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Somewhere right now, a man is running across a desert without stopping. A teenager is holding his breath longer than most of us could survive. And a chef is stacking pancakes higher than anyone thought reasonable.

Our culture is obsessed with record-breaking achievements.

This love of record breaking shapes how we watch sports. It raises the stakes, creating heroes and elevating those heroes to legendary status. Casual viewers are hooked by rapid-fire replays of record-breaking moments, and those viewers are pulled into nostalgic comparisons. Individual games are transformed into sagas and a deep longing to know who is the greatest of all time.

Beyond sports, the Guinness Book of World Records confirms our fascination. Just in 2025, new records have been set: Lalit Patidar has the hairiest face on a person with 201.72 hairs per square centimeter. Truett Hanes completed the most pull ups in 24 hours with an impressive 10,001 reps. A water buffalo named King Kong was named the tallest living of its kind at just over 6 feet tall.[1] There’s even a record holder for “holding the most records,” with that honor going to Ashrita Furman, who has set well over 600 records and still holds just over 200 to his name.[2]

Sure, we all recognize that these are ridiculous achievements, but that doesn’t lessen our fascination in the slightest.

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Thomas gets a bad rap. History has labeled him “Doubting Thomas” for one moment when he had the bad fortune of not being present when the resurrected Jesus appeared.

When he returned, Jesus was already gone, and the rest of the apostles, who had the benefit of seeing Jesus with their own eyes, tried to convince Thomas that Jesus had risen from the dead. Just days before, Thomas had watched as Jesus stopped breathing, was stabbed in the heart with a spear, and was buried and sealed in a rock-cut tomb. No. He wasn’t going to take their word for it. Unless he were to see Jesus with his own eyes and touch his wounds with his own hands, he would not believe.

From that moment on, Thomas became defined by his nickname, forevermore known as the doubter. We forget that none of the other apostles believed when the woman returned from the tomb and proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection. John 24:11 tells us that the eleven did not believe and, in fact, thought the women’s whole story was just nonsense. But history didn’t label them the doubting disciples. No, Thomas carries that burden alone.

I think it is time we change Thomas’ reputation. I think there is evidence that Thomas wasn’t characterized by doubting, but by devotion. To find that evidence, you have to go back to John 11. John and Thomas must have been close. The other three Gospels mention Thomas only once each, and just in a list of Jesus’ disciples. John, however, tells three stories about Thomas’s interactions with Jesus.

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If you ask someone, “What is God like?” you’ll get a variety of answers. I posed this question on Facebook last year. From dense theological explanations to quick two-word descriptions and a few poetic portrayals, the variety of answers was surprising. Some responses dealt with omnipresence or His all-knowing nature, while others focused on God as a loving Father.

I strongly believe that the way we describe God matters. Further, how we describe His character matters. God’s character directly relates to how He interacts and deals with humanity, so accurately understanding and portraying His character is crucial.

If we want to understand God and His character, one of the best places to start is Exodus 34:6-7. In these verses, God clearly describes His character and nature to Moses while on top of Mount Sinai. The first word that God uses to describe himself is the Hebrew word rakhum (רַחוּם). And in Hebrew literature, order matters! The list of character traits starts with compassion, which means it’s one of the most important things to know about God.

The simplest definition of rakhum is “compassionate, compassionate one.”

This would have been a shocking statement for the people of this time. They were used to hearing about the numerous gods that were full of anger and rage, therefore people did anything they could to keep those gods happy. God, Yahweh, is different. Yahweh doesn’t require ritual and appeasement to ward off anger. The Ancient Near East audience of Exodus 34 would have been shocked to hear that God delights in showing His compassion.

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Full disclosure: I’ve been a part of a “Restoration Movement” church since preschool. If I sound like a “Campbellite,” it could be due to being dyed in the wool as I was dunked under water. All my childhood faith-forming memories are Restoration Movement-based.

I can still recall my first discussion about denominations in elementary school. We didn’t know the term “denomination” at that age, but when talking to a friend about my church, they asked, “What is your faith?” I answered, “Christian.” “No, I mean what KIND of Christian are you?” The question confused me. What other kind was there? I knew my church didn’t house the only Christians, but weren’t we all Christians only?

When I asked for clarification, my friend asked in frustration, “What does it say on your sign?!” “Christian Church!” was my response. “Oh! I’ve never heard of that. That’s why I was confused.” In my young mind, how could something so simple be “confusing”? How could one know what a church is and know what a Christian is, but not know a Christian Church? Oh well. All I had ever known was an unknown to someone else.

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Beyond the scope of angels/archangels are two other categories of beings that have rightly or wrongly been conflated with the descriptions of angels. Those categories/terms are cherubim and seraphim. Whether or not both or neither of these terms belong in the same category as mal’āḵ or angelos, we don’t know.

The Bible’s first mention of one of these supernatural beings comes at the end of mankind’s fall in Genesis 3. These beings, cherub (Hebrew kᵊrûḇ) are simply stationed to the east of Eden (Genesis 3:24). In addition to these beings is a flaming sword that guards the tree of life.

The word cherub (singular) or cherubim (plural) goes on to appear 91 total times in 66 verses throughout the rest of Scripture with usages in 12 other books (Exodus, Numbers, 1/2 Samuel, 1/2 Kings, 1/2 Chronicles, the Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hebrews).

Most of the references from the eight historical books describe artistic representations of the beings that are placed on the Ark of the Covenant, on the curtains of the Tabernacle, and within the inner sanctuary of the Temple. The most prominent feature of these gold and yarn constructed figures is their wings.

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In the first-century Jewish world, large numbers of people were drawn to the simple message of repentance. Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17, NIV). Mark 1:4 tells us that John “preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

All three of these—baptism, repentance, and forgiveness—assume humans share the same predicament: we are sinful (Romans 3:10). In fact, in order to receive forgiveness of sins, we need to confess our sins (1 John 1:9). However, confessing one’s personal sins—as distinguished from confessing Jesus as Lord—isn’t the end of the journey of following Jesus. King Jesus calls us to a life of discipleship. Being a disciple means surrendering our own will and submitting to his.

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If church is important enough to come to, it’s important enough to arrive early to.

If you’re going to set an alarm, wake everyone out of bed, fix breakfast, get ready, get dressed, and battle the sibling spats on Sunday morning, you might as well get all you can get out of church.

We’re not just going to give 7 reasons to arrive early because it’s helpful, but we will argue it’s biblical.

Visitors are already nervous. First time in a new place. Maybe first time going to church in years or ever! You get to be the one who shakes their hand or gives them a hug and smile to let them know they are seen and welcomed. Over and over again, I hear visitors communicate with me how much of a difference that has made for them.

If you’re late, you can’t do that. If you’re late, you’ll never end up in a conversation where their prayer need comes up. If you’re late, it’s a lot harder to be an encourager.

“Always be eager to practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13b, NLT)

Arriving early allows you to get mentally ready to be a good receiver of the Word.

After we sit down, it still takes us another 3-5 minutes to turn off our mind from all the events that have already transpired that morning (e.g., the bad driver in front of you). Arriving early allows time to shut all that out, and to get focused.

I admit it’s happened to me where I am singing a song, but I don’t even know what words I am singing. I’m not mentally there yet. You can be physically in a place, but not mentally in a place. It takes a few minutes for our minds to become present in each other’s presence.

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The city of Smyrna is actually the only one of the cities of the Seven Churches of Revelation still around. It is modern-day Izmir, Turkey.

Traveling from Ephesus, the first of the seven cities of Revelation, you would go about 35 miles north, next to the Aegean Sea. Smyrna had an important harbor and was a major location for exporting as well. It was like a modern city in many ways. It was sophisticated, made of marble, with a population that was well educated. Smyrna was a grand city with a large population, larger than most American cities. At Smyrna were temples on both ends, one to Cybele and the other to Zeus. Smyrna had a lot of the usual things in major cities such as libraries, markets, and a theater as well.

There was a long street curving around the mountain. The Acropolis, the circle of buildings which formed the upper part of the city at the top of the mountain, was called “the crown of Smyrna.” Speaking of crowns, Smyrna was famous for games, and a crown wreath was something to be achieved as part of the games. Thus, it is unsurprising that the image of the crown was strongly associated with the city because of both the games and the Acropolis. Almost a fifth of all inscriptions related to Smyrna (for example coins) contain an image of a crown.

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It’s amazing how often Jesus stopped to respond to the needs of others. He made time for a blind beggar calling out from the roadside, welcomed mothers who wanted Him to bless their children, engaged in a late-night conversation with a searching Pharisee, and answered impromptu questions from the crowds. Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and even when interrupted, He often said “yes” to those in need.

But Jesus was not a people-pleaser. He didn’t say “yes” to everything. He didn’t allow others to exploit Him or manipulate Him. In Mark 1:35-38, we see this clearly:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’” (Mark 1:35-38, ESV)

Even though people were clamoring for Him, Jesus didn’t let their demands dictate His purpose. He prioritized His Father’s will over the immediate needs of the crowd.

While Christians are called to serve, we must be able to say no when necessary. There’s an old adage: “If uncontrolled, work flows to the competent person until he submerges.” Many hard workers have found that oftentimes their reward for a job well-done is more work! If you perform a task efficiently, over time, more and more people will turn to you, and before you know it, your priorities are completely out of alignment. Family time suffers. Personal devotions get rushed or neglected. Exercise routines disappear. Stress levels soar.

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Legend says that when Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper he used a young man’s face as a model for Jesus’s that radiated the Christ’s nobility, wisdom, and gentleness. Twenty years later, da Vinci also used a model for Judas, a man whose face was scarred with years of crime, pain, and drunkenness—meant to depict the darkness in Judas’s heart. While being painted, it is said that the model for Judas began to weep and explained that twenty years earlier he had been the model for Jesus.

I’ve heard it said that the thrust of the legend is that in due time our true face will reveal itself. It could also simply illustrate how much a life can be changed by poor decisions. We all have choices, and we all have consequences.

But I use this story to introduce the topic of Jesus’s appearance. No doubt that as an artist, da Vinci took some creative liberty to depict Jesus as a loving savior and king. Da Vinci used Jesus’s appearance/face to depict his character, but the reality is that we know very little about the Nazarene carpenter’s appearance because the Bible’s information on the topic is sparse.

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