Purim: When God Seems Absent

Jim Fox
14 Mar 2019
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The Jewish holiday of Purim, based on the events in the book of Esther, begins this year at sunset on March 20th. Though the story of the book of Esther is a powerful one, the book has been controversial in church history. Some have suggested it should not be a part of Scriptures since it doesn’t mention the name of God! You read that correctly…the name of God is not mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther, but His work is evident throughout. The Book of Esther is important to us specifically because His name is not mentioned. There are […]

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Celebrating the Fall Feasts of Israel

Jim Fox
5 Sep 2018
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We tend to mark our year based on holidays. We spend our time the rest of the year looking forward to them: the food, the family, the fun! Judaism has its holidays as well; some have developed over time like ours, but some were actually put in place by God Himself. In Leviticus 23, God gives Israel their list of holidays. Half of the holidays are in the spring and half are in the fall with a summertime of harvest in between. Over the following weeks, Jewish people around the world will be observing the Fall Feasts outlined there in […]

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The Significance of the 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel

Jim Fox
1 Jun 2018
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The modern state of Israel celebrated its 70th anniversary on May 14. From its reestablishment in 1948 there has been war, contention and controversy. To be honest, that parcel of land has been a source of contention pretty much since the times of ancient Israel. This is further complicated by the strong polarized views held by many in the church. Battle lines over support or condemnation of the modern state of Israel have pretty much fallen along political lines, which have forced us to either care for Israel or care for the Palestinians. To me this is the symptom of […]

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