God is the “true source” of wisdom and understanding, and we must discipline ourselves to read scripture and study God’s word. We may not always know where we are going on life’s journey, but when we look back, we will see that God has been involved every step of the way. Tony Ferguson

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Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

May 3, 2025

It’s against the law in Alabama to play dominos on Sundays, to wear a fake mustache in church or to carry an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

And for heaven’s sakes don’t eat your fried chicken with a fork in Gainesville, Georgia or eat a doughnut while walking backwards in Marion, Ohio if you want to stay on the right side of the law. Although still on the books, I can’t imagine that committing any of these comical offenses would ever land you a night in the pokey, but I know ten laws that once posed a far greater threat.

Scripture Study Series on the Ten Commandments: Deuteronomy 5, part 7

—We’ve all heard of the Ten Commandments, of course, but God actually gave an additional 603 commandments to Moses and the Israelites, and each one carried the same weight. I suspect you’ve heard of “You shall not kill” and “Honor your father and your mother,” but what about “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment” (Deut. 22:5) or “You shall not permit a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18)? The Jews were beholden to all 613, not just to the big Ten.

—Written to a Jewish audience, James 2:10 in the New Testament makes it clear that “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” Therefore, if you disobeyed one single law, you broke the entire agreement or covenant and faced the consequences, which included death. You couldn’t say, “I’ve kept 99% of the commandments. Sorry about the others, Lord,” or “I’ve kept more than she did, Lord, so that should count for something!” No, if you disobeyed one command, whether one of the big Ten or not, you broke the entire agreement, and everyone has broken at least one.

—That’s actually the whole point. God, knowing that no man is capable of keeping the entire agreement without failure, sent Jesus who faithfully kept each and every commandment. Not deserving of death, Jesus died on behalf of man so that he wouldn’t have to die. Now that’s good news!

–Daniel McCabe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt7GBTksUYY

Trivia: Which US President has visited Israel more than any other?

—A. Bill Clinton

—B. Richard Nixon

—C. Ronald Reagan

—D. Donald Trump

Scripture Study: Psalm 17

—Here’s my one-sentence summary of this interesting psalm.

—“O God, hear my prayer to you for vindication from the callous, arrogant, violent men of this world who surround me to kill me and who stalk us all like a lion ready to pounce on its prey, and LORD, act now to defeat the wicked and to deliver me with your sword as you do for all those who trust you and who like me have been tested during the night and found righteous, but unlike others who only find satisfaction in their earthly possessions and their children, I’m asking you to keep me close and take me under your wings, for I’ve chosen to listen to you, say what’s right, and do what’s right, knowing that when I awaken in the morning I’ll be fully satisfied with seeing you, the one who answers my prayers, always loves me, and keeps me from falling.”

—Can anyone relate?

—Daniel McCabe

Life in the Land: Curious George

—Raise your hand if you grew up reading about George, “a good little monkey, and always very curious” and do you remember “the man with the yellow hat” who brought George from Africa to America where the two lived together in the big city? But could you name the husband and wife team who wrote and illustrated these memorable tales? Hans Augusto Reyersbach was born to Jewish parents in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. While attending the sixteenth birthday party of a friend, Hans (or H.A. as he would later become known to millions of readers) met his future wife, Margret, and to escape the rise of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany they moved to Paris in 1935 after their marriage. Following the invasion of France in May 1940 the Reyersbachs fled Paris on bicycles just hours before its fall, carrying their first manuscript of Curious George with them. They made it safely to Spain, then on to Portugal and Brazil before eventually immigrating to New York and later Cambridge, Massachusetts where they lived for many years until their deaths. Altogether they would write and illustrate seven books with Curious George in the title.

—Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study:: Psalms of Ascent

—Over the years I have become more and more comforted and inspired by the psalms. Among my favorites are Psalms 1, 23, 51 and 73, but here I would like to mention the “Psalms of Ascents,” Psalms 120-134. There are different ideas of why these fifteen psalms came to be known as the “Psalms of Ascents.” The prevailing notion is that they refer to the Jewish pilgrims who would go up—or ascend—to Jerusalem, namely to the temple, to observe the three required pilgrim festivals: 1) the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which included Pesach (Passover); 2) the Feast of Weeks, Shavuot (Pentecost); and 3) the Feast of Booths, Sukkot (Tabernacles).

—There’s much we could say about this, but for now I’d like to simply highlight verses from the Psalms of Ascents that mention the House of the Lord—the temple, or going up to Jerusalem in general.

—Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

—Psalm 122:1-4, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

—Psalm 125:1-2, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.”

—Psalm 134:1-3, “Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!”

—So these are just samplings that were sung as the people of Israel went up to Jerusalem to worship the one true God.

—Adam Keim

History and Geography: Hazor

—Over the last couple of weeks we’ve talked about pretty things like heaven, waterfalls and silver scrolls, but today it’s war, chariots and fire. General Joshua had conquered large swaths of central and southern Canaan after the Israelites’ miraculous crossing of the Jordan into their Promised Land, and Jabin, King of Hazor, in northern Canaan now assembled a coalition of kings to face off against Joshua. Jabin was highly motivated to lead the coalition, for although Hazor was a strong, walled, city-fortress about ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee, it would have been a prime target for the Israelites. Hazor was situated at the crossroads of two major “interstates,” like I-20 and I-65 in Birmingham or I-10 and I-45 in Houston, and if Hazor were to fall, then nothing would stop the Israelites from a free hand in all Upper Galilee.

—Archaeologists who have since excavated the ancient city of Hazor were not only surprised by the size of the city, approximately 200 acres in size (which is massive by ancient biblical standards), but also by evidence that the city had been burned by fire, which corroborates the biblical account that Joshua burned it (Joshua 11:13).

—But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to the assembled armies of Jabin’s coalition, The Bible compared it to “the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots” (v. 4). Chariots were like the tanks of today. They were synonymous with invincibility in Bible days; nevertheless, Joshua surprised the coalition and defeated them. But then we read, “So Joshua did to them as the LORD had told him … and burned their chariots with fire” (v. 9). Why would you burn the very thing that would likely guarantee future success on the battlefield? Simple! Joshua must not grow dependent on military might or willpower for his success. He must learn to trust in God alone!

—What are you counting on that’s not named Jesus—your bank account, your good-decision making, your charming personality, your family name? David in Psalm 20:7 said it best, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Burn anything that builds self-dependence, for you must trust in the Lord alone.

—Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

A. Bill Clinton

Week Eighteen, 2025

Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1

She was a gift of the people of France to celebrate the first centennial of the United States. Made in France, then disassembled and packed in crates, she was transported to the United States to be assembled and placed on what is now known as Liberty Island. However, the United States had to do their part by creating the base on which she would stand. We call her “The Statue of Liberty.”

As Christians, we have a base for our faith. The base of the Christian faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus, without which there would be no Christian faith or salvation.

Undoubtedly, Jesus is the object of our faith. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (emphasis added). Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (emphasis added). So, we place our faith in Jesus. The question then becomes, can we believe in Jesus apart from the Bible?

A foundation is the base or groundwork of something. The Christian faith has the person and work of Jesus Christ as its foundation: our faith is built upon Christ, the rock of our salvation and the chief cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16–17; 1 Peter 2:6). Jesus, God in the flesh, is a real person who came to earth at a specific time in history. His death and resurrection are historical events. At the same time, the person and work of Jesus cannot be understood apart from God’s Word, the Bible. Ephesians 2:20–21 tells us that our faith is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (emphasis added). Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, and our understanding of this is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets—i.e., what they recorded in the Bible (Matthew 23:35; 2 Timothy 3:16).

The entire Bible points to Jesus (see John 5:39): the Old Testament reveals our need for a Savior, predicts His coming, and sets the stage for the significance of His sacrifice; and the New Testament describes His coming, His death and resurrection to bring salvation to our sinful world, and His ongoing work as we await God’s kingdom and the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21; Revelation 21:1). The Bible sets Jesus as our foundation and leads us to understand salvation.

Jesus gave us salvation, but He calls on us to live the base of our faith. He healed Lazarus but called on the crowd to unwrap the grave cloths.

Are you doing your part to live out the base of our Christian faith?

Sometimes True Stories

All our lives we have been told that the pathway to a prosperous, productive and purposeful life was through education. If we get that college diploma, we will have a ticket to that life. Then we realize that much of what was taught to us had absolutely no bearing on that.

Now we find that we can get educated in real life skills through trade schools and on the job training. A diploma wasn’t the only answer after all.

All along, though, God has had a plan for us. It is a plan that will prosper us by providing for all our needs. It is a plan that makes us productive by the people whose lives will be benefited by knowing us. It is a plan which gives us purpose in that we proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our rewards are legion.

God’s Word is our educator. God’s Spirit is our enabler. God’s title for us is chosen, royal, holy and His own, written on the diploma of our hearts.

Enroll today. Rich Jensen

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Your story – QR on tombstone. QR codes on gravestones provide digital memories of those left behind. QR codes are everywhere these days — and now, they’re even turning up in cemeteries. Make a visit to your local cemetery and you might see a small, unobtrusive QR code attached to a gravestone. Tombstones have gone high tech. Even Amazon is on the trade.

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The enemy wants me to dwell on the negative, the anger filled moments, the frustrations, the disappointments, the lies of the devil.

Quotes You Can Use

We are destined for disappointment if we try and gain acceptance by pleasing and impressing others. Tony Ferguson

Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear. Charles Stanley

Faith in the promises of God leads to unity, prayer, and submission to God’s Word. Edgar Aponte

The greatest cure for discouragement is to get busy doing God’s work. Dan Shock

I cannot change what God has ordained. If I seek to fight against the plan of God, then I am destined to lose. Dan Shock

A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt

Scripture is abundant with stories where adversity does not have the last word; instead, it serves as a catalyst for growth, transformation, and often- unexpected goodness. It emphasizes that even in the midst of trials, there’s always a nugget of hope to cling onto. Ed Thomas

How foolish it is to think that we can hide the truth from God. Dan Shock

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Your purpose is to help others follow Jesus. Don’t get distracted. Edgar Aponte

Scripture is plain that we exist at the pleasure of the Lord and know nothing of our future except that it is in the Lord’s hands. That should be enough. Tony Ferguson

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected. George Washington

God delights in mercy. Dan Shock

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts,. address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025

April 26, 2025

Scripture Study Series–Stories from Numbers and Deuteronomy

Numbers 22-24, part 6

—As children we first hear about Balaam as the guy who rode a talking donkey. Through the years we meet him again in the pages of the New Testament where Peter, Jude and John refer to him as an insane, money-loving, idol-worshipping, sexually immoral, false prophet (2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). I sure wish they hadn’t held back in their description of him. In any event in all three letters they charge Christians to guard against men like this who infiltrate our churches, dripping with charm, yet cloaked in well-crafted half-truths.

—But back to our story in Numbers where we find the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab, waiting for Moses to die and for Joshua to lead them across the muddy waters of the Jordan River to their new home, the Promised Land. High above in the bluffs to their east, however, they’re being watched. Not realizing that the Israelites have no plan to attack Moab (Deut. 2:9), King Balak has hatched a desperate and diabolical plan. “Sick with dread” (Num. 22:3) and with no defense against so many Israelites, Balak turns to the power of demons (Eph. 6:12) and to a prophet with an evil reputation for rallying evil spirits to any paying cause. When the prophet Balaam arrives in Moab, he notifies the king that he’s only able to speak “the word that God puts in my mouth” (Num. 22:38). Indeed, Balaam’s four subsequent oracles don’t go at all as King Balak or perhaps as even Balaam himself had planned.

—In his first oracle Balaam declares that he couldn’t possibly curse Israel, for God has made them unique from all other nations, and Balaam even wishes he could be like righteous Israel (23:7-10). Wait, what? King Balak had pretty much the same reaction as mine! Still, the king and prophet agree to try again.

—In his second oracle Balaam states the he cannot possibly reverse the blessing of God on Israel, for Israel possesses the God-given strength of an ox and the determination of a lion to conquer every enemy (23:18-24). Confused and frustrated by these words that God has put into Balaam’s mouth, Balak nevertheless holds out hope that the third time’s a charm.

—It isn’t, for in his third oracle Balaam sees a vision of Israel living peacefully in their new land after defeating and rising above every neighboring nation (24:3-9). Then comes the cherry, “Blessed is he who blesses you [Israel], and cursed is he who curses you” (v. 9). The understandably enraged king sends the prophet packing, but not before one final, spontaneous oracle from Balaam that predicts Israel’s future Messiah and a string of pending judgments against Israel’s neighbors (24:15-24).

—All the while the Israelites are going about their daily routine in the plains below, clearly unaware of the spiritual warfare swirling above them and perhaps with scarcely a thought of God’s faithfulness, blessing, love and future plans for them. How easy it is to get bogged down in the mundane and forget all that God has done for us! Yet, a spiritual battle is raging around you. Around me. Perhaps now is the right time to bow our heads and thank God for his unseen supernatural protection.

–Daniel McCabe

—Trivia

—Which US President reportedly wrote these words just weeks before his death, “The Bible is true. I have tried to conform to its spirit as near as possible. Upon that Sacred Volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation through the merits and blood of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

—A. George Washington

—B. Andrew Jackson

—C. Abraham Lincoln

—D. John F. Kennedy

On Location:, The Church of St. Anne

—There are many famous mothers mentioned in the Bible. Eve comes quickly to mind, the mother of us all. There’s also Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, Elizabeth and Mary. But do you know the name of Mary’s mother, Jesus’ maternal grandmother? Although the Bible doesn’t mention her by name, extra-biblical writings as well as both Christian and Islamic tradition have named her—Anne. They even give us her husband’s name—Joaichim in the Christian tradition and Imran in Islam.

—Anne’s story bears similarities to both that of biblical Hannah and Elizabeth. Being childless into old age, Anne prayed for a child, and believing that God would bless her with a son, she vowed to dedicate him to the Lord for temple service, but when God gave her a baby girl instead, Anne nevertheless welcomed Mary as a gift from God. Through the centuries some have adopted the view that Anne conceived Mary without original sin, known to Catholics and some Orthodox theologians as the Immaculate Conception. Many Christians even honor Anne as a saint who protects fishermen and sailors from storms. After calling out to St. Anne for protection during a terrifying lightning storm and being subsequently spared, a young Martin Luther entered monastic life in gratitude, prompting even Lutheranism to celebrate an annual feast to Anne and Joaichim on July 26.

—In the twelfth-century the Crusaders built the beautiful, Romanesque-style Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, located just off the Via Dolorosa in what’s now the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. They chose this site near today’s Lion’s Gate, believing that it marked the childhood home and birthplace of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Fortunately the Muslims under Saladin didn’t destroy the church subsequent to their conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, instead promptly turning it into a school, but now an order of French Catholics serve as custodians of the church, widely known for its fabulous acoustics and for its proximity just steps away from the biblical site of the pool of Bethesda, mentioned in John 5.

—Daniel McCabe

On Location:, The Cenacle

—You’re probably pretty familiar with the stories of Jesus sharing a final meal in the “upper room” with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion (Luke 22:12) and of the twelve pouring out into the streets of Jerusalem (evidently from “the upper room where they were staying”) and supernaturally speaking in various dialects to people from all over the world who had gathered in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:13: 2:1-2). Two rival locations mark this spot—one inside the Armenian Quarter at the rarely visited Syrian Orthodox Church on Ararat St., and the other here at the Cenacle, a Latin word for “dining room,” located a short walk outside the Zion gate of the Old City.

—For me the archaeological evidence strongly supports this latter site for the “upper room” even though the second-floor room of the building into which present-day tourists crowd to remember Jesus’ last meal and the Spirit’s big reveal dates only to the twelfth century. Still there are some interesting features inside the modern Cenacle, including the capital of a column that’s decorated with pelicans (a fitting symbol for Jesus since pelicans have long been associated with self-sacrificial behavior), two beautiful stained glass windows with inscriptions in Arabic, a prayer niche carved into one wall of the room that faces Mecca (evidence of the room’s occupation by the Muslims, following the time of the Crusaders), and a three-trunked, olive tree sculpture, gifted by Pope John Paul II, a representation of his hope for peace between the three major religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

—Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study:, Jesus in Psalm 2

—Let’s look at something that can cause a lot of confusion unless you understand its appropriate context. It is important to know that Psalm 2 is associated historically with the coronation of the kings of Judah, and thus it applies to every king who descended from the line of King David.

—Verse 7, which refers to God making someone His begotten son, is fittingly applied to Jesus in the New Testament (see Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5), for He too descended from the line of David (Matthew 1:1). In the Acts passage Paul quotes Psalm 2 in relation to Jesus’ resurrection, and the author of Hebrews quotes the psalm while arguing for Jesus’ supremacy over the angels (1:5) and regarding His role as the unique High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (5:5).

—Psalm 2:7 should not be taken to teach that Jesus became God’s Son at the incarnation or anything like that. Jesus was and is always the unique Son of God, but the New Testament, by quoting Psalm 2, aims instead to highlight Jesus’ special roles as king and priest.

—The clearest takeaway is to understand these New Testament references in light of the original context of the psalm. Jesus holds the right of royal kingship over Israel, and He will have his greatest impact on the entire world during the future millennial kingdom. So the warning in Psalm 2:12 applies to everyone and to his or her view of Jesus Christ, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

—Adam Keim

From the Archives:

Archaeology

Series: Our Top 10 Countdown of the Greatest Old Testament Archaeological Discoveries

#2, The Tel Dan Stele

July 31, 2022

—How long will men continue to doubt the stories they read in the Bible? One professor reportedly quipped, “I’m not the only scholar who suspects that the figure of King David is about as historical as King Arthur!” But after a major discovery in 1993 all those who’d ever questioned the existence of King David were suddenly quieted.

—The word “tel” refers to a small hill or mound that has built up over centuries and that when excavated will reveal layer upon layer of past civilizations at that location. The word “stele” is a slab, generally taller than it is wide, that typically commemorate someone’s life or some great event.

—Found in northern Israel at the biblical location of Dan, the Tel Dan Stele consists of three stone fragments of what was once a much larger monument. Even so there is enough historical information legible on the fragments to date the stele to around 841 B.C. during the reign of Hazael, the king of Aram and Damascus, two powerful city-states on Israel’s northern border. For hundreds of years Aram and Israel antagonized one another, and this stele, written in Aramaic, celebrates one of Hazael’s military victories over Israel, Judah, and their respective kings, Joram and Ahaziah. The inscription confirms the authenticity of 2 Kings 8:28-29 which speaks about this very event.

—But the stele also makes mention of the “house of David,” meaning his dynasty. In the attached picture you can see the highlighted letters that are translated as “house of David.” There are still doubters who attempt an awkward, alternative translation or explanation, but for the most part this mention of the “house of David” has laid to rest the thought that David lived only in legend. God’s Word does not and cannot lie.

—Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

B. Andrew Jackson

May 29, 1845 in his newly-written will

He knew he was going to die after being in poor health for some time.

Likely died of congestive heart failure.

Who We Are

—Shalom Y’all Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible. SYM was formed in 2021 to teach the Bible and lead tours to Israel. Our teaching and presentations feature the acronym S-H-A-L-O-M, which means “peace” in Hebrew.

——S – Scripture Study

——H – History and Geography

——A – Archaeology

——L – Life in the Land

——O – On-the-Ground Tours

——M – Media and Resources

Our Mission

—To teach and encourage those who love the Bible, the land of the Bible and the people of the land and to lead educational tours to Israel that forever change the way you read your Bible and worship the Lord

Our Prayer

—“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Week Seventeen, 2025

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:1

We were in a foreign land, a Muslim country at that. As we walked along that narrow street, we passed by her…. an old lady with outstretched arms begging for alms. We looked back and my wife said we needed to help her, and we did.

God calls us to be charitable. The Bible tells us to be charitable. “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)

Religious people are much more likely than the non-religious to donate to charitable causes—including secular causes—and they give much more.

America is the world’s most charitable country. In 2022, Americans gave an incredible $499.33 billion to charity. To put that into perspective, it averages out to every individual in the United States donating $1,500.

We are called on to tithe to our local church, but God calls on us to do more. A series of studies found that neurons in the portion of the brain associated with a sense of satisfaction start firing when a person chooses to donate money. These results are a fascinating reminder of the intrinsic motivation that many people share to make the world a better place.

No one has ever become poor from giving. Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give. Money is not the only commodity that is fun to give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love or simply give a smile. What does that cost? The point is none of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give.

Sometimes those who give the most are the ones with the least to spare. We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.

President George H.W. Bush said: “There should be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.”

President Abraham Lincoln ended his second inaugural address with these words: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Where is your measure of charitable giving?

Sometimes True Stories

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. The musical is already offensive to many Christians as it suggests a romantic relationship between Christ and Mary Magdalene and puts Judas in a more sympathetic light than Scripture portrays.

Now our Savior will be played by a woman who came out as “queer” a few years ago. One fan called the decision for a female to play Christ “downright disrespectful,” adding that her opinion “has nothing to do with color, [it] has to do with the fact that the Son of God is a man.” The fan also stated, “If this was another religion, you would not do it out of respect.”

In news closer to home for me, the United Church of Christ Cathedral of Hope in Dallas hosted a service last Sunday dedicated to celebrating drag performers and transgender individuals. A “drag king”—a woman wearing a bedazzled beard and religious garments—was among the performers.

A “drag queen”—a man dressed to appear as a woman—performed at a fundraiser following the service. He proceeded to criticize Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a paraplegic, for approving conservative laws and recommended stopping him by taking away wheelchair ramps.

If Dallas is “the Buckle of the Bible belt,” the belt seems to be in disrepair.

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When the weather gets cold, porcupines, as do most animals, tend to gather together for warmth. As they get closer and closer, though, they prick each other with their quills. This results in their separating until they get cold again, resulting in their coming back together. Then they “needle” each other….and so on.

Christians are like porcupines. They join a church or Bible study or social group until someone “needles” them, and they go away looking for something better. And the process repeats itself.

God created us for relationships. He knows that we advance His kingdom when we associate with like minds. And we get strength and safety to boot. So, don’t be a needler or one easily offended by the least little thing. There is no perfect church.

Don’t be a porcupine. Rich Jensen

Quotes You Can Use

We tend to put God on the witness stand to prove himself. Edgar Aponte

Everyone is a Christian until it gets Biblical.

Tablets were replaced by scrolls and scrolls were replaced by books. Now we scroll through books on a tablet.

Can we control our thinking? The short answer is yes. Our thinking controls our attitude and our attitude controls our outcomes. Tony Ferguson

God’s Grace is truly all we need. Everything else in life is a bonus. Tony Ferguson

Focus on the step ahead of you, not the whole staircase.

Children are not objects to be molded, but are people to be unfolded. Jess Lair

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him. David Brinkley

God gives us a choice whom we will serve all through the Bible. Serve Him by placing our trust in Jesus Christ, and He promises us a joyful life in the present and eternal life in His presence with no more sorrow or sin. Rich Jensen

God loves his people who have faith in His word. Once we put our faith in the Lord and accept His grace, our destiny becomes certain; it’s called the gift of eternal life. Tony Ferguson

Life on Earth is full of wonder, and it is full of tragedy. Be not afraid. Trust in God. Gary Bauer

Choose your friend wisely. The fastest way to become better is to surround yourself with better people.

Expect nothing, appreciate everything. Be grateful for the little things in life to find inner peace.

The word of the Lord has never been proven false, the only sin Jesus ever had was ours, and the only righteousness we can ever have is His. That is something we can believe in. Jesus’ provides healing for our bodies and strength for our souls. Tony Ferguson

Before we conclude that words will never hurt us, it would be a good idea to measure our own words before we speak when we think something is clever, but it may be hurtful. Dwight Short.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, please address all items and comments to John.Grant at [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025