Focal Point: Living in Hope

Mark writes with a unique style compared to Jesus’ other biographers. He is usually more concise. Each event he chooses to record fits perfectly into his overall narrative. And he emphasizes ideas and situations with a curious device that many Markan scholars technically call a “sandwich.” A Markan sandwich consists of a story or account that gets interrupted by something else, then the original story resumes and concludes. The original story serves as the first piece of bread. The interruption…

I like to watch American Pickers, a show that follows antique dealers all over the country as they scour dilapidated barns and overstuffed homes for treasures they can buy and resell. The main picker, Mike Wolfe, often uses the phrase, “If you want something, the best time to buy is when you see it.” In other words, if you are looking for a rare item and you find it, you better buy it because the opportunity may not come again.…

Many metaphors help us relate to specific aspects of life. Paul talks about running a race, boxing, and wrestling. Jesus points to farming and nursing. James uses sailing. Each one points to a certain facet of life under the sun. However, one the bible does not use for obvious reasons is driving down the highway or cruising the autobahn. Life is a car going down the highway. The engine is purring as the tires grip the surface to propel us…

Its name is Trigger. No, not Roy Roger’s horse, but Willie Nelson’s guitar. The Texas country singer named his guitar after Roy’s horse, so there is a natural kinship between them. Willie has been playing Trigger since 1969. It has been with him for over 10,000 shows, 85 studio albums, and hundreds of thousands of miles. His pick has worn a sizable hole on the front of the guitar, and hundreds of people have signed their names on the guitar,…