/fairfaxs-website/image-f878f-i65ab.png "Fairfax Presbyterian Church")
"…for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind" (1 Corinthians 3:5) Dr. Harvey Alter was awakened by the persistent ringing of the phone at around 4:45 in the morning of October 5, 2020. By his telling of the story, he ignored the call the first and second time, annoyed at being disturbed. He got up to fi...
Read MoreSince the pandemic started in March, our Scripture Studies have included the Bible's Greatest Hits, 66 Top Passages from Genesis to Revelation, followed by 28 days of Bible Studies on "Waiting." I hope you have found guidance and inspiration in these reflections. On November 29, we will begin the Season of Advent, a period of 26 days which will pr...
Read MoreWatching the Clouds Where do you look for signs of God’s guidance? A Methodist minister named Harley Camden, the main character in my novel City of Peace (Köehler Books, 2019), suffers the deaths of his wife and daughter in a European terrorist attack. Spiraling downward into grief and anger, he is sent by his bishop to the riverside town of Occo...
Read MoreWhat happens when you make a deal with God, exchanging a promise for a gift? Early in our marriage, Nancy and I sat in a coffee shop and talked about names for the children we might have. We settled on “Sarah” for a girl because her best friend from childhood had that name. And if we had a boy, we decided we would call him “Samuel,” mainly becaus...
Read MoreThe Gospel according to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, and is the first of four accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew is concerned with placing Jesus in the story of God’s saving work, which began in Genesis and continued through the Hebrew Scriptures. The book begins with an “account of the genealogy of Je...
Read MoreMalachi is the last of the twelve Minor Prophets, and his book is the final entry in the Christian Old Testament. In Jewish Bibles, the Prophets section is followed by the Writings section, which usually ends with Chronicles. The name Malachi means “my messenger,” and over the course of four chapters the prophet delivers messages about the improper...
Read MoreThe Book of Zechariah begins with a call for Israel to return to God, and contains visions ranging from “a man riding on a red horse” (Zech 1:8) to “four chariots coming out from between two mountains” (Zech 6:1). The prophet then proclaims judgment on Israel’s enemies and predicts the coming ruler of God’s people, one who will arrive in Jerusalem...
Read MoreHaggai 1:14—2:9 The prophet Haggai focuses on the rebuilding of the temple after the exile in Babylon, and the book begins with God commanding the governor of Judah and the high priest to begin work on the structure. The project was a top priority since the temple was Israel’s primary place of worship and sacrifice, and was the spot where God was b...
Read More