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.

I was once approached in a hospital parking lot to pray with the father and sister of a badly injured young man. We look at the Book of Daniel, and at other Bible passages, where we are told to pray with others and to share our faith with others and to make spiritual decisions with other believers. We see the power of doing this. We learn that just as Daniel was able to do what seemed impossible, by praying with fellow faithful we too can do so much more.

In 2022, Vladimir Putin did what ancient kings in the Old Testament did: he invaded another nation - and he did it on his own. We look at the Book of Daniel, and how it proports to be about the Babylonian exilic period, but perhaps was written hundreds of years later, when the Jews were fighting the Greek speaking Seleucids. We look at this book and ask the question: Is Daniel simply a prophesy after the fact, or is it something that we should take in a more general context? Was Daniel doing something wrong if he claimed to be writing about a much earlier period, but was doing it for a faith-based reason?

We look at a (very) non-canonical book called 1st Enoch, which tells us the story of the Prophet Enoch, who lived before Noah. (But this was not written until just before the life of Jesus). It tells us about the Watchers, evil angels who create a race of giants on Earth. We see that there was apparently some influence of this book on the New Testament. We consider what this means for us today - especially with respect to how we should live with humility and love. We also look at professor I knew who was quite arrogant and pissed off the queen of his country.

I once had a neighbor who kept me up all night with loud rock and roll. Then one day, there was a massive car accident in front of our two buildings. I discovered that just as we see in Obediah, my neighbor apparently had learned a lesson. In Obediah, we see a people called the Edomites who assist the Babylonians in conquering the people of Israel - the neighbors and linguistic cousins of the Israelites. We look at the typical, simplistic theory of Obediah, one that has to do with God's vengeance - and then we look a little deeper.

We consider the progression of idol worship from the Old Testament to the time of Jesus - to today. We also consider a man I met who collected restored classic cars and another man who owned a wall of expensive guitars, but who could no longer play them because he had developed a disability. We consider that question of how we end up like our idols: blind, deaf, and spiritually lifeless.