And so it went. For the rest of the trip Jesus told us stories and taught us about the Kingdom. Every once in a while someone would recognize him, word would spread and soon we’d be surrounded by a crowd. A clamouring clutching crowd, more times than not they weren’t there to hear what Jesus…
How Much Should I Give?
It’s almost over, can you feel it in the air? There is almost an electricity in the air as people wait expectantly for March to be over. They don’t care what Denn will be preaching next week or the week after that, they just know it won’t be about money. Our theme this month has…
Chapter 26
I was beginning to get a little restless in Nazareth; It seemed like a nice community and everyone was friendly, but it was clear that we were the outsiders. But more than that, I missed home and Esther, and it seemed strange not to see the water every morning when I got up. I didn’t…
Chapter 27
“Seriously? What were you thinking?” After leaving the synagogue we made our way back to Mary’s house, a table had been set up outside to accommodate everyone and lunch was about to begin when Jesus’ brothers and sister arrived. And they didn’t seem happy. “You just show up and had to stir the pot, didn’t…
Chapter 28
The days had flown since we returned from Nazareth, some days I fished and other days I spent with Jesus and the rest of the group. Our days with Jesus soon fell into a comfortable routine. He’d come by the house and we’d chat for a while and then we would wander through the village…
Chapter 29
Turn the other cheek. Did he say, ‘turn the other cheek’? That was just crazy. What would that accomplish? From the sound of the crowd it was plain I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “Listen to me.” Jesus raised his hands to get people’s attention. “The law that said, ‘an eye for…
Chapter 30
I couldn’t contain myself. “That’s fine the first time, but how many times do we need to forgive someone? Five times? Six times? Seven times? Won’t they just keep taking advantage of us if we keep forgiving them?” Jesus looked at me and said, “Let me tell you a story. Suppose a man owed a…
Really?
Don’t you hate it when you have a bad customer experience? And often, our first reaction is to complain to someone or post a negative review. That’s what Thomas Colucci had in mind when he called the police. The Florida man called 911 to complain that the meth he had just purchased wasn’t the quality…
Chapter 31
I was sitting by the fire thinking about all that Jesus had been teaching us. Some of what he said made complete sense, but there were still things that baffled me, and others I outright disagreed with. We were on our way to Nain and there was the usual group tagging along. “Peter or would…
Chapter 32
Mary must have sensed my disbelief: “I know. You wouldn’t be the first one to doubt what happened. How do you think Joseph felt? “Within days I knew I was pregnant, that a life was growing inside of me, and I realized that Joseph would have to know. “I still remember the look of shock…