new to za?
three new articles every wednesday, listed below. more stuff on the blog.
click the button to the right to get a proper welcome.

7.2.08 // Ken Johnston
Exegesis / Eisegesis out of or into?
za’s resident greek scholar makes his debut, talking about two terms that describe two ways to read the bible. one’s good and one’s not, so read up and learn the difference!

7.2.08 // Brendan Berkley
Tongue + Heart “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”
gossip. slander. swearing. lying. all of it comes from a little muscle in your mouth, but today we suggest that perhaps the tongue is the symptom rather than the cause.

7.2.08 // Brendan Berkley
The Days are Evil the days are evil
as an undisciplined college student, brendan knows a thing or two about wasting time. turns out the Bible has something else in mind for christians, and it’s worth having a look.

6.25.08 // Buzz Schellhammer
Jesus, the Good Shepherd more than a staff-wielding nomad
you may have heard of Jesus being the Good Shepherd, but what does it mean? buzz explores the role of a shepherd and the importance of Jesus comparing Himself to one.

6.25.08 // Brendan Berkley
Balaam blessings, curses, and a talking donkey
balaam, an old testament character, went from cursing God to blessing him and right back to his evil ways. what’s up with this guy, and what can we learn?

6.25.08 // Brendan Berkley
God Seeks You we seek God but He finds us
what does the banner up top say? seek truth. we believe it, we do it, but we have to remember that God is seeking too, and He’s the one who can actually find us.

6.18.08 // Brendan Berkley
Be Holy...Like a Sunrise sunrises aren’t hot and bright, but they are beautiful
Part topic, part analogy. Holiness is commanded in the Bible, but what is holiness? How do we go for it? And why would Solomon compare the pursuit of holiness to a sunrise?

6.18.08 // Matt Earley
Propitiation white pants get dirty pretty easily
in the debut of contributor matt earley and our new topic of “christianese,” the new guy explains God’s anger at sin and how it gets appeased so we get a shot at heaven.

6.18.08 // Brendan Berkley
Learn from Others character flaws are in the Bible for a reason
if you read the Bible cover to cover, you’ll find that just about anybody who was somebody had some serious sin happen in their life. why would God let this in His Scripture?

6.11.08 // Brendan Berkley
Instruments you don’t applaud the trumpet, you applaud the trumpet player
christians talk a lot about pride, and for good reason. but why is it so hard to stay humble? brendan explores an analogy that put him in his place.

6.11.08 // Buzz Schellhammer
The Light of the World as lights, we are life when we love
Jesus, who was known as light, called his disciples light. but what does this mean to us? how can we shine our light as Jesus did? buzz answers these questions and more.

6.11.08 // Brendan Berkley
Role Model not just a friend, someone to look up to
God is described a lot of different ways: king, judge, friend, father, and so on. but is He someone who you actively try to resemble? brendan explores the idea of God being our role model.