A fresh look at the Feast of Purim and the “other woman” in the story of Esther Did you ever hear about the “other woman” in the biblical story of Esther? Let’s take a closer look. First, some background information. What is “Purim”? The Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated in late winter/early spring, on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. What event does Purim commemorate? Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from a plan to... Read more
What you don’t know about St. Patrick’s Day may surprise you! On March 17, people around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, also known as the Feast of St. Patrick. Even though this is a celebration of Irish culture and heritage, the patron saint of Ireland was not actually Irish, at least not by birth. St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain and taken to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He eventually escaped, but later returned... Read more
Lessons from leap years and heroes of faith What you don’t know about time may surprise you. Do you know the exact time right now? How many days are in a given calendar year? How about a month? I addressed the reality of uncertainty in a recent article. The discussion continues in this current essay from the perspective of our perceptions of certainty. Let’s start with some questions and answers. Q: How many days are in the month of February? A:... Read more
“Men will be men,” according to a certain Baptist pastor in North Carolina. This may have ordinarily passed as an innocent statement, but given the circumstances, it was far from innocent. It revealed a very serious issue that is prevalent in many church circles. A video clip which shows the pastor making this comment about men recently went viral, even though the sermon was preached several months ago. In the video, the pastor is seen complaining about the way girls... Read more
The quest for certainty in science, faith and everyday life “The results were statistically significant” is a phrase we commonly hear in reference to clinical or other types of research. In simple terms, it tells us that the results are not likely to have been due to chance alone. Despite the level of certainty that often gets associated with this phrase, statistical significance doesn’t actually tell us whether our findings have any clinical or “real world” relevance. A new blood... Read more
Dear Lord, Please forgive me for being single, for not getting married so I could submit myself to the authority of a man who would guide me and make decisions for me, even though I am quite capable of doing so myself. Forgive me for not obeying your command to “go forth and multiply”, even though that command was given at a time when the earth wasn’t over-populated like it is now. Forgive me for daring to have the audacity... Read more
Science book, history book or neither? “Forget science books, give them the Bible!” During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend posted the above comment in response to a meme that showed Santa Claus saying he had been reading people’s posts, and some of them were going to get science books for Christmas. I was tempted to respond by saying that I didn’t become a doctor by reading my Bible, but I decided not to. I think most people... Read more
The relationship between people pleasing and poor health Does putting myself last really spell “joy”? ‘Jesus and others, then you …. what a wonderful way to spell joy! Jesus and others, then you…. in the life of each girl and each boy! J is for Jesus, for he has first place O is for others we meet face to face Y is for you in whatever you do, Put yourself third and spell “joy”!’ ... Read more
Have you ever heard anyone describe your voice as a musical instrument? Vinh Giang, a Vietnamese Australian magician- turned communication skills coach and founder of the Stage Academy, relates an experience where his coach advised him to think of his voice as a piano, which has 88 keys. She demonstrated this by playing the same note on the piano repeatedly and then playing a beautiful melody for comparison. Her point was clear: music is much richer and more expressive when... Read more
What does King’s legacy have to do with birthright citizenship? “I have a dream” January 15 is Martin Luther King Day in the US, which gives us the opportunity to revisit the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr King delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. In addition to referencing the Bible, the iconic speech made references to other important documents such as the... Read more
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