Philip Dampier's Blog

Nathanael was surprised when Jesus revealed that he knew who he was without seeing him. Jesus basically told him, “That was nothing, Nathanael, just wait.” Nathanael did. In the next three years, he saw things that were unbelievable. The blind were given sight, the crippled walked, demons were cast out…

Irma is a dangerous storm and millions are in its path. We have been praying for those in its path. Yesterday we found out that two of our grandchildren are directly in its path. Puts a more urgent need in the prayer. Dangerous storm or not, God still rules wind…

Anointing was a special ceremony among the Jews. It was sometimes used to express a special relationship or to elevate a guest in your home. This was the ordinary way in which anointing was used. From a more official point of view, anointing was done to call attention to those…

This is an interesting passage because we are not exactly sure what it meant by work and rest. Did God really work? Can you work without sweat on your brow? Was creation so difficult that after six days of it God was exhausted and needed time to recuperate? If that…

The Greek expression in Philippians 4:5 is “to epieikes humoon.” It is sometimes translated “forbearance” and some times “moderation” and sometimes “your sweet reasonableness.”  A similar word is used by James in 3:17 which is usually translated “gentle”. It appears again in 1 Tim. 3:3. Paul uses it in describing Felix…

Last night I was reading an “exciting” book on exegesis when the author pointed out that we can’t use the Bible like we would “The Promise Box.” I’m probably the only religious blogger on the planet who had no idea what he was talking about. So I did what most…

Jesus had just given the seventy-two immense authority. The kind of power that could go to your head if you weren’t careful. The demons were submitting to them and that may have spooked them out a little. When you think about it, being able to send demons on the run…

I want you to imagine two young teenagers on the way to the movie. They’re too young to drive but that’s okay, they like to walk. The boy is just a little shy but he really likes this girl. As they walk he keeps looking at her hand and wishing…

And don’t spit into the wind. Most of us older types are familiar with these two maxims as well as some others that are similar in nature. They are suggestive of a lot of things and are offered without caveat. If they did have a caveat they would lose their…

I have a plan and I bet you have one too. We plan our day, our week, our life. Sometimes it all works out and sometimes… Snags happen. We get drought instead of rain. We get more weeds than flowers. We have more expenses than income. We lose our jobs,…