Jesus

43 posts · Back to A Deeper Read

Jesus

43 posts

Post 1968Bill Perkins
How Jesus Dealt With Distractions
Because I work from home, I continually deal with distractions. Unread e-mails, sports scores to check, news to read, phone calls to answer, phone calls to make, my wife asking for help, the dog wanting to go out, the dog wanting to…
Post 1955Bill Perkins
Is Jesus like Superman?
Some people think following Jesus is as impossible as following Superman. They have no problem tailing Clark Kent up fifty flights of stairs, but things get tougher when the Man of Steel leaps off the roof and flies away. Such thinking…
Post 1937Bill Perkins
The disciples' myside bias
Like a radar system that only detects enemy planes while ignoring friendlies, our minds tend to pick up information that supports what we already believe and ignores the rest. This is called confirmation, or myside bias. It’s the…
Post 1934Bill Perkins
How did the disciples miss this
Twenty-three times Jesus made direct or indirect reference to his death and resurrection. And yet, the disciples never understood what he was talking about. Once, after he told them he would die and be raised from the dead, the…
Post 1923Bill Perkins
What would you do?
Every week the news carries stories of vulnerable people who have been beaten, robbed, harassed, and murdered. Because such stories are about people who live on the other side of the world, across town, or in another city, it’s normal…
Post 1912Bill Perkins
Believing an unbelievable promise
While Jesus made some astounding promises, none is harder to believe than this one: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these . . . ” (John 14:12). But before…
Post 1900Bill Perkins
A Promise Nobody Believes
Have you ever considered the unbelievable promises Jesus made? Personally, I find comfort in most of the Lord’s promises. For instance, in John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the…
Post 1895Bill Perkins
What do you see in this picture?
What do you see when you look at the image above? Before reading on, take a moment and examine the picture. Most people see either a rabbit or a duck. And then after a moment or so they see both. It’s amazing that something can be…
Post 1854Bill Perkins
My New Year’s Challenge
Forty-seven months ago I had an insight that changed my life. I realized that while I had written three books based on the ministry model of Jesus, read numerous books on his life, contributed notes on the Gospels to three study…
Post 1750Bill Perkins
Is Jesus Really Superman?
Of course, it would be easy to think we could no more follow Jesus' example than we could follow the example of Superman. After all, Jesus was fully God and man. I suspect most people figure they could at least try to follow him when…
Post 1741Bill Perkins
Hold up my hands, please!
You would never expect a battle to be won because a man, standing on a hill, held up his hands. And yet, that’s what happened when the Jews fought an enemy in the wilderness of Rephidim. Understanding why this happened involves a small…
Post 1733Bill Perkins
I can't do this without you
I’ve never needed the partnership of friends more than now. I’ve worked for a year to bring The Jesus Story to a place where it’s ready to be printed and shipped. It’s been a labor of love and I think when you watch the video, or watch…
Post 1715Bill Perkins
I’m nervous and curious
I’ve got to admit, I’m nervous. Not a frightened kind of nervous. But an excited kind of nervous. Like a kid before the first day of school. Or, an athlete before a championship game. The good kind of nervous. You would be too, I think.
Post 1704Bill Perkins
COUNTDOWN: 8 days to launch
Several years ago I realized I didn’t know Jesus very well. This insight surprised me. After all, I had been his follower for four decades, taught about his life and teaching, written two books based on his life and ministry, and…
Post 1636Bill Perkins
One Word That Changed My View
I'm not sure why Jesus brought Peter, James and John into the garden of Gethsemane with him. Did he hope, like disciplined sentries, they would alertly stand guard? Or, was he like a soldier who lets his young son sleep with him the…
Post 1583Bill Perkins
What Jesus Do You Listen To?
Last month I read through the four Gospels and looked for instances where Jesus referred to his death and resurrection. As I did, I found myself amazed at how many times his disciples heard him speak on the subject without…
Post 1572Bill Perkins
Facing What You Fear
Had you sat next to Jesus in Gethsemane, knowing what he would face the next day, you probably would have concluded he wasn't up to the task. If just the thought of crucifixion affected him so dramatically, what would the actual event…
Post 1565Bill Perkins
What Would You Do With This Woman?
Even though most women have been hurt by men at some time in their lives, efforts are made in our culture to protect the rights of women. Such wasn’t the case in ancient Israel. At the time of Jesus, women suffered under cultural…
Post 1549Bill Perkins
The One Word Jesus Said Ten Times
The outdoor survivalist talking on television sported a stubby beard, worn jeans, a faded camo-shirt, and dirty hiking boots. Holding a small magnifying glass he had swiveled out of a vinyl case, and speaking out the side of his mouth…
Post 1545Bill Perkins
The Whisper of Satan We Hear Every Day
I don’t like to think I’m lazy. I mean, I don’t want to be. Yet, I seem to constantly battle it. Except when I don’t. On those days Laziness and I kick back and relax—like old friends. There are even weeks when we hang out for days at…
Post 1520Bill Perkins
The Power of Desperation
In the movie, Wild , there is a scene where the lead character, Cheryl Strayed, played by Reese Witherspoon, enters a clothing boutique in Ashland, Oregon after hiking 700 miles along the Pacific Coast Trail, alone. After putting on…
Post 1498Bill Perkins
I Never Saw That Before
One of the most memorable learning experiences of my life occurred when Professor Howard Hendricks required all of his students, including me, to come up with 25 observations from Acts 1:8. As a first year seminary student the…
Post 1251Thomas Wells
I Was Wrong About Jesus
For the first eight years of my life, my family attended a Baptist church. So every Sunday I crafted felt cutouts of Jonah, Moses, and David, sang about the walls of Jericho crumbling down, and acted out stories of Jesus and his many…
Post 1241Bill Perkins
Would Jesus Endorse Gay Marriage?
I never would have stuck my nose into this business except for what I heard Elton John say during a CNN interview last week, “If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person…
Post 646Bill Perkins
How to Encourage a Discouraged Friend
Leaders typically manipulate others to acquire power. That's why you'd expect a king's son to use his push and pull to acquire his father's throne. And that's what makes Jonathan so unusual. He was the ancient prince who wanted…
LeadershipRelationships
Post 619Bill Perkins
Do This to Make Friends
It may surprise you to discover that there is nothing you can do to endear yourself to others more than opening up and being vulnerable. If you'll build more windows and fewer walls, you'll have more shoulder to shoulder friends. We…
Personal GrowthRelationships
Post 610Bill Perkins
How to Avoid a Bad Decision
It's so easy to gather all of the information, get wise counsel, weigh the pros and cons and then forget to pray before making an important decision. And yet, if the greatest leader of all time who was without sin, who never made a bad…
Personal GrowthPrayer
Post 546Bill Perkins
Removing Gum Out of Someone's Hair
Telling someone how to give a rebuke is a bit like telling him how to get gum out of someone's hair. No matter how careful he might be, it's going to hurt. On the other hand, who wants to go through life with a wad of gum stuck on the…
Personal GrowthSin
Post 529Bill Perkins
The IRS Scandal and You
I've had the privilege of being audited by the IRS on three separate occasions. In each instance the auditor found a legitimate mistake an accountant had made and a payment had to be made. No big deal. Right? Well, not exactly. It was…
Personal GrowthSin
Post 519Bill Perkins
How to Communicate a Vision
Time and again Jesus reminded his disciples that his driving purpose was to seek and save lost people. On the day he called his first disciples he said, "I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). When he recruited Levi he said…
Leadership
Post 505Bill Perkins
Jesus Repeated One Word Ten Times
Jesus' words and deeds on the night of the Last Supper were focused on helping the disciples grasp a truth as revolutionary as the first use of an incandescent light. "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are…
Personal Growth
Post 475Bill Perkins
Buy Into Two Truths!
Dwight D. Eisenhower defined leadership as, "the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." If you accept that definition of leadership (it's my favorite) then you're buying into two truths.…
Leadership
Post 460Bill Perkins
He Slammed His Fist on My Desk!
Jesus struck at the root of pride with a sharp ax. He said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the…
Personal GrowthSin
Post 429Bill Perkins
Everything Stands or Falls On This
Confused and afraid, the disciples left the upper room and stepped onto the narrow Jerusalem street. The frigid air--just like their growing fear--surrounded them, nipping at their faces and cutting through their robes. Holding their…
Personal Growth
Post 344Bill Perkins
I Saw a Miracle
I suspect over the years I've prayed for thousands of sick people. I'm happy to say most of them recovered ... but not everyone. Some of the most agonizing prayers I've uttered seemed to have no effect on the outcome. Such…
Tough QuestionsPrayer
Post 312Bill Perkins
Rein in Toxic Thoughts and Emotions
I was eight years old and riding a quarter horse across some land my family owned outside of Roswell, New Mexico. As I headed the horse away from the stables he repeatedly resisted my lead and tried to reverse direction. After we had…
Personal Growth
Post 302Bill Perkins
Fear Buster--Break the Power of Fear
Fear is a powerful emotion that can steal hope, dissipate energy, trigger depression, and undermine confidence. It's also a culprit I know too well. In fact, last December I was battling a fear that almost pushed me into a vortex of…
Personal Growth
Post 288Bill Perkins
Can You Do This? Got the Guts to Try?
I was thinking a negative thought the other night. It was the kind of negative thought I frequently had. In fact, it was so common I believed it was me--part of my identity. I was thinking about winters in Oregon. Since I moved here…
Personal Growth
Post 246Bill Perkins
I Don't Want to Be a Control Freak!
Lately the Lord has been prodding me to stop trying to control other people. This direction from God is in response to how I often try to fix family members, friends, strangers, businesses and, well, you name it. I don't mean I…
Personal Growth
Post 223Bill Perkins
What Are You Afraid Of?
Men have a tendency to isolate themselves. Our culture admires independent tough-guys like Dirty Harry, Rambo, Terminator, Robocop, and James Bond. Nobody gives an inch. Nobody opens up. Nobody gets hurt. (I looked for some current…
Personal Growth
Post 168Bill Perkins
Tapping Blue Jays
Just the other day, while I was working in my home office, there was a blue jay on my roof, banging away on an unshelled peanut he'd taken from the bird feeder on the back deck. It was the sort of tapping that can't be ignored…
Personal Growth
Post 133Bill Perkins
The Value of Solitude
As the October release of my new book, The Jesus Experiment, draws near I want to give you a sneak peek. It’s understandable to think we could no more emulate Jesus than we could copy Superman. We might shadow Clark Kent up a flight of…
Post 76Bill Perkins
Is Following Jesus as Impossible as Following Superman?
Imitating Jesus in prayer might sound as impossible as emulating Superman's flying capabilities. We might shadow Clark Kent up a flight of stairs, but we're not going to follow the Man of Steel off a tall building. Likewise, I suspect…

Jesus

How Jesus Dealt With Distractions

Is Jesus like Superman?

The disciples' myside bias

How did the disciples miss this

What would you do?

Believing an unbelievable promise

A Promise Nobody Believes

What do you see in this picture?

My New Year’s Challenge

Is Jesus Really Superman?

Hold up my hands, please!

I can't do this without you

I’m nervous and curious

COUNTDOWN: 8 days to launch

One Word That Changed My View

What Jesus Do You Listen To?

Facing What You Fear

What Would You Do With This Woman?

The One Word Jesus Said Ten Times

The Whisper of Satan We Hear Every Day

The Power of Desperation

I Never Saw That Before

I Was Wrong About Jesus

Would Jesus Endorse Gay Marriage?

How to Encourage a Discouraged Friend

Do This to Make Friends

How to Avoid a Bad Decision

Removing Gum Out of Someone's Hair

The IRS Scandal and You

How to Communicate a Vision

Jesus Repeated One Word Ten Times

Buy Into Two Truths!

He Slammed His Fist on My Desk!

Everything Stands or Falls On This

I Saw a Miracle

Rein in Toxic Thoughts and Emotions

Fear Buster--Break the Power of Fear

Can You Do This? Got the Guts to Try?

I Don't Want to Be a Control Freak!

What Are You Afraid Of?

Tapping Blue Jays

The Value of Solitude

Is Following Jesus as Impossible as Following Superman?