Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 Context: What prompted Paul to pray this prayer for the Ephesians? News reached a prison cell, and it turned straight into prayer. Paul opens with for this reason — pointing back to a report about the Ephesians: their faith in the Lord Jesus, their love for all the saints (v.15). This good […]
Read More WIWO: Ephesians – Episode 03: Paul’s Prayer for WisdomWhen I heard the music he wrote, that’s how I felt. When I heard her first cries as she emerged into the world, that’s what I experienced. When, against all odds, they managed to lift the trophy, that’s certainly what overcame me. And these were small expressions of what is available in each stage of […]
Read More Dryden Shorts – AstoundReading: Ephesians 1:1-14 Context: What does it mean that these blessings are “in the heavenly realms”? These blessings are already live – right now, in a realm I can’t see with my physical eyes. Paul uses “heavenly realms” as an active, present sphere. Here, Christ is already enthroned and where — remarkably — I already […]
Read More WIWO: Ephesians – Episode 02: Chosen and BlessedHe is the One. Not any one. Not the usual one. No, this was the one. He is the one. And what marks Him out as the one is that there is no one as brilliant as Him. There is no one as glorious as Him. He chooses to express Himself through His creation, but […]
Read More Dryden Shorts – AceWhat is it like for the Kingsman to relate to Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah? It’s very much like what happens when a man already knows how the fight ends before he’s even walked into it. Everything about how he carries himself in the middle of it changes. That’s the position the […]
Read More KMCD 31: The Lion and the KingsmanContext: Ephesians – Who Wrote It, When, and Why It Matters Paul identifies himself as the author twice in the text (1:1, 3:1), and the early church overwhelmingly accepted his authorship. Paul wrote Ephesians from house arrest in Rome, somewhere around AD 60 to 62, making it one of four so-called “prison epistles” alongside Philippians, […]
Read More WIWO: Ephesians – Episode 01: Book OverviewHe did not remember lying down, only waking—thorns pressed light against his brow, not to wound but to mark. A Voice he could not see, only feel, said, “Rise. You have a castle. Come and see what has been built for you.” He almost laughed. His soul, as far as he’d ever known it, was […]
Read More KMCD 30: The Castle of the KingsmanFour C’s Questions for the Entire Gospel: Context: How has your understanding of first-century Judea and religious conflicts enhanced your reading of Mark? Jesus is interacting and engaging with a world that is divided politically and religiously. And in those divisions, people are looking to assert a degree of authority and to establish some hope […]
Read More WIWO: Mark – Episode 25: Review and ReflectionPraise Him. Testify about Him. Instruct others about Him. Encourage others in Him. God remains the focus in the process. It’s fascinating to see how we can interact with Him in the light of who He is and what He does. It’s not a personal experience alone; this is something that can help others in […]
Read More Dryden Shorts – In Light of His GoodnessWhat do you do when the opposition fights with words? Here are some insights from Nehemiah 6:1-9. Nehemiah has already faced mockery and the threat of violence over the work of building the wall in Jerusalem. None of it worked. The wall’s nearly finished, only the gates left to hang, and that’s exactly when Sanballat, […]
Read More KMCD 29: Words, the Work and the Kingsman
