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Author of A World from Dust: How the Periodic Table Shaped Life
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Month: December 2023

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 14: Right Result, Wrong Details

Posted on December 14, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour [Assyria’s] thorns and his briers in one day. And it will cons...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 13: Stone, Fire, and the Day of Visitation

Posted on December 13, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?” ...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 12: The Third Child and Mary Theotokos

Posted on December 12, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord … “ (Luke 1:46) The two accounts of Christmas in Matthew and Luke each has a different personality. In Matthew, I ...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 11: The Third Child’s Kaleidoscope of Names

Posted on December 11, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us, and dominion rests on his shoulders, and his name will be: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everla...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 10: The Third Child, “Wonderful Counselor”

Posted on December 10, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Might...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 9: The Third Child, Gideon II (and III)

Posted on December 9, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

My favorite opening to a movie review is: “Re-creations of 70’s schlock, from ‘Starsky & Hutch’ to ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ all seem to obey the second law o...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 8: The Shade of Death and the Child of Light

Posted on December 8, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“They have no light of dawn. … only distress and darkness and fearful gloom.” (Isaiah 8:20c, 22a NIV); “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; ...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 7: The Inner Room and the Rock

Posted on December 7, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“And he [YHWH] will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusal...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 6: The Second Child, “Hurry! Hurry!”

Posted on December 6, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, ‘Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’ “ (Isaiah 8:3 NASB) Poor...

Isaiah Advent Calendar

December 5: Conceiving the Inconceivable

Posted on December 5, 2023 by bjm@spu.edu / 0 Comment

“For this reason the sovereign master himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, yo...

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Recent Posts

  • Isaiah Advent Calendar Videos
  • December 25: John 21:24-25 (No Damage in My Country)
  • December 24: John 21:1-23 (The First Breakfast)
  • December 23: John 20:19-31 (A Concrete Otherness)
  • December 22: John 20:1-18 (While it is Still Dark)

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  • William Darlington on December 4: The First Child, “God With Us”
  • George Murray on December 1: Prophecy is More Than Prediction

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