Life's Inanities and Ironies

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, you who still cling unashamedly to the old Book, the old hymns, and the old-time fundamentals of the faith: grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, our risen, ascended, and soon-returning Saviour. The resurrection was never meant to be the end of the story. It was the glorious beginning. The stone was rolled away. The tomb stood empty. The angels declared, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). Mary heard her name spoken by the living Lord. The Emmaus road burned with Scripture opened by the Master Himself. The fearful apostles in the upper room saw the nail prints and heard the words, “Peace be unto you.” And then came the question that still echoes in every believing heart: **What happened next?** The Bible answers that question with crystal clarity in the opening verses of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke, the beloved physician, picks up exactly where his Gospel left off: “The ...

The Mount of Olives (Hebrew: *Har ha-Zetim*; Arabic: *Jabal al-Tur*) is a limestone ridge rising east of Jerusalem’s Old City, separated from it by the Kidron Valley. At its highest point (around 2,694 feet / 820 meters on Mount Scopus to the north), it offers one of the most iconic panoramic views of the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and ancient walls. Its name derives from the olive groves that once blanketed its slopes—trees whose oil was used for anointing kings and priests in biblical times. This ridge has witnessed over 3,000 years of recorded history, serving as a place of prayer, prophecy, mourning, triumph, and divine encounter. It is sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with layers of biblical events, archaeological remains, and ongoing religious significance.   Old Testament Roots: A Place of Refuge, Idolatry, and Prophecy The Mount of Olives first appears in Scripture during King David’s flight from his rebellious son Absalom around 1000 BC. David ascended the ...

Forty days after the resurrection, the risen Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives with His closest followers. He had proven He was alive—eating fish, teaching Scripture, opening minds that had once been locked in confusion. He spoke plainly about the kingdom of God . Then He issued the final marching orders: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” ( Acts 1:8 ). A moment later He was taken up before their eyes. A cloud hid Him from sight. The disciples did what any of us would do: they froze, necks craned, eyes glued to the sky, staring into empty blue as if sheer willpower could pull Him back down.   That is when two men in white appeared and asked the question that still cuts through every prophecy conference, every end-times podcast, and every late-night headline scroll:   **“ Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? ”** ( Act...

In a noisy, distracted world, even sincere Christians can lose focus. Politics scream for attention, cultural battles rage, end-times charts multiply, and church programs multiply faster than souls are saved. Yet right before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His apostles one crystal-clear priority. That priority still stands for every blood-washed, King James Bible -believing fundamentalist today. Turn with me to Acts 1:1-8   > “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus , of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God : and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem , but wait for the promise of the Father , which, sa...

In the hustle of modern life—where notifications ping like enemy fire and headlines scream doom—it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters. As conservative Christians , we fight hard for biblical values : the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, the pursuit of justice in a fallen world. But amid the battles, are we staring at the wrong horizon? Drawing from Acts 1:3-11 , this post explores the Ascension of Jesus and a piercing angelic question: *What are you looking at?* It's a call to refocus on the mission that outlasts elections and cultures. If you're weary from scrolling through culture-war casualties or praying for revival that feels delayed, pull up a chair. Let's unpack this ancient scene and apply it to our Indiana winters and beyond. (Shoutout to my fellow Hoosiers—yes, even in Indianapolis , the Gospel calls us outward.) The Proofs and the Promise: Forty Days of Resurrection Reality Picture the disciples: battle-scarred from betrayal, crucifixion...