New Testament Commentaries: Compiling a Community Resource

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I’d like to form a resource for teachers, preachers, and students of the Bible.  What are some of the most helpful commentaries or study resources for the 27 books of the New Testament?
Please respond in the comments with the book, name of the commentary series (if that applies), and the author.  A sentence or two [...]

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My Oldest Son Turned 11

Me and my son at a UK basketball game

Over the weekend, my wife, Christy and I took our oldest son to a University of Kentucky basketball game.  Great fun!  They played the Universtity of Tennessee and won the game.  It was my son’s first trip to Rupp Arena, a place of “pilgrimage” for many Kentuckians!
I’ve begun to feel very old with this birthday [...]

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The Power of Narrative

“Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines [...]

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Reaching Across the Counter

This morning, I had an interesting conversation, but it’s what I over-heard afterward that has stuck with me.
Over the past year or so, when I’ve come into a local restaurant for breakfast, I’ve had occasional conversations with a certain employee.  At some point I realized she knew that I was a pastor, though I’d never [...]

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January Month-In-Review: Missional Pastor Edges President Obama for Top Spot

The most popular posts on Clay Pot Chronicles for the month of January were about a James Cameron film, the president’s speech on Just War Theory, and the “problem of evil.”  Avatar, Obama, and Haiti.  Three hot topics, to be sure.
Here are the results:
First place by one pageview:  Jamie Arpin-Ricci’s Review of Avatar
Second place (with [...]

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Our Agreeable Friend

The latest exploits of our family’s labrador retriever, Bella.
Our 9 year old daughter dressed up Bella.  I’m not sure the “look” she was going for!  Notice the belt and purse (top left)!  And then the “close up” with the wig – does she look happy?!  In another “dress up” session, the dog came away with [...]

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Jamie Arpin-Ricci’s Review of Avatar

I saw it.  Liked it.  Briefly talked about it with the guys at Taco Bell afterward.  But that was pretty much it.  I moved on.
The blockbuster film by James Cameron, Avatar has broken all sorts of box-office records.  But for me, it was just … well, ok.  Great computer-generated visuals – we saw it in [...]

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The Boundaries of God’s Grace: Toward a Larger Vision of Truth

In preparing to speak this Sunday on Luke 4:22-30, I’m struck by the ways Jesus (then and now) challenges our boundaries and blows open the scope of his grace.
The Quaker author and activist, Parker Palmer, writes in The Company of Strangers: Christians & the Renewal of America’s Public Life:
“At the heart of any authentic religious [...]

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