Romans 8 was a quarantine study for our family, led by me at select dinner times. We kept things simple, not long or drawn out, just a few verses each time and a thought or two on each. Ten minutes tops unless questions ensued. The passage contains some of the most cherished truths in the Bible. But for being as cherished as it is, it can also effect strong negative reaction if verse 28 is used to skip to the end, by which I mean trying to wave off a hard time for someone, bypass the... Read More

When I wrote my book about Jesus’ seven miracles in John’s Gospel, I learned that the name  Lazarus  has been converted into a term for a quarantine room—a  lazaretto . It’s apt: the need for quarantining due to contagion is so one can emerge “resurrected.” Owing to Coronavirus, the world is in lazaretto now. We’re all disrupted, waiting to emerge from social isolation. Lazarus and his sisters were personally close to Jesus, but... Read More