Author: Dave Dishman (Page 377 of 475)

A word about Saint Patrick’s Day, one of my favorite days of the year – but not for the standard reasons. Today folks celebrate all things Irish by wearing green clothes and funny green hats and drinking green beer. Don’t get me wrong, I also love all things Irish, it’s part of my heritage, and the Irish people I know are some of the best in the world.

I celebrate Saint Patrick today because he stands as one of the first and best examples of a missionary in history. Here’s a passage about Patrick from my book, GO:

…about 400 years later, on an island far to the north, Irish raiders kidnapped a young English boy named Patricius and held him as a slave for several years. While he eventually made his escape and returned to England, something started to shift in his heart. The Lord, through visions, began to pull him once again to Ireland, this time to return as a missionary to his former captors. He sailed back to preach the gospel to the pagan Irish and eventually became Saint Patrick of Ireland, the first documented missionary outside the bounds of the Roman Empire. Patrick preached the gospel as far as he could go, “to the point beyond which there is no one,” to the western edge of Ireland. Only the sea remained…

If you lift a toast to all things Irish today, remember to lift one to Saint Patrick.

Week eleven of reading the Bible cover to cover

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness in ways I can’t fully comprehend. Satan is the master tempter – he knows how to prod for weaknesses, sow doubts, and make you believe your bad decision is your best decision.

Satan twisted scripture to entice, and Jesus spoke scripture to counter. Jesus, intimately knowledgable, defended against the lies of Satan by quoting truth from the Bible.

The scriptures on my shelf wait as a powerful resource – the only effective weapon available to me – as I attempt to resist Satan and follow the Lord.

However, I have to know them to use them.

Luke 4 in week eleven of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Certain passages sound better in the King James Version of the Bible. Published in 1611 under the sponsorship of James, king of England, Scotland and Ireland, the KJV grew into the most widely used English text in the world.

These days I read from a variety of newer versions, preferring the New International Version (NIV) for reading and the English Standard Version (ESV) for textual accuracy. But today, reading the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke, I turned to King James.

When confronted by angels, my modern version tells me the shepherds watching their flocks by night were filled with great fear (Luke 2:9). The KJV uses rather archaic language to describe them as sore afraid.

Sore. The word in this context carries a violent meaning. Intense, painful fear. So terrified the shepherds hurt. Fear that pushed them to the ground in abject terror.

Not exactly what I think of when I imagine being touched by an angel. I dimly recognize, from this and similar passages, that I really have no clue about the heavenly realms surrounding us – which is both terribly frightening and terribly exciting.

The angels calmed the shepherds and announced the greatest news ever told: Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11 KJV).

Good tidings of great joy for King James of England, Scotland and Ireland, and good tidings of great joy for me and you.

Week eleven of reading the Bible cover to cover