A collection of apologetic and encouraging notes for Christians in need of some power-boosts from time to time. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net It was just one of those weeks, folks. What promised to be a light schedule quickly turned into a series of first world problems. Instead of complaining, I'll look for God's sovereign purposes so I can turn chaos into a Christ-centered contemplation. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=269563&view=post&blogid=9949 Sat, 29 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Some carols endure beyond the volume of work from prolific poets, such as Cecil Alexander's "Once in Royal David's City". http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265840&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 25 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0400 One would expect professional musicians to be the driving force behind famous songs, but this cannot be said for the words of a most recognizable and popular Christmas carol, "What Child Is This". http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265839&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 18 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0400 The Christian hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" is among some of our oldest Christmas songs. Itââ'¬â"¢s based on a portion of the Liturgy of St. James, a customary repertoire ... http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265838&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0400 During this season at MBC, we devote the month of December to singing Christmas hymns and carols. "O Come, O Come, Emanuel" is a favorite, whose history reaches back to Apostolic times. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265837&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 4 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BC) "walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon ... and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265836&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 23 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400 With a thousand of his lords in attendance at the feast, Belshazzar, king of Babylon, dusted off the golden goblets that his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar plundered from God's temple in Jerusalem. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265835&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 16 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Few Biblical archaeology discoveries stirred as much excitement as the Tel Dan inscription - writing on a 9th century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished historical evidence of King David from the Bible. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265834&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 9 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400 For those who don't think the Bible's mention of specific names and lineages are important, think again. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265833&view=post&blogid=9949 Sun, 2 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400 There are times in archaeology's history of incredible finds that God inserts His own sense of irony. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265818&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400 5 years ago, in 1947 at Bethlehem, two Bedouin shepherds walked into Kando's cobbler shop with four rolls of parchment in hand. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=265816&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 21 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400 King Sennacherib constructed a "Palace Without Rival" at his new capital city Nineveh where he chronicled his battlefield successes. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=262770&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 14 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Between 1935-38, James L. Starkey dug around an old gate into two feet of ash and debris and unearthed 18 pottery sherds written in black carbon ink at the Lachish excavations. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=262628&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 7 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400 When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=262457&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 31 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Definitive snapshots of history reaching far back in time remain elusive but super exciting when found. One of biblical archaeology's top-ten discoveries is a 10-foot-tall grey granite slab. Mr. Windle of ABR gives a succinct overview, leaving space for more pictures to admire. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=262306&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400 This week I received two nice letters along with much literature from Joyce Fisher, a 93-year-old widow in El Cajon, California. Ed and Joyce were always evangelical-minded. I've known Joyce for many years; http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=262165&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Normally it's true that the victor writes the history all will remember, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Babylon. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=261995&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 10 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400 In 2 Kings 18:17, we read the king of Assyria [Sennacherib] sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah at Jerusalem around 713 BC. Who were these people, and why did he send them? http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=261857&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 3 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400 One possible reason the 8th century prophet Jonah was missing (word hints in purple) from last week's chart of Hebrew and Assyrian kings is mainstream Biblical scholars view Jonah's account as "entirely ahistorical", a parody written hundreds of years after the fact and mistakenly interpreted as prophecy. Yet, an analysis of the Assyrian Limmu list discloses a greater miracle than Jonah's whale of a trip. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=261434&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 27 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Often in the Old Testament, the regnal dates of kings are recorded in a relative manner; for instance: And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=261085&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0400 "Your previous leaders are liars. They claim rights to the throne, but God gave me the victory." To ensure all subjects of the land heard his view, the new ruler posted it along a widely travelled thoroughfare. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=260696&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 13 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0400 In Judges 6 we read about Gideon, an Old Testament hero of faith who lived around 1,200 BC before the days of Israel's kings. Gideon was directly tasked by the Lord to destroy the altar of Baal in spite of being the youngest in his family. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=260393&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 6 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Those goofy Jews. Why, they couldn't even write Hebrew until they stumbled across the Jordan desert, ended their nomadic life and assimilated themselves among modern Canaanite cities around 1,200 BC. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=259998&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400 In an earlier missive, you read about the struggles and challenges involved with promoting proper blueberry fruit growth. Since the first berries ripen around the first of June, this is an ideal time to update you on whether or not the pruning efforts actually worked. It appears that they did, as evidenced in the picture below taken June 11th. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=259688&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 22 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400 In 1828, the Dutch government purchased a papyrus (below) from the antiquities market. Written in ancient Egyptian cursive (heiratic) style in black and red ink, it runs across 17 columns and 236 lines. http://www.Mission-Bible.Net/apps/articles/?articleid=259334&view=post&blogid=9949 Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400