Category Archives: The Bible is Practical

Whatever the Need, the Bible Can Provide. Whatever the Question, the Bible is the Answer. Leviticus 15.

Today is September 10, 2025. It’s not quite September 11, but it almost feels like it. For me the day began with a host of personal and professional challenges. These problems felt serious and weighty, but about lunchtime they suddenly paled. Charlie Kirk was shot. First, I heard he was shot. Then I watched aContinue reading “Whatever the Need, the Bible Can Provide. Whatever the Question, the Bible is the Answer. Leviticus 15.”

Governing With Humility. Exodus 18:17.

Image: Moses’s father-in-law Jethro, as portrayed in the film THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. “And I’ll take it to the Supreme Court if I have to!” shouts Maury Stokis, pointing his cane in the face of Perry White. Maury and his wife win a free trip to South America from the newspaper THE DAILY PLANET, butContinue reading “Governing With Humility. Exodus 18:17.”

Economy of the City. Genesis 34:20-21.

Everybody’s got to eat. And find shelter. And pay bills. The fact is, you need money. Even if you don’t want money, you need it. How does one amass wealth? By selling something for which people will pay. This is true whether you live in a culture based on barter and trade, or whether youContinue reading “Economy of the City. Genesis 34:20-21.”

City Planning. Nehemiah 11:1-2.

Image: New York City by Jan Christopher Becke. An article I read begins with a great question: “What do Ron Paul, Nancy Pelosi, and President Donald Trump have in common? They have all promised to ‘drain the swamp’ of Washington politics.”[1] As the article goes on to point out, there never was a swamp onContinue reading “City Planning. Nehemiah 11:1-2.”

Woe Be Unto Pastors Who Destroy the Sheep. Jeremiah 23:1.

Once again, Jeremiah addresses false prophets and fallen preachers[1]. (I never realized how often preacher-scandals were addressed in the Old Testament!) Doesn’t this sound like a page out of today’s headlines? “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” Jeremiah 23:1. The prophet continues: “Therefore, thus says the LordContinue reading “Woe Be Unto Pastors Who Destroy the Sheep. Jeremiah 23:1.”

That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.

We don’t speak of it in polite conversation. We don’t think of it as a spiritual topic. No seeker climbs to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas to ask a Guru about it. Wall calendars with photos of sunsets and rainbows will never feature a poetic line on this theme. Yet, Jesus spokeContinue reading “That One Distasteful Subject. Isaiah 48:17.”

A Lawyer Looks at the Trials of the Apostle Paul. Acts 24-26.

Laws are built on beliefs about the nature of man, of justice and fairness, and how best to operate a society. No source played a larger role in the development of Anglo-American (“English-American”) law than the Bible. Not only did the Archbishop of Canterbury write the first draft of the Magna Carta, but the bookContinue reading “A Lawyer Looks at the Trials of the Apostle Paul. Acts 24-26.”

WHAT’S WRONG WITH COMMUNISM? 1 Corinthians 9:10.

Communism sounds good: workers pool resources, then divide things up so everyone gets what they need. Each player sitting at the poker table puts in what they have. Then the all-seeing government divides up the “kitty.” The man with eight kids gets eight shares more than the man with no children. The widow who livesContinue reading “WHAT’S WRONG WITH COMMUNISM? 1 Corinthians 9:10.”

INCENTIVE. 1 Corinthians 9:7-10.

Satan is the father of lies; one of the worst is COMMUNISM. Communism KILLS. Karl Marx blamed the world’s problems on class warfare: the rich have the capital (money) and keep the poor impoverished, jealous, and resentful. Marx invented COMMUNISM: everyone works, the government takes everything, and then hands out money in a way thatContinue reading “INCENTIVE. 1 Corinthians 9:7-10.”