Author: nowwhat

The only way to bear spiritual fruit is toremain in the Source of life. by Tami Rudkin   I am the vine; you are the branches. . . . apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5, NIV). Think positively! Inch by inch, anything is a cinch. I can do anything I set my…

The Rabbi from Nazareth didn’t need ablackboard to teach eternal lessons. by Tami Rudkin   Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:1, 2a,…

This Friend of sinners pleads our case before God. by Tami Rudkin   But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1, NRSV).   I was a new teacher — excited, naive — and low woman on the totem pole. I taught in a history…

by Tami Rudkin   He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3, NIV). “You don’t know how I feel!” Becky screamed. Her shoulders sagged and her once-silent tears became mournful sobbing. She was right: I couldn’t relate. Her pain was too deep. The expression etched on…

To find new life, we must follow the Leader. by Tami Rudkin   And let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith . . . (Hebrews 12:1b, 2, NRSV). Living in Wyoming has given birth to many daydreams about the pioneers…

Gaining a different view of the world. by Tami Rudkin   Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49, NIV). Parade day in our town is a big event. Hours before it actually begins, people gather along the parade route. Children run and laugh; moms…

by Tami Rudkin   “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John l:29). Dirty and dusty roads, dirty and corrupt minds, dirty and compromised religion. Sometimes the dirt was a natural phenomenon of living in an arid, sweltering…

by Tami Rudkin   “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NIV). Jesus was a radical, a revolutionary, a rebel — at least in the minds of the Jewish people. Everywhere He traveled He upset the religious leaders. He infuriated them to the point of murderous thoughts….

Seeing ourselves as Jesus sees usdisrupts our comfort zones. by Tami Rudkin   “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). Shining . . . shadows. Radiant . . . gloomy. Brilliant . . . dim….

by Tami Rudkin   The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners” (Matthew 11:19, NIV). Broken dreams. Shattered hopes. Ruined lives. These words describe many in our world today. They may describe you. They’re all around us, on…