John the Baptizer

Would You Receive Him?

Would You Receive Him?

Have you ever shown up to a new friend’s house and knocked on the wrong door? The last time this happened to me, I didn’t have any idea that the door I was knocking on might have been the wrong door. I parked (in what turned out to be the wrong driveway), strode up to the door and knocked. A man I had never seen hesitantly opened the door and we both stared at each other quizzically. He probably thought the stranger in front of him was about to sell him something or convince him to sign a petition. Meanwhile, I couldn’t figure out why this stranger was opening my friend’s door. Several seconds of silence passed before I awkwardly asked if this was my friend’s home. He kindly let me know that I wasn’t at the right house so I turned around and shuffled back to my car where I realized that my friend’s house was one door down. Oops.

Can I Get A Witness?

Can I Get A Witness?

It has been heartbreaking to watch a parade of public Christian leaders pervert power or relinquish their faith. How can we maintain faith in Christ when respected leaders break our trust?

No religious leader was more influential when Jesus began his ministry than John the Baptizer. Crowds flocked from towns near and far to find him in the wilderness near the Jordan. He was dressed wildly, with a garment made of camel’s hair tied with a leather belt (Johnny Depp had nothing on him) and he ate a bizarre diet of locusts and wild honey (Gwyneth Paltrow, take note). Jesus declared that “among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11). Some whispered that this must be the Messiah. But he was not.