I had a student in a class of mine once who had recently been treated for bone cancer in her spine. She was using a cane. She talked to me about faith and Heaven, and the fears she had when she was sick. We discussed the issue of what it means to believe. Today, we look at the Book of Joel, in particular at a passage referenced in Acts that says that all people will one day be able to accept God. This serves as a critical motivational factor for Acts: to fulfill an ancient prophecy. We consider the larger issue of who can believe, what it means to believe, and if there are alternative ways to "believe".

I once visited a woman who was almost a hundred years old and was about to die. She expressed some sadness that she had not given enough as a Christian. We reflect on the Book of Acts and the common misunderstanding that the early church was somehow rigidly socialist. We consider the real gift we are supposed to give, the gift that does not involve personal assets. We also consider what it means to lose a loved one who is very elderly.

We look at the very dramatic Psalm 137. It tells of the fall of Babylon and the longing that the exiles have for their holy city and destroyed Temple. We consider two people I met who reacted in very different ways to the feeling they had been harmed by others. We look at why the Babylonian invasion is such a major cornerstone in the history of the Israelites. We consider its use as a metaphor in both the Old and New Testaments. We consider today - and how we should react to betrayal and loss.

We look at the spaghetti and butter sandwiches that I ate as a kid in grammar school. We consider Grace. We look at three issues: first, whether it is a real thing or something invented by us or by New Testament writers; second, different variations or applications of Grace in our lives, and 3, how to measure Grace. We see that this last issue has a lot to do with the butter in those sandwiches.

A student once asked me for advice on how he should react to his family, especially his father, who did not approve of him being baptized a Christian. I gave him a lesson that I learned from Acts. In this book, we see "the Way" spread to Jews in Jerusalem and then to Gentiles outward in the Roman Empire. There is a turning point midway through Acts that is carefully engineered by God when the first Gentile, Cornelius the Centurion, is converted. We learn from this what a great gift it is to have faith...

I was once toured around Jerusalem by a 12 year-old boy named Yaakov. He showed me many sites, including a number of Christian sites, as he knew I was a Christian. He also talked to me about the evolution from Temple to Rabbinic Judaism - something that is critical to understanding the theological underpinnings of the Book of Acts. We consider this new movement that is called "the Way" in Acts, and we see what it has to do with the end of Temple Judaism.

I once was asked to sit with a Buddhist patient who was passing away. She asked me to recite a mantra with her. We look at the Prophet named Habakkuk. We see that he offers an unusual message for a Prophet. He doesn't simply warn people that God will punish his people for their wayward means. He offers us an upbeat message of hope no matter what happens. We consider prayer, and the relationship between the practice of reciting a mantra and reciting a prayer. We see that both offer peace for someone who is seeking perseverance and calm.

We look at how the grammar school I went to long ago managed to ensure that all people, including the less well off, were given equal justice. We consider Amos, the minor prophet, and the prophet who preached about justice and righteousness. He was from the southern kingdom but preached in the north, all during a time of great prosperity. The book is beautifully written in stunning poetry. We consider the lessons it teaches by examining a number of passages and analyzing them carefully.