Never an Original Thought

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) After the resurrection, there are several appearances of Jesus to the disciples. I find the road trip to Emmaus as one of the most intriguing. Cleopas and a companion are traveling the eight miles between Jerusalem and Emmaus. Perhaps they were going home. Perhaps they, like many disciples, were scattering after the events of the crucifixion. The stor

Forty days before Easter, the Church celebrates the season of Lent. To the casual observer, Lent is about giving up something. Some hide from sugar or caffeine. Others avoid swear words or checking their Facebook page. At one time, the practice of giving up something was exclusive of the Roman Catholic Church, but now Protestants and even some outside the Christian faith take up Lent through self-denial. Whether it is brain chemistry or simply a God-shaped hole in our li

The Passion of the Christ is bloody. The blood of Christ is everywhere. Roman soldiers wipe it from their brows after scourging Jesus. Puddles of the stuff cover the ground. It pours out as the nails are driven into Jesus’ hands and feet. After a soldier pierces the side of Jesus, blood and water rain down upon those at the foot of the cross. At one point, I even remember the blood splattering the camera lens as it records the gruesome events. As I watched the movie, I began