On the day she first met Jesus, Mary of Bethany helped her sister Martha prepare a meal for Jesus and His disciples. Martha’s initial complaint reveals this. Martha accused Mary of leaving her. That suggests that she did help Martha before she slipped into the public room to hear Jesus teach. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called… Read more

Here’s an incisive insight by the late Leanna Payne: “Often the enemy will take advantage of opposition that arises within the most intimate circles–our close relatives or friends in the body of Christ–to stir up the most heartrending kind of spiritual warfare. This especially occurs when a groundbreaking ministry is at stake. There will always be slander and lies in such demonized warfare. I have yet to see a case like this where a root of sin of envy was… Read more

When someone famous dies, my dad will say, “You watch … there will be two more very soon. Well-known people always die in threes.” The beginning of May confirmed this observation once again. Three authors who wrote on spiritual topics left this world last week. May 2nd – Warren Wiersbe May 4th – Rachel Held Evans (which was a shocker given how young she was and the strange and sudden cause of her death) May 7th – Jean Vanier Peace,… Read more

Disclaimer: If you aren’t a writer, a blogger, an author, someone who has a business or ministry, just skip today’s post and check out my FAQ page which has been updated recently. Aside from spiritual and theological questions, which I’m often asked, the most frequent questions I receive are from bloggers and authors who ask me all sorts of questions about the craft of writing. In this post, I’m going to candidly address what I believe to be the chief… Read more

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however,… Read more

Based on numerous requests, I’m in the process of creating a special new resource for Christians in their 20s and 30s. It’s a game-changer, I believe. But I need early testers. If you’re a disciple of Jesus who is in your 20s or 30s, please write an email to authorfrankviola@gmail.com and state your age in the subject line. You’ll be notified before it launches for feedback. Thanks! (If you are 18 or 19, the resource will still apply to you,… Read more

The following article is an excerpt from Jesus: A Theography (Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola, Thomas Nelson, 424 pages, hardcover). The excerpt was published in Life Today with James Robison and Rick Warren’s Pastor’s Toolbox Newsletter. Because the reception was so powerful, I’m reposting it here. If you like it, you can share it using the “Share” buttons below the post. — “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I… Read more

“God remains humanity’s greatest disappointment.” ~ Dallas Willard If you have your ear to the ground or your eyes on the screen, you will see a daily avalanche of mere mortals cursing, damning, and blaming the eternal God for everything that’s wrong in the world. If people treat Him this way, while He is invisible, what would happen if He made Himself visible, like so many say they want? They’d no doubt kill Him! Wait . . . He did. And… Read more

When Martha complained to Jesus about Mary on His first visit to Bethany, Mary could have chosen to be offended by her sister. But there is no indication that she felt that way. She also could have taken offense when Judas and the disciples protested against her act of extravagant worship. But again, there is no indication that she did. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the pain that was inflicted upon Mary in both situations. Here was a woman who… Read more