Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful give. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 This past Sunday I had the privilege to help preach about tithing and generosity. The etymology of the word “tenth” stems from “tithe”. In other words, “tithe” is simply an old word where we get our modern word “tenth”. Tithing simply means giving a tenth of one’s income, presumably to a religious establishment. The Bible isn’t […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Controlling the River
The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; Psalm 114:3 I recently visited the Hoover Dam, which obstructs the Colorado River. The engineer part of me appreciated seeing such a massive construction. I appreciate it all the more as I marvel that they built it back in the 1930’s. Nothing like it had been done to date. To think of the effort it took to construct such a massive structure! It’s one among the tallest dams at 726 feet (221 m) made of 3,250,000 cu yd (2,480,000 m3), enough to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to […]
Cleaning Up
Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you.” When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah. 1 Samuel 7:5-6 Sundown today marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is a day of fasting and repentance, a day to seek the Lord. It is a day to make things right between you and God as well as […]
Another New Year
We’ve come to another Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year on the Jewish calendar. The hot summer months are transitioning into cooler fall months, all part of the normal annual cycle. The fall festivals have begun. Imagine the calendar like a slinky. We keep going round and round the annual calendar, coming back to where we were a year ago. However, this year is not last year. Nor is is next year. Each day is unique. A slinky is made of circles, but each loop moves a little. We remember what happened on a given day, yet we press on […]
Here, There, Everywhere
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. Isaiah 35:8a How many things do you own that were made in some far away land? Ships traverse the oceans, trains role along their rails, and trucks trek the interstates. The cargo container was invented half a century ago to aid shipping, mandating a standard size that can be easily loaded onto a large ship, a train, or a truck. About 17 million of these containers exist today! While travel in the ancient world was much harder and longer, trade existed between long distances even then. […]
Summer Gods
“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 I didn’t intend to take the whole summer off for my blog, but that’s how it turned out. I have something to think about as the summer ends. I’ve seen plenty of temples in the places I’ve traveled around the ancient world. The gods were worshiped everywhere. Pervasively, the worship of the Roman emperors grew, starting at the end of the Roman Republic with Julius Caesar. In the eastern Mediterranean, he was called god and savior. About four months after his death, a comet appeared in the sky, interpreted to […]
Traveling Assembly
When the day of Pentecost came, [the apostles] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, […]
The Palace of the King
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was the palace of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years. Sure, the complex wasn’t static during those centuries, as each sultan added his own touch. Exploring what happened in that palace, I realized it wasn’t so different from the Biblical world. A palace is filled with luxury. The royal family is waited on hand and foot. The sultan always had a harem. Beautiful, virgin women were taken away at his command to live in the harem for his pleasure. Imagine Esther being pulled into that life. She likely had no choice in the matter, but how […]
Turkey 2014 Summary
Monday was a very long day of traveling home. Getting up at 2:15 am and getting to bed about 7:00 pm (with a 7 hour time zone adjustment) resulted in about a 24 hour day. Now I’m back in the swing of things with a quick summary of the trip. In total we drove almost 1800 miles. Below is how it all stack on top of each other. For the interactive original, go here. Also, the original kmz files of all driving, the balloon ride, and the boat ride can be downloaded here. Bless God for the chance to see […]
From Sultans to Cisterns
It was our last day of touring, covering more of the historic district of Istanbul. A short drive led us to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It is most commonly known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue-colored tiles inside. It is still an active mosque today. We walked to Topkapi Palace, which was the main residence of the Ottoman sultans for about 400 years. It is now a museum, allowing us to explore. From the treasury to the harem to other buildings, it’s an interesting place to see. I was looking forward to revisiting our next stop: the Istanbul […]